London Takeaways

Swedeland Court City of London, London, West London, EC2M 4NR

Boisdale of Bishopsgate at Swedeland Court in the City of London EC2 is a Scottish restaurant and whisky bar in a vaulted cellar a short walk from Liverpool Street station. Hardens praises it as "a fun, boisterous Scottish steakhouse and bar with outstanding live jazz." Boisdale is known for dry-aged Highland beef steaks from Aberdeen Angus cattle, a formidable collection of over 1,000 Scotch whiskies, haggis with neeps and tatties, and smoked salmon from Inverawe in Argyll. Live jazz plays every evening from 9pm. The group was founded by Ranald Macdonald and has branches in Belgravia and Canary Wharf as well as the City. The Bishopsgate branch draws the Square Mile's financial community for business lunches and evening entertainment in substantial numbers.

Available for dine-in at Swedeland Court, Bishopsgate, City EC2M. Phone 020 7283 1763. Own website: boisdale.co.uk. Live jazz nightly from 9pm.

64 Shoreditch High Street Shoreditch, London, West London, EC2M 4NS

Smoking Goat at 64 Shoreditch High Street is a celebrated Thai bar-restaurant from Ben Chapman — who also opened Kiln in Soho — serving the charcoal-grilled meats and fermented pastes of northern Thailand and the Isan region. Hardens praises it for "intense, interesting and unusual Thai food." Chapman pioneered this style in London: bold, fermented and fire-cooked flavours from Thailand's border regions rather than the sweet and gentle dishes that dominated Thai restaurants for decades. The menu changes regularly: charcoal-grilled pork jowl with nam jim jaew, fermented fish laab, raw beef salad with herbs and toasted rice, khao man gai (poached chicken with ginger broth). The Shoreditch High Street site was the second Smoking Goat (the original was on Denmark Street). Natural wines and Thai craft beers complement the food.

Available for dine-in at 64 Shoreditch High Street EC2M. Own website: smokingoatbar.com.