Mac & Wild City

After hearing great things about the flagship restaurant, when this pop up of Mac & Wild came onto my radar it seemed rude not to go and try out the Highland goodies. Myself and 7 friends booked into the restaurant, upon arrival we were separated from our coats and bags, which were put in a cloakroom, and shown to our table. The rustic decor worked well with the period features of the building, with light fittings made from glass decanters and guns hanging from the walls and ceilings. The menu is quite small, with about 5 options for starters, mains and sides. It also tells you the name of the farmer that the produce came from and the name of the game hunter who shot the meat, giving it a very personal and local feeling. One of the main reasons I wanted to eat here was to sample haggis in a venue that wasn't my home or weatherspoons on burns night! And so I was disappointed to find that there was no gluten free option on the menu (I have a wheat intolerance sadly) so I watched in envy as my friends devoured Haggis Pops with Red Joe sauce and Haggis Scotch Eggs, which I was constantly told tasted amazing. The egg yolks were perfectly runny and I did dip a finger in the Red Joe sauce, which gave a sweet yet sour vibe on the tip of the tongue. Moving on to mains, one of the group ordered a 400g venison chateaux breand, cooked rare, which melted in the mouth and was a beautiful pink colour. The rest of us opted for burgers. The menu claimed that the classic burger was voted the best burger in London. 2 venison patties, cooked medium, with cheese and onion. There were then options to add candied bacon, extra patty, substitute one patty for a beef variety or add blue cheese. I had the classic burger without bun, and adding candied bacon. Sides ordered were dirty mash, honeyed neeps, skin-on fries and buttered greens to share. The burgers looked impressive but I was quite upset to see what looked like, what I call, 'plastic' cheese slices used. It kind of cheapened the experience for me and didn't add to the flavour of the venison, which was a shame. The sides were also very nice but a little shy on the portion sizes, and I still don't know what made the mash 'dirty' as it was just simply pureed potatoes. The staff didn't seem to know either! Whilst the burger was tasty, I don't think it was worthy of the best burger in London title that it had been given. We also had coffees to finish and got through 4 bottles of red wine between 8 of us. The bill came to approx. £60 per head, which I felt was a little steep for what we had eaten and drank. The staff didn't seem to know a lot about the menu, which was a shame, and once coats were in the cloakroom we were not allowed to retrieve them to nip out for a cigarette at times if a member of staff was not present, which got a bit chilly! All in all a nice restaurant with good food but I feel the menu is slightly overpriced for what it is.