The Caledonian – 856 College St, Toronto, ON M6H 1A1
Country: Scotland  
Seating: Indoor seating and a hidden courtyard in the back. 
Must-try dish: Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties
Dinner guests: Big Daddy, Chief Jesse, Fraulein Freddie, Johnny Mac, Smelly, Suited Sebastien & Young Matt 
The high: The haggis first-timers were converted and loved the Scottish dish. 
The low: We didn’t get to try more items on the menu as it was a set meal to be paired with the scotch samples. But we’ll be back! 

Everything about The Caledonian is quintessentially Scottish from the decor, the staff’s warm welcome, the blazing fire, the abundant Scottish beer selection, and of course, the haggis dishes on the menu. All we needed for the full package was to walk outside the pub and spot the greenest countryside as far as the eye can see, instead of Toronto’s bustling Little Italy. 

With hundreds of types of scotch available, The Caledonian is a destination for Torontonians who love the brown liquor, or for those who want to learn about it. They offer formal scotch tastings for individuals, groups, or parties for a range of budgets. On top of that, there’s the option to pair the scotches with traditional Scottish dishes. The bar is stocked with beers and other alcoholic beverages from the Northern British nation. 

In planning the scotch tasting and meal pairing, we dealt with one of the owners, Donna, who hails from the Scottish highlands. She curated a tasting that took us all over Scotland, with drastic shifts in flavours that would eventually alter in taste as we tasted each one with the assigned dish. 

Since the gang were scotch rookies, we looked for four varying distilleries that are affordable, unique in taste, and not readily available on Canadian shelves. These are the ones that Donna presented to us with details about the distillery, the geographical influences on taste, and the flavour profile. We sampled these four scotches in this order, all of which are Single Malt Scotch Whiskeys. 

1. Strathisla, 2008 – distilled in the Scottish Highlands, it’s considered the oldest distillery in the country, and often the most beautiful. 
2. Hart Brothers, 2009 – it hails from a distillery that uses the finest casks to create the spirit, and the distillery itself dates back to the 19th century. 
3. Ledaig, 2008 – a scotch from the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides. It’s the only distillery on the island, and it’s also referred to as The Tobermory Distillery. 
4. Ardbeg, 2009 – the distillery is on the Isle of Isley, which is a remote island in the Inner Hebrides, slightly north of Northern Ireland’s coast. 

Although the Ledaig and the Ardbeg were the favourites, all of them were a hit with the group. 

And speaking of hits, the three course dinner was impressive on a number of levels. For starters, there were expectations of average pub fare, which was certainly not the case. It’s instead elevated, and actually makes even those who stick their noses up at pub food wanting more. So much so, that the must-try dish was heavily under debate. Secondly, some were worried about not enjoying the haggis dish, and in the end, they ate everything on their plates. For all you haggis haters in the house, don’t knock it until you try it! 

The format of the dinner was also a first – each guest had their own appetizer, main and dessert, instead of doing the typical Eat the World TO family-style. We started with a Scotch Egg, which is a boiled egg wrapped in pork sausage meat, covered in bread crumbs and fried, once cooked it’s the size of a baseball. In this case, the egg was cooked to perfection as a slightly runny, medium boil covered in pork, herbs and a crispy exterior. It was presented cut in half in order to see the artistry of the chef. 

The next course was Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties. Once again, the presentation was beautiful with the haggis sitting atop a richly tasting bed of turnip and potatoes. If you’re a fan of Shepherd’s or of Cottage Pie, then this dish is right up your alley. Haggis is made with lamb, oats and spices – the meat itself is somewhere between being ground and of being smaller chunks. 

Finally, we ended the evening with a serving of warm Sticky Toffee Pudding and vanilla ice cream. This dessert is almost always found in restaurants and pubs across the United Kingdom, and The Caledonian is no different. This sponge cake has dates as its base and it’s covered in toffee, and usually cream or ice cream. It’s satisfyingly sweet without feeling like you need to run home and brush your teeth. 

This was our first dinner exploring a country in the United Kingdom or Ireland, and we look forward to a couple more this winter. The food is comforting, and the atmosphere where the food is served is consistently cozy. What else could you ask for? 

Eat with you soon, 

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)