Dram & Smoke Pop-Up, Vauxhall

Truly excellent Vauxhall pop-up interprets Scotch fare with stroke of genius this summer.

Tucked away down a backstreet in Vauxhall is a small, unassuming door, with a little note hanging on it. “Entry at 7.30pm, don’t worry about knocking.” 

Communal dining

And, true to their word, the team behind Dram & Smoke open up on the dot to let you in to a hidden Scottish gem. They’ve decked out a steelyard with a bar, set up a kitchen in the back and have laid out four communal tables, as well as a smoking area on a balcony above, adorned in fairy lights.

Welcome cocktails

A warm welcome is accompanied by a complimentary cocktail, and you can set about getting to know your new table friends until your six-course feast begins. The menu is made up of traditional Scottish fare, but with a genius twists.  Look out for the haggis bon bons, served with a chilli jam, but if you’re into fish the potted smoked mackerel with oatcakes will be just as memorable.

Standout dish

But the star of the show has to be the venison haunch, which is excellently hung and smoked, served with a warm pearl barley salad and paired with an Innis&Gunn rum-finished beer.

Dessert...

A word of warning: don’t over-do it on the earlier courses (no matter how much extra meat is wafted in front of you when the main platters have been served up). Because dessert, deep fried mars bar with shortbread ice cream and a little Irn Bru drizzle, is phenomenal.

A wee dram?

The ticket price includes two drinks, but prossecco wine and beer are available all night. Not forgetting the obligatory post-prandial wee dram of whiskey