Food & Drink 2.5
Service 4.5
Atmosphere 4
Value 3
“Small is beautiful” is the motto of this Enoteca on a quiet City backstreet and boy is that accurate in terms of space! With its dark ceilings and wine-lined walls bearing down on you, it certainly feels like they have crammed in a huge amount of seating, from shared high tables to banquettes with closely packed tables; I'm not honestly sure how we managed to fit the 4 of us in with a buggy! The crowdedness works really well though for this venue creating a buzzy, elbow-rubbing rather than elbow-sharpening, atmosphere that is so laid back that no-one, neither staff nor besuited clientele, expressed surprise or disapproval that we had bought a child into this wholly unsuitable drinking den of iniquity. Service was fantastic: the waitress was charmed by the baby and we in turn were charmed by her. There might have been moments when delivery could have been smoother but it was so friendly we hardly noticed and certainly didn't care. Food itself didn't particularly blow me away I'm afraid: roasted pork belly was the best but portions were small (not in a beautiful way) and I've had better calamari/arancini/prosciutto/bread etc elsewhere. But that's not what you here for; it's an enoteca, so it's all about the wine, right? Well, it is if you like Italian reds: there are over 50 of those alone. I was a bit disappointed that they don't offer more than 5 white wines by the glass (although I should say I enjoyed the Gavi I had) and even if you went for a bottle choice is more limited to about 30 in total. It feels a bit unbalanced as a list (if you are going to take a romp around the world offering a few other reds, do you need to include 4 Argentinian Malbecs?). I probably wouldn't come back for lunch again, unless we were settling in for an all-day, post-deal, “bed wetter” as an old colleague of mine would say, but I'd definitely come for a few post-work drinks. Without a baby.
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 3.5
Value 4.5
Favourite City Wine Bar (with great 'tapas')
This is a superb little establishment in the heart of the City, just off Gresham Street, next door to the Hawksmoor.
An excellent Italian wine list and superb ‘tapas’ like small dishes that you can mix and match, favourites being the seared tuna steak on rocket, over-sized arancini, meat platters and buffeta mozzarella. Service is fast, polite and smiley. Good atmosphere encased in wine-clad and wood panelled walls. My only negative would be that the bar area is small and a lack of outside space – it would make a killing if it had outdoor space…