The Auswine Forum

Hi all

I'm off to London just before Christmas. Keen to check out the culinary scene and also maybe grab a few sharply priced bottles to bring back if any are to be found. Any recommendations on restaurants and/or bottle shops? Am particularly looking for at least one fine dining experience (lunch at La Dame de Pic looks very good value) and one place to have a big Christmas Eve dinner.

Any thoughts really appreciated.

Cheers
Scott

Hawkesmoor (Ian’s recco) was byo friendly & real food

I recommend the Guinea Grill in Mayfair. Very nice steaks and a solid wine list. You'll feel like you've stepped into another decade.

www.theguinea.co.uk/mobile/restaurant.php

I've been binging Gordon Ramsay videos on YouTube lately, so I'd go to his restaurant and hope they give me something raw, just so I can say "it's f*cking rawww".

Note, I haven't been to England since I was a kid and this comment has no value.

In terms of bottle shops, I’m far from being an expert, but hopefully the below can help:

The Sampler. Interesting range, and wins lots of awards. Obviously has a large range of wines to sample, some of which get very exciting around Christmas (perfect for the person who’s always wanted to try 25ml of Mouton 45!).

Hedonist Wines. Mental pricing, but an incredible place to go for wander. What a range!

BBR. I think they have changed location for the retail side of the business, but if you get a chance, go past the old shop (near Buckingham Palace). It’s incredible how it’s survived. I understand the cellars below also link with the palace cellars...

Check out Planet of the Grapes. [url]http://planetofthegrapes.co.uk[/url]

Great bunch of guys with a good selection of wines from all over the world. Best bit about the their wine bar's is if you buy bottle on premise, you can drink it then and there for 10 quid more. Food is pretty good too.

As for a fine dining experience this was our favourite restaurant when we lived there ... [url]http://www.orrery-restaurant.co.uk/[/url]

catchnrelease wrote:I've been binging Gordon Ramsay videos on YouTube lately, so I'd go to his restaurant and hope they give me something raw, just so I can say "it's f*cking rawww".

Note, I haven't been to England since I was a kid and this comment has no value.

We need this style of contribution

simon1980 wrote:In terms of bottle shops, I’m far from being an expert, but hopefully the below can help:

The Sampler. Interesting range, and wins lots of awards. Obviously has a large range of wines to sample, some of which get very exciting around Christmas (perfect for the person who’s always wanted to try 25ml of Mouton 45!).

Hedonist Wines. Mental pricing, but an incredible place to go for wander. What a range!

BBR. I think they have changed location for the retail side of the business, but if you get a chance, go past the old shop (near Buckingham Palace). It’s incredible how it’s survived. I understand the cellars below also link with the palace cellars...

Actually Hedonism Wine shop is a mental mind f&ck of a place!
It is incredible
I was given a glass of Massetto earlier this year to try

Dragzworthy wrote:I recommend the Guinea Grill in Mayfair. Very nice steaks and a solid wine list. You'll feel like you've stepped into another decade.

http://www.theguinea.co.uk/mobile/restaurant.php

I would second this recommendation. Very old school place.

I also concur with The Sampler in Upper St near Highbury and Islington. Good location to go to either Highbury & Islington and then walk down Upper St to Angel (or vice versa). Lots of good places to eat and drink and shops to browse. Just don't do it on a day there is a home game at the Emirates. (unless you can get tickets, then you should go along)

Similar to the Sampler there is Vagabonds in Spitalfields. A smaller offering but same concept of wines from the enomatic machines. Difference here is you can also get a plate of food and pour a full glass of your favourite. I suggest this as for a tourist it is nice to wander around the market there and it is very near the old Trumans brewery (which hosts a lot of interesting events) and Brick Lane. I am a bit biased as I used to live 5 min walk from there.

If you do head to Spitalfields this is my full ranking of the local pubs (based primarily on quality and breadth of range of real ale ):
1) Williams Ale and Cider House; 2) Kings Stores; 3) Pride of Spitalfields; 4) Duke of Wellington (only proper locals boozer left, great for darts or watching football, one real ale on tap); 5) 10 Bells (next to the market, famous for a ripper connection); 5) Culpeper (good roasts, too slick and shiny for me); 6) Woodins Shades (a bit chainy but Nicholsons pubs always have a good range of ale); the quasi pub attached to Galvin (tank fresh Pilsner and decent snacks- better in summer though to sit outside);

Blacklisted: The Commercial tavern (for throwing out their pool table) and the Water Poet (for being a general pain).

To eat in Spitalfields I recommend Blixen for solid bistro food and good cocktails. I also really rate Canto Corvinho in a back lane opposite William Ale house, really top quality Italian food and an interesting wine list grouped by region. Have the crudo - like sashimi. Pricing is London standard of course (3-4x mark up on the wine). Ottolenghi is nearby as well if that floats your boat. Whatever you do you are not allowed to eat at the Wringer and Mangle on Middlesex St. I have not forgiven that site for pricing out the bar that used to be there, nor do I intend to.

Otherwise, to eat, I did just try the place which got the Observer food awards restaurant of the year- Pidgin in Hackney, which was sensational. Tiny venue and bit hard to get to if your not local, but could be good for a lunch and a chance to see a part of London you might not normally visit. Although, I am again biased as I much prefer the east side of London to the pretension of the west end. There is also an excellent little wine shop over the road from Pidgin.

My other two favourite places are Borough Market and Broadway Market. You might have been to Borough before but it is a must visit. I recommend the Market Porter pub for an incredible range of beers and Ginger Pig does the best sausage rolls known to man (there is also an outpost of Ginger Pig just off Marylebone High St). Borough is not open Sundays.

Broadway Market is a bit further east, just past Shoreditch (or part of Shoreditch since that keeps expanding). Open on Saturdays only. London fields is just next door as well, nice park for a walk. If you like you can also call into London Fields Brewery.

Oh I must also give a plug to my new mates at Renegade Wine who are making a few wines out of a railway arch in Bethnal Green (which is the nearest tube stop for it). You could only be in East London 2017.

I second Borough Market
Went there 3 days running for fish & bread
And a cafe there sells Italian wine
Grabbed some lovely Brunellos

I forgot one other Spitalfield recommendation- Wright Brothers do excellent seafood... and 3pm to 5pm I think is oyster happy hour- £1/pop for the oyster of the day! their bloody mary is superb.

Thanks guys some good recommendations there. I think I will either be staying at The Ned near Bank tube stop which looks not that far from spitalfields, or a few hotels in Soho in looking at.

Suffice to say Sam if you are around at Xmas and not back here I'd be happy to catch up for a glass. London Xmas offline anyone??

Hi Maybs,

The Ned is just around the corner from my office. It's in the middle of the financial district, as I'm sure you know, so it's a bit quiet at the weekends. No view on any of the restaurants in the hotel, but the Don / Sign of the Don is nearby & offers a nice little wine bar, and a half-decent restaurant.

If you're going to Spitalfields, try Vagabond Wines. Spitalfields is very commercial these days, lots of little permanent shops, boutiques, cafes & restaurants. Borough is a little more like a more traditional 'market', and fairly easy walking distance, but can be incredibly busy at the weekend. If you are going, and just want a snack, the pork belly carvery roll from Roast is unbeatable. The Market Porter pub just opposite is perhaps not the smartest, but it's maybe the best place to grab a pint of real ale. Could also try the George, hidden away just around the corner - it's the only galleried coaching inn left in London. If it's markets you're after though, I'd second the mention of Broadway Market - I reckon it's the best place in London to head to for street food. It's not the most straightforward to reach though.

In terms of restaurants, there are great options at pretty much every level, just depends on your wallet. If you want something wine-themed, you could try one of the 28-50 restaurants (a small-ish chain), they have a great list & pretty good food. Blandford Comptoir in Marylebone (opened by the same guy) is also worth a look. Ottolenghi is also a good call, but I don't believe you can book, so it's a bit of a lottery. Really though, there are literally thousands of options!

Find a good claret and then go for steak at Mash on Sunday night or Hawks Moor on Monday... byo nights

I'm not the greatest London expert, but i certainly hold Borough Market in high regard. Cheap it ain't and some of it isn't as good as you'd hope (the stuffed pasta shop jumps out as an anglicised abomination), however for me highlights include:
Monmouths coffee
Mini Magoo's Granola
The large fruit and veg stall with the permanent selection of interesting mushrooms, plus stuff like Amalfi coast lemons
Brindisa for spanish stuff, including a rather tasty beer with rosemary in it
Bianca and Mora for brillaint Parmesan, but also exceptional wax covered salami
Artisan du Chocolat - a disciple of Marcolini
Gastronomica - not as welcoming as when they had the stall, but they stock smoked Burrata cheese, so I forgive them.
Fitz fine foods - Worth checking their mushrooms, as they're surprisingly often the best on the market
The olive oil co. have a great range of olive oils

...but someone else's list would be entirely different.
The Saturday comment is significant, either go very early, or preferably on a Wednesday or Thursday.

In terms of wines, they can be a little pricey in London (i.e. 'giving it away' cheap to an Aussie WET paying wine buyer), but the variety available is exceptional. I like Uncorked in the arcade near Liverpool St Station for a good mix. Passione Vino about 10 mins north of there on Leonard St is definitely pricey, but forgive them that for a remarkable selection that any enoteca in Italy would be proud of. The Sampler and other copycat enomatic tasting machine places are well worth a mention as places that are as much a location for a couple of hours tasting as buying wine from there. Again they can be pricey, but they also are quite canny buyers so not everything is poor value.

Maybe worth seeing if your stay matches the annual takeover of La Trompette by the WIMPS tasting group (details on the Wine Pages offline planner page, only visible to those who are registered for the forum). These are very convivial events where a (2?) michelin starred restaurant charges modest corkage for the forum to bring wines to match a variety of table themes. The food is very good indeed, and they know their wines & how to serve them. All in all these events are a wonderful bargain. Beware of the after lunch drinking posse unless you have the drinking stamina of David Boon. I don't know how they do it, I certainly couldn't.

A few other suggestions for wine shops:

Lea and Sandeman: Italian specialists but also a good selection from Bordeaux and Burgundy. Three branches in west London. Nearest to the city centre is the one in Kensington Church St.
Bottle Apostle: two or three branches. Nearest one is in Hackney, a short bus ride from Mile End. They do have enomatic machines. A good selection but not as high end as the other shops mentioned.
Philglas and Swiggott: three branches, one near the west end of Oxford St. A good all-round selection and usually quite a few Aussie wines.

All these merchants have websites.

There are others I could recommend but can't recall them offhand. I'll post later if they come to mind.

Berry Bros and Rudd occupy the same premises but their shop has moved around the corner to Pall Mall.

I am on Wine pages mostly. Some guys there are always up for an offline, so I'm sure we can fit you up with something.

Do try some English sparklers while you're over, as they are rather good.

I'll try to think of some restaurants as well.

Thanks all and thanks David. The dates I'm in London don't really work for the BYO places, shame. I'm staying at The London Edition from 21st until Christmas Day then off to the countryside. I've booked lunch on 22nd at La Dame De Pic and trying to swing my way into the Ledbury for Xmas eve though not holding out much hope.

If a cheeky offline could be organised I'd love to come meet some people and bring my cousin along, he lives there.

I actually have some Hattingley Valley sparkling in my cellar, you're right it's not bad at all

Not wine, but some quirky nearby places that might appeal. All within 10 mins walk from the look of it, except the last one (20 mins). Walking, even in winter, is something most tourists forget as an option, often ending up walking further in order to take the tube, than simply strolling there. Anything under 20 mins walk for me is not worth getting the tube for, but often I'll stretch that to 30-40 mins. Usually there is something of interest to stumble across along the way.

Walking NW
- Scandi Kitchen, 61 Great Titchfield St, Fitzrovia, London W1W 7PP. Cafe and Scandinavian food shop. Some lovely stuff here, some pricey (due to the import), but some surprisingly decent value. Plenty that's interesting.

Walking S (straight down Wardour St)
- Algerian Coffee Stores, Old Compton St. Huge range of coffee beans (plus teas). No cafe, so unless you have an apartment later in the trip, not much use.
- I Camisa, Old Compton St. A brilliant and utterly understated Italian alimentari. There used to be half a dozen around here, but apparently this was always the best and hence the only one that supplied. They indulge my stuttering Italian here, but also supply wonderful fresh pasta, even better fresh pasta sauces (their tomato & basil is wonderful, but so is their ragu). Even without a kitchen on hand, do grab some of their olives / antipasti. I particularly like the piccante olives. Some great cheeses and cured meats, plus good proper bread, so a picnic for the hotel room is a cheap but brilliant option from here. Inbetween these two, there is a wine/whisky shop, much better for the latter than the former, but it does have decent wines if you're looking for a place for a BYO or back at the hotel.

Note, in the evening Old Compton st has a number of popular gay bars (including the one attacked a few years ago). No issues at all with the vibe when I've been visiting the above shops early evening, though if unaware it might be a surprise.

Walking N
Bubbledogs,70 Charlotte St, Bloomsbury, London W1T 4QG. I've not been, but recall this place opening. A bizarre theme of hot dogs and champagne. Not my thing, but might make for a quirky lighter meal.

Walking SSE - a more substantial 20 min walk, put putting you near Covent Garden, which can have a nice evening and weekend vibe
Rules, Historic British restaurant (1798), but one held in high regard by the wine pages crowd. Ought to be a tourist trap, but oddly isn't. As we're in game season, a place well worth considering if you enjoy game birds.

Regards
Ian

David Pope wrote:
Bottle Apostle: two or three branches. Nearest one is in Hackney, a short bus ride from Mile End. They do have enomatic machines. A good selection but not as high end as the other shops mentioned.

I actually went to the Bottle Apostle in Hackney on the weekend... its one of my new locals.

Very nice shop to have in walking distance. Quirky, interesting range. Being adjacent to a Ginger Pig, a deli, and a good organic grocer makes it very handy for a Saturday! I am not sure I would cross town for it, but worth checking out if nearby. Vagabonds in Spitalfields has more options to taste (but a more limited range).

A note on Bottle Apostle (it's my local in Crouch End, at least for one more week until I head to Aus) - someone above said it's 'not as high end', which is probably partially true. If you go to the fine wine section, you'll maybe find maybe 25-30 different options from all over the world in the £50+(ish) range, depending on the branch you go to. That may not be as many as some of the other shops mentioned, however the vast majority of the range is in the £18-40- bracket, which would presumably put the average bottle price way above most other shops, and certainly in the 'fine wine' category for most people.

I have no connection - I've just been a regular customer for many years, and I can count on one hand the number of bottles I've bought from them that I've been disappointed with at the prices I've paid.

For fine dining I’ll recommend only from recent meals. La Trompette, 5 min walk from Turnham Green. Wine Pages Forum holds a monthly off-line there. 1* Quality of cooking on upcurve. Excellent wine list, there’s a chance of BYO, if you ask when booking.
Core by Clare Smyth. Her new set up in Notting Hill, following her departure from Gordon Ramsey (***). A touch classier than La T. Nailed on for at least one *. Strong wine list, some of the pricing is extortionate, other fair. No BYO.

A couple more recommendations for wine shops:

Highbury Vintners - a good all round selection and they also sell a wide range of bottled beer. You need to get a bus from Finsbury Park station to Highbury Park - about a 10 minute ride.

Amathus - an under the radar wine merchant. Gets virtually no publicity in the UK wine press or on wine-pages and I'm not sure why.. Quite an interesting range from all around the world. Four branches including one in the City, which might be very handy for you.

All the merchants I've mentioned sell by the bottle and have websites.

I don't eat out that often in London but if you're going to Upper St in Islington to visit the sampler, there is a good French-style brasserie called Bellanger, nearby on Islington Green. Bellanger has a sister restaurant called Zedel near Piccadilly Circus. Zedel does get crowded and noisy but Bellanger is fine.

We had a fabulous bistro style lunch at Terroirs near st martins in the field after an exquisite piano recital

David Pope wrote: Amathus - an under the radar wine merchant. Gets virtually no publicity in the UK wine press or on wine-pages and I'm not sure why.. Quite an interesting range from all around the world. Four branches including one in the City, which might be very handy for you.

Based on their store at Leadenhall Market they have an interesting range but pricing 15-25% higher than it should be because in that location #can... their other stores/website may be more compelling?

I recommend it but only for their Mezcal ...

I like the Amathus at Leadenhall - they have a decent selection of Bordeaux, across the pricing spectrum. Not many wine shops in London can say that these days (presumably because claret is so out of fashion now).