Bars & Pubs

With its glass-topped wood dividers, B&S looks more like a Yates’s wine lodge than a hip bar, but it’s one of the few non-touristy places in this part of town and buzzes even on a Monday night. Local lawyers sip and chomp at wine and food served promptly and well. Steak tartare arrived with a dull salad, but the steak, mixed with vinegar, a few capers and a quail’s egg, was delicious. Sharp chive cream and a melting poached egg improved the soft, floppy fish cakes. Wines are euphemistically divided into ‘Honest’, ‘Decent’, ‘Good’ and ‘Staff Picks’, which effectively means ‘Cheap’, ‘Average’, ‘Better’ and ‘Properly Chosen’. It’s quite a task to find an enjoyable drop in the ‘Honest’ category. The likes of Gran Sasso’s Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and Ribolla Gialla from Colli Orientali show it pays to head for ‘Good’. Overall, the list needs pruning of larger brands and less interesting choices.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009