Time Out rating:
<strong>Rating: </strong>4/5
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<strong>Rating: </strong>4/5
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Time Out says
Mon Nov 19 2012
This ‘progressive working-class caterer’, as it informs you on the etched glass of the windows, once served ‘London’s noted cup of tea’. Some things have changed, but others have not. With an interior and a facade that have remained virtually unchanged since the 1880s, this former worker’s caff has a history that is always going to overshadow the work of the kitchen. The tiled floor, booth seating and embossed wallpaper have seen many changes of chef and business, but the latest incumbents have chosen to keep it simple, primarily functioning as a wine bar.
The ‘best’ of the two ground-floor rooms – the one with Victorian wooden booths – is reserved for diners who have a no-choice set dinner menu at £35. It’s like smart Islington dinner party food; on our visit, mackerel pâté, a dense fish soup, roast venison and chocolate-and-chestnut cake, with cheese costing extra. Uncomplicated and competently done, but a bit pricey; you’re paying a premium for the best seats. There’s also a less expensive à la carte lunch (with main courses just over a tenner). In contrast, the wine bar offers no proper pews and does simpler snacks: crab on toast, Neal’s Yard cheeses, Italian charcuterie.
It’s to the wine list that most effort has been directed. There are around ten wines by the glass – not an extensive selection and not cheap either, averaging around £7 per 125ml glass; but the wines are characterful and carefully chosen. The staff are enthusiastic and well informed about the choices, able to talk you through the 90-strong list that ranges from Rhône to Hawkes’ Bay, Bordeaux blend to Carménère. Be warned that most of the bottle prices read like bingo-calling numbers – time for fun, 41; heaven’s gate, 78. But choose carefully and you can share a decent bottle for as little as £20 or so, in a setting that’s been admired by generations of tea-drinkers.
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