Bar Battu

A French spot with a stylish New York edge, Bar Battu occupies the former site of Molloy's in the heart of the City, and is a fully signed-up exponent of natural wines.

Many of these are available by the glass or carafe; the menu comes with user-friendly symbols that denote cloudiness, body and 'wild' or 'semi-wild' to indicate how unfettered the wines really are.

Regardless of anyone's views on growing techniques, the term biodynamic, in particular, usually indicates a high level of artisanship and care; the resulting wines tend to be striking, sometimes cloudy due to a lack of sulphites, and often featuring uninhibited, expressive characters that can alarm as many tasters as they excite.

An enthusiastic sommelier is on hand to guide drinkers (who can sit at the bar if they don't want to eat) through the list, which also includes French ciders and a few sherries.

We like the water policy too: it's unlimited, filtered, from the mains, still or sparkling, and comes with a boundless supply of bread for £1.50 per person. Food is equally on-trend: small plates of tapas/ cicchetti drawing on French, Italian and Spanish cuisines; everything we tried was superb.