Review on Vinoteca
'Vinoteca marks a return of the wine bar to fashionable London,' observed Decanter magazine about this terrific, 'gleefully informal' venue in the heart of foodie Smithfield. Billed as a 'Bar, Wine Shop & Kitchen', it scores heavily with a truly exciting 250-bin wine list from ten different suppliers; wines by the glass are excellent and mark-ups are refreshingly restrained across the board.
The kitchen delivers a broad mix of European-influenced food tailored to the needs of socialising wine drinkers as well as restaurant types. Menus are peppered with fashionable ingredients from home and away, and each dish is paired with a spot-on wine recommendation: grilled mackerel with beetroot, horseradish, fennel and crème fraîche deserves – and gets – a glass of 2005 Jurançon Sec, while a lively spring braise of rabbit with green lentils and young vegetables keeps good company with Italian Lagrein.
Elsewhere, expect duck liver parfait with pickled figs, plates of Iberico 'pata negra' ham, and slow-roast shoulder of lamb with broad bean purée and marjoram dressing, ahead of excellent cheeses and desserts such as apricot and almond tart or poached peach with green tea ice cream.
There are four other branches of Vinoteca operating the same format in Marylebone, Soho, Chiswick and King's Cross.
Vinoteca is also featured in: Michelin Guide, Good Food Guide, Hardens
Rate this RestaurantCuisine
Modern British
Chef
John Cook
Restaurant Opening Times
Lunch: 12.00 through until
Dinner: 11.00pm
Accepted credit cards
Visa, Master Card, American Express
