We take a food and drink Odyssey through the Square Mile
As voting for the Toast the City Awards enters its final week, we sent our wine columnist Libby Brodie on a wine Odyssey through the City’s finest bars and restaurants. .
As The Odyssey continues to smash records – it’s now Christopher Nolan’s highest ever grossing film – I thought I would take an odyssey of my own through the Square Mile and its many Dionysian delights, all of which just happen to be finalists in our Toast the City Awards.
The Culpeper
Circe’s island of Aeaea, AKA The Culpeper, has a historic charm at odds with the glass and steel terraces of some of the newer buildings in the City. On the corner of Commercial Street, climb up above the pub and restaurant to discover the respite of the rooftop garden. Birch and hazel trees cast dappled shade across the tables, and scented pots of wild strawberries and mint nestle among the grasses.
It’s a little rustic, a little ramshackle and the wine list offers something more interesting and cooler than the usual summer swathes of rosé brand partnerships. Here you can find golden coloured skin contact wines from Georgia, flavourful Pet Nats from Greece and a welcome selection of chilled reds. You will be charmed by its greenery and individuality, and all the meat is ethically reared in the UK.
An odyssey to Humble Grape
Next take a 20-minute stroll to Hades, better known as Humble Grape Bow Lane. Set inside the 11th Century crypt of St Mary-Le-Bow Church, you descend into arched depths of candlelit stone to find a wine bar that’s altogether cosier and more romantic than the black shores depicted in the film. The drinks offering is also far more attractive: no pools of sacrificial blood here, instead there are more than 500 bottles of organic wines by talented independent producers. Many are exclusive to Humble Grape so you can experience something new and exciting. They have a fantastic selection from France and South Africa but take a risk – as any mythological hero should – and try a glass from Bulgaria, Serbia or North Macedonia.
A glorious homecoming to Engel
Just a few minutes’ walk away, where better for a royal homecoming than the Royal Exchange? With its opulent party atmosphere, Engel is the new Ithaca. Providing a steady flow of live music and cabaret throughout the week, it combines a selection of classic and modern cocktails with a menu that ranges from comfort food to caviar. Such hedonism can be enjoyed from the plush red velvet seating of the balcony, from where you can look down upon your subjects in the courtyard and boutiques below. Welcome home, your majesty.
Wine Recommendations
Davenport Horsmonden Dry 2023, £18.25, davenportvineyards.co.uk
I didn’t know what to expect from this organic blend from Kent, but this blew me away! Fragrant and flavourful it weaves Bacchus, Ortega and lesser-known grapes together to create a uniquely English white wine. Interesting, sustainable yet still easily enjoyable.
Champagne Telmont Réserve Brut, £52, Waitrose
The Official Champagne of the Emirates GBR SailGP Team, limited edition bottles are only available through Waitrose but even if you are no sailor yourself it is worth your time time trying this fine, classy, complex, organic champagne of which Leonardo DiCaprio is a shareholder. So chic.
Doran Vineyards Arya, £14.50, doranvineyards.com
Chenin Blanc is a grape I rely on to please everyone, and this is a brilliant, bright example of South African bush vine sunshine poured into a glass. Blended with Grenache Blanc and Roussanne it has fresh, peachy flavour with a touch of the tropical and a supple elegant structure.