The Cork and Bottle
British
44-46 Cranbourn Street, London WC2H 7AN ££
The Cork and Bottle opened in 1971 and has been in its central Leicester Square location ever since. Originally just a wine bar, the Cork and Bottle does also serve some very tasty food and is a great place to escape to, away from the hustle and bustle of the streets above.
A basement location, The Cork and Bottle is extremely easy to miss if just passing by. It is tucked in between a Chinese takeaway and a discounted Theatre ticket booth - probably the two things which resonate with me most when I think of Leicester Square. Once you have found it, you go down a small spiral staircase and you are transported into a cosy and authentic wine bar, decorated with various posters from over the years - you almost feel as though you have been transported back to the 1970s yourself.
I came here with my Dad following the American Depression exhibition at the Royal Academy. It is a place he holds with high regard, having been many times before. We ordered a bottle of the House Red Wine Le Petit Berticot Merlot 2015 (£22.50) which was delicious and reasonably priced - you can't really expect the house wine to be bad at a Wine Bar...
For food, Dad had the soup (£6) to start which he said was great, I had the spiced duck, sweet potato, sesame and cashew (£8) - pictured below. The presentation was lovely and not what I was expecting, the flavours also a welcome surprise. For main, Dad went for the Shepherd's pie (£13.5) and myself the Ham and Cheese pie (£11). The pie looked impressive - it came in a massive portion with layers upon layers of ham, cheese and thick puff pastry. However, this did end up being too much, I never thought I would complain about a pie having too much filling, but this did.
The small plates all looked delicious and they also had a vast selection of fine cheeses to choose from. Meaning, if I was to return to the Cork and Bottle I would probably end up ordering a few small plates and some cheese as opposed to any of the mains, which seemed quite basic and heavy in comparison.
I should also mention the service - the waiter (didn't catch his name) was incredibly welcoming, engaging and pleasant. He put up with my Dad's inappropriate jokes and kept conversation flowing throughout. Down to earth, funny and clearly didn't hate his job - top marks for him.
Go to The Cork and Bottle for a slice of London history, some fine wine, good food and excellent service. Or just to have a calm breather from the mania of the streets above.
OVERALL RATING: ****
http://www.thecorkandbottle.co.uk/
