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London MacNN'ers: Recommend me a nice wine bar
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dcmacdaddy
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Dec 26, 2006, 09:47 PM
 
So, I am taking the morning flight to LHR and will be in London with my girlfriend until the 2nd of January--She is staying on for another week of work before returning to NYC.

Anyway, I would like to take my girlfriend out to a nice wine bar. She is born-and-bred in London but has lived elsewhere for the past 6 or 7 years and I thought it would be fun to a) find a nice wine-bar to have drinks and/or dinner and b) impress her with my sleuthing skills regarding London.

By nice I mean (relatively) quiet, focused more on the wine and food than the posh and pretension, and with a broad selection of wines from all over the world. (We usually drink wine in the $20-$50/bottle price range when we are out here in NY.) Any and all suggestions are welcome. We've got theatre plans on Thursday night but nothing on Friday so either of those nights are open. At the weekend we will be in Cambridge staying with some of her friends for the New Years holiday.

Getting there by tube or taxi is not a problem. She lives in SW8 for what it's worth. And if anyone wants to come out and join us, by all means do so. You can post your suggestions here or PM them to me. I will have internet access until 12 midnight EST tonight (GMT 05:00) and then not again until Thursday AM.


TIA!
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Peter
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Dec 26, 2006, 09:57 PM
 
no clue, but check out Kingston Arms on Kingston Street in Cambridge.
Great pub.
we don't have time to stop for gas
     
Paco500
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Dec 27, 2006, 10:28 AM
 
Not a "Wine-Bar" (not really sure what that means) but an amazingly good "gastro" pub,

Anchor & Hope�London - Restaurant Review and Information

The Anchor and Hope a block from Southwark Tube Station

They don't take reservations, so get there early to lessen wait. Great food, relaxed atmosphere, and reasonable prices.

Two of these things are a bit unusual for dining over here. It's worth it.
     
Paco500
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Dec 27, 2006, 10:37 AM
 
One more thing, my friend that I went with liked the wine list, although it was small.

Another review:

here

Mentions the wine. I know it's not exactly what you asked for, but it will not be a dissapointment.
     
Doofy
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Dec 27, 2006, 11:06 AM
 
Originally Posted by dcmacdaddy View Post
We usually drink wine in the $20-$50/bottle price range when we are out here in NY.
So... ...bottle of wine, 10 to 25 quid, London. That'll be the alley behind the nearest Tesco then.
     
Paco500
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Dec 27, 2006, 11:09 AM
 
Originally Posted by Doofy View Post
So... ...bottle of wine, 10 to 25 quid, London. That'll be the alley behind the nearest Tesco then.
Perhaps slight exaggeration, but perpare to be shocked by how much everything costs.
     
Mastrap
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Dec 27, 2006, 11:29 AM
 
Check out chowhound for excellent recommendations.

As Paco says, London is very expensive, even in comparison to NYC. A good bottle in a decent bar or restaurant will set you back easily $100 and more. If you really want to impress your girl with your inside knowledge I recommend asking on Chowhound for places on or close to Brick Lane. I'd recommend some myself but it's been several years since I've left London and I suspect that things have changed - I lived in the East End and it was being gentrified at an alarming pace.

Tow of my favorites were 'The Real Greek' on Hoxton Square (the only Greek restaurant I have ever liked) and Trois Garcons close to Brick Lane. Jamie Oliver's restaurant '15' is getting decent reviews too but I have no idea what the waiting time (if any, this time of year) might be. A lot of places in London will be closed between the holidays but I have always loved this time of the year - it is the only time that London takes a breather. You can park easily, there's ample cabs available and the city is just calm and quiet for a couple of days before the new year starts.
     
moonmonkey
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Dec 28, 2006, 09:14 AM
 
Good advise Mastrap.
     
Angus_D
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Dec 28, 2006, 09:31 AM
 
     
dcmacdaddy  (op)
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Dec 30, 2006, 08:41 AM
 
The Anchor and Hope was closed for the holidays as was the Ebury Wine Bar near where mygirlfriend's mum lives. On Thursday night we went to a place called Live Bait across from the Anchor and Hope. It's a decent seafood place and we had a decent bottle of Sancerre for £27.50. Later that night we had some drinks at the Propsect of Whitby; a pub from Henry VIII's time with a nice view of the river. (My girlfriend says you Brits will surely know of that place.) Today we are off to Marlow for a night at the Compleat Angler Inn and tomorrow we will be in Cambridge for the New Year's holiday. We're taking her Mum out to dinner Monday night so if you have any more suggestions post them here.

Happy New Years to you all!
One should never stop striving for clarity of thought and precision of expression.
I would prefer my humanity sullied with the tarnish of science rather than the gloss of religion.
     
Kerrigan
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Dec 30, 2006, 10:42 AM
 
Wine bar? How gay
     
Atomic Rooster
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Dec 30, 2006, 06:01 PM
 
.....
( Last edited by Peter; Dec 30, 2006 at 06:17 PM. Reason: flamebait)
     
PurpleGiant
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Jan 1, 2007, 03:59 PM
 
Originally Posted by Mastrap View Post
A lot of places in London will be closed between the holidays but I have always loved this time of the year - it is the only time that London takes a breather. You can park easily, there's ample cabs available and the city is just calm and quiet for a couple of days before the new year starts.
You're right about that. I went into London this morning (New Year's Day) and it was the quietest I have seen London, ever. Parked right in Hyde Park without any trouble, and managed to go for a few hour walk and could actually describe it as peaceful. Sun was out too!
     
Mastrap
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Jan 1, 2007, 04:10 PM
 
Originally Posted by PurpleGiant View Post
You're right about that. I went into London this morning (New Year's Day) and it was the quietest I have seen London, ever. Parked right in Hyde Park without any trouble, and managed to go for a few hour walk and could actually describe it as peaceful. Sun was out too!
I have happy memories doing just that. I used to live in the Notting hill/North Kensington area, so Hyde Park was always close by.
     
Angus_D
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Jan 1, 2007, 06:07 PM
 
Originally Posted by PurpleGiant View Post
You're right about that. I went into London this morning (New Year's Day) and it was the quietest I have seen London, ever. Parked right in Hyde Park without any trouble, and managed to go for a few hour walk and could actually describe it as peaceful. Sun was out too!
I was in London even earlier this morning, and there were a couple of hundred thousand people about
     
   
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