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Nettle cider at Smithfields - we Test Drive St Bart's Brewery

Nettle cider at Smithfields - we Test Drive St Bart's BreweryWhat can you tell us about St Barts Brewery?

It's a central London bar and restaurant from the people behind the Hush Heath vineyard. So alongside a pint of beer, you'll find their wines and ciders on offer too. This is a Good Thing, but more of that in a bit.

What's the set up?

It's split up into three distinct areas. On the ground floor it's more a traditional pub, with countless city workers spilling out onto the streets on the very warm Friday that we visited. Upstairs from that is the main restaurant area on a balcony area that surrounds the bar, and to the back of that space is the Balfour Bar, a separate cocktail lounge.

So which of those should I go for?

Of all three, we think the Balfour Bar at the back is definitely the one we'd make a beeline for. It was disappointedly quiet when we visited (drinkers wanted to be out in the sun - we just craved air-con) but it proved to be a welcome respite from the demob happy city crowd. There you'll get cocktails made using only British spirits and plenty of Hush Heath's finest.

So what should I drink?

Frankly speaking, it's the Hush Heath connection that attracted us to St Bart's, and primarily the Jake's Orchard Nettle Cider (£4.50 a 125 ml glass) that we'd first tried only a week before on the British Pullman. This is now our new favourite summer drink - as the nettle concoction means it's not as sweet as traditional cider and it's served similar to champagne. We've recenty trekked around town looking for this to no avail - so it's good to know of a central London venue which has it on offer.

And what did you order food-wise?

The menu offers familiar pub grub with a few nods to current trends. The most successful of these was the plate of charcuterie - pretty good value at £7.50 and easily enough to share as a small starter. We were also fond of the chicken wings and barbecue mayo (£4), as well as the chicken and cider pot pie of the day.

In general though, the menu isn't really pushing any boundaries. It's decent pub grub and sometimes that's just fine.

Overall

At its heart, St Bart's is primarily a pub catering to city locals. The food was good, but we have to be honest that it's not really worth crossing town for. That said, we'd happily have that meat platter again as well as the chicken wings and it's certainly worth popping into if you're in the area. For us, the main draw is the hidden bar at the back that serves one of our current favourite tipples - we'll come back for that.

St Bart's Brewery is at 66 West Smithfield, London EC1A 9DY. Find out more about St Bart's Brewery

Hot Dinners were invited to eat at St Bart's Brewery. Prices were correct at time of writing.

 
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