What: BOTTLES
In a nutshell: Italian wine bar for Spitalfields
Summing it all up: Moving from one market to another Bottles & Battles from Mercato Metropolitano are opening their second site in Old Spitalfields Market and this time they're teaming up with pop-up SOOD Family for the food.
The low-down
London's wine bar scene really is booming at the moment. Following hard on the heels of the new Covent Garden bar Ladies of the Grape comes news that Spitalfields is getting a new Italian wine bar.
BOTTLES, which is taking over the old Vagabond Wines space on Brushfield Street, is going to be a partnership between the co-founders of Bottles & Battles in Mercato Metropolitano and pop-up restaurant folk SOOD Family. Their USP they say is going to be a combo of "Italian warmth with London edge".
In practice that means they'll be serving up quality wines, by independent producers and small farms, and picking out forgotten grapes to highlight. As you might imagine there will be a focus on Italian wines, but it won't be exclusively so. In total they're expecting to have around 180 labels on offer. And if you need help working out which of those 180 wines to choose from, it's lucky that all the waiting staff are also sommeliers.
As for the food, SOOD Kitchen @ BOTTLES sees Michele Pompili (Chiltern Firehouse), Carlo Deho’ and Portuguese native Nadine Martins Verissimo (Taberna do Mercado) creating dishes to match specific wines from each region. At lunch they'll knock out a short lunch menu for City folk and a more extensive one in the evenings. And we have to say the menu sounds very promising, with dishes like:
- Burrata in tomato elixir
- Fried oyster, hazelnut pure, lardo di colonnata
- Wild sea-bass crudo, spicy cantaloupe sauce
- Beef carpaccio, cucumber, crispy fennel, tropea onion, nasturtium leafs
- Iberico pork, fermented cherries, coconut milk
- Apricot tart with goats cheese
The space itself covers two floors and there'll be space for around 50 diners in total. There's a terrace with heaters and additional seating for up to 25 leading onto to Old Spitalfields MArket. Downstairs the open kitchen and cosy decor lends itself to private parties, tasting dinners and wine and food masterclasses. Look out too for their Mozzarella Bar at the market entrance.
More about BOTTLES
Where is it? Old Spitalfields Market, 67 Brushfield Street, London E1 6AA
When does it open? 6 July 2018
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Twitter @BOTTLESLondon
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