Inside Forza Wine. It's a huge space but already extremely popular. Like the other new restaurant here at the National, Lasdun, it also has that fantastic Brutalist ceiling.
What can you tell us about Forza Wine?
Forza Wine (and the original Forza Win) have built up a stellar reputation over the years for their two "sort of Italian" outlets. There's Forza Win which is now in Camberwell and the first Forza Wine which has an impressive rooftop location in Peckham with a great view.
Now they've grabbed themselves another great view, this time overlooking the Thames. It's all part of the National Theatre food and drink revamp (which has been led by Kerb). Earlier this summer we had the launch of Lasdun by the Marksman team (which you'll find right at the centre of the building) and now Forza Wine has taken over an enviable (and huge) space with a terrace that looks out onto the Thames.
Where is it?
Just in case you somehow haven't been to this area before, you'll find the theatre about a 10-minute walk from Waterloo station. As for finding Forza Wine when you get there, if you face the theatre from the front (with the river behind you), look for the big terrace on right of the building, second floor - that's Forza Wine (see below).
Want to know exactly where it is? See the people sitting on the terrace at the top? That's Forza Wine.
Where should we go for a drink first?
There are, obviously, a lot of places to drink around the South Bank but finding somewhere that's actually any good can sometimes be a little hard given it's such a tourist haunt. The National Theatre revamp has done a lot to change that.
If you can get a seat at Forza Wine, head straight there, but if you're looking for somewhere else before or after your session there, our first recommendation would be to hit up Lasdun. On our visit to Forza, we had an excellent Fig Old Fashioned and a martini at Lasdun - so we'd strongly recommend that. The theatre's more casual bar The Understudy is also worth a look.
Where should we sit?
If the weather's even slightly decent, then you will want to sit on their huge terrace, which wraps around the building. At least half of it should have complete rain cover (the tables by the windows) and unless it's absolutely sluicing it down all of them have some form of cover from the elements. If it's a glorious day, you'll definitely want to grab a table out there.
The huge terrace, which extends quite a bit around the corner.
Inside is great too. It's a much larger room than we were expecting and there are plenty of tables for large groups (that's as well as a big group table on the terrace). In the run-up to the Christmas party season, this is one place to keep in mind.
What should we eat?
It's a small plates affair at Forza Wine, with prices ranging from £4 - £18 for each plate. If there are two of you, we'd aim for about six plates between you and go from there. As it's a place where plates come out as they're ready, our usual advice about ordering two to three plates at a time applies.
As for what exactly to order, we'd be tempted to say "everything" but that actually happens to be an option on the menu. You can order up the entire menu for £140 (including four desserts). If there are four of you and you're really in the mood to try everything, that might be the easy option (going by our calculation, that does indeed add up to about the same as ordering everything individually).
As for what we tried, we have no problem recommending the following:
Toast and (a lot of) herb butter (£4) - a decent carby snack to order while thinking about drinks.
Cauliflower fritti and aioli (£8) - great snacks and very, very good aioli.
Potato, pancetta and pickled cabbage (£8) - almost like a partly deconstructed bubble and squeak
Pressed pork and pickles (£7) - Slightly warm and almost a cross between pulled pork and pork terrine. And that is a very good thing.
Coco beans, girolles and tarragon (£15) - probably our favourite dish of the night, just a beautiful combo of flavours.
Onglet, braised shallots and horseradish (£18) - great beef, but also one of the most expensive dishes on the menu. It may be worth considering getting two other dishes if you're looking to get the most out of your budget.
And for dessert you have the option of one of their Custardos (yes, that is coffee with added custard and highly recommended) or Milk soft serve and damsons (£5). If you're still after something else sweet after this, we'd recommend popping down to Lasdun to see if they have any brown butter and honey tart left.
What about drink?
Obviously, as the name strongly suggests, wine is at the forefront of the drinks menu and here it's an all-natural selection. The bulk of the bottles are priced in the £50s and £60s but there is an entry-level Ciello Blanco for £29 which is very good indeed for this part of town.
But that said, it's not all about the wine, as we'd strongly recommend taking a look at the cocktail list too - particularly their house cocktails (all £9-£10). The 0% cocktails are also notably good, with a "Nogroni" and no-alcohol Smoked Margarita on offer.
A watermelon Martini and Frozen Margarita (both £9) - That frozen margarita is particularly great.
Overall thoughts.
Kerb, who are in charge of curating the food in the National Theatre, have done a pretty outstanding job of making the theatre the best place to eat on the South Bank with Forza Wine being the latest excellent addition.
Coming from Peckham to the South Bank is a big leap, but Forza Wine have done it with aplomb. Mere days after opening, they were already hugely popular and it's easy to see why. The food and drinks are great and for this part of town, pretty reasonably priced too. Pair all that with a buzzy dining room and the terrace to secure a table on the South Bank right now and we can see this being a hit for years to come.
More about Forza Wine at The National Theatre
Where is it? National Theatre, Upper Ground London SE1 9PX
How to book: Book online
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @forzawine.
Hot Dinners ate as guests of Forza Wine, prices are correct at the time of writing.
Subscribe to be the first to get the news from Hot Dinners
