Drinks outside Sol's (if the weather's warm enough)
So what do we need to know about Sol's?
Following the current trend of all-day openings in London, this recent opening in Bayswater is a hybrid cafe/deli/restaurant. In the morning it's a coffee and pastry place. At lunchtimes, it switches up to salads and sarnies and in the evening, which is when we visited, it's a wine bar with Mediterranean small plates.
The folk behind it are interesting too. Owner Gabriel Chipperfield is the man behind the aesthetically gorgeous coffee shop/newsagents Shreeji News and Foreign Exchange News. His partner for this project was food journalist Mina Holland. And they've been joined by chef Harry Farrow who comes here via Siding in Norfolk and La Mercerie in Marseille.
Where is it?
You'll find it halfway between Bayswater and Holland Park tubes, just north of Hyde Park. Opening just after The Park and before the revamped The Whiteley it's part of a renaissance for this area in terms of interesting food and drink places.
Where should we sit?
The centrepiece of Sol's is a long communal table - it's giving West London meets P Franco vibes. We liked sitting up at the window, as the people-watching opportunities here are particularly good. And if the weather is decent, there are a few stools outside too.
The central table at Sol's
What's on the menu?
In the evenings, they serve up a shortish menu chalked up on a blackboard that's loosely divided into snacks "that sing with wine" and small and larger sharing plates. Start with some lovely Parmesan saucisson while you work out what else to have. Options change on a weekly basis. Here's what we had to give you an idea of what's on offer:
Patatas bravas (£7) - not quite as earth-shattering as the version at Tollington's, but still very good.
Mozzarella, trombetta courgette, tomato and pine nuts (£13) - one of those arrangements that owes much to the sourcing of the elements and the mozzarella and grilled courgettes were a delight.
Roast chicken with lemon, chilli and chickpeas (£28) - This is maybe a dish that's better to have just to yourself, as it was hard to share this one up without getting sauce everywhere. Mind you, it was so delicious who would really want to share it...
We also had slight FOMO from the dish delivered to two people sitting opposite us which was a bourgette chevre with honey and hazelnuts.
Room for dessert?
There were three options, and two of us, so we eschewed the lemon sorbet and went for the following:
Left to right: Vanilla ice cream with olive oil salt (£6) - it feels like we're encountering this combo more and more in London. Here it's topped with De Fermo olive oil from Tuscany. And a very, very good chocolate mousse also topped with olive oil and toasted hazelnuts (£9).
How's the wine list?
Mina's remit here was to feature low-intervention wines from her favourite parts of Europe. She also designed the list to work well with chef Harry's menu. There are about five whites and reds available by the glass (ranging from £8-£14) along with some fizz, rose and skin contact options. About half the main list is in the £30-£50 bracket, which is not all that bad for this part of town. Our Ligurian Gavi was an easy-drinking white for £51.
Overall thoughts:
There really isn't anything like Sol's in this part of town, which already marks it out as a place worth checking out if you live or work in the area. Think of it as an East London wine bar transplanted into a bougie but previously pretty uninteresting part of the city and you'll get why this is already such a hot hangout.
More about Sol’s
Where is it? 25 Leinster Terrace, London W2 3ET
Find out more: Follow them on Instagram @solslondon
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Sol's. Prices correct at time of publication.
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