UPDATE: I AM VERY SORRY TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE FINBOROUGH WINE CAFE AND THE SUMMERTOWN WINE CAFE CLOSED ON SEPTEMBER 21ST
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The bulk of the evening was centred around the Finborough wine
café, a pretty, tall-ceilinged, pub-type establishment, tucked away in West
Brompton (one stop from Earls Court).
Why would two North London girls venture South of the river, you ask, when there are plenty of wine cafés in Soho? Well, this place not only has some impressive accolades from the likes of Raymond Blanc and Sotheby’s wine aficionado, it also has a great atmosphere, wonderful staff and … most importantly… an amazing deal…
Why would two North London girls venture South of the river, you ask, when there are plenty of wine cafés in Soho? Well, this place not only has some impressive accolades from the likes of Raymond Blanc and Sotheby’s wine aficionado, it also has a great atmosphere, wonderful staff and … most importantly… an amazing deal…
They offer bespoke wine tasting where you and your group choose 10
wines to taste, from an extensive menu. There is no spitting at this tasting
and you get around a shot or two of wine for just 90p each. Yup, the whole
evening, with a charmingly anecdotal, conversational break down of each wine,
comes to £9 per head.
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| Our charming expert |
But no spittoon? I hear you cry, but really, the informality of it works. Conversation flits in and off the wines at hand, fuelled by a pleasant, gentle tipsiness. It is a great way to catch up with friends, bring a boyfriend/girlfriend, or go alone to find the wines that tickle your taste buds. The tone is approachable and detailed/customised enough that people in the know will still learn something new. Totally unpretentious, this place is built on a pure and simple love of wine.
There is no obligation to buy at the end, but if you do, its great
to know that you definitely like it and even have a good idea of what food to
serve it with. What is even better is their best price guarantee - lower than
supermarkets, Majestic, Oddbins, any London merchant - and on top of that, there
is a £2 discount per bottle if you buy six or more.
We also indulged in half a metre
of pizza and some salads to share for £35 split 6 ways. Its proper wood fired
pizza from the take out place next door – we went for the buffalina and the capricciosa, mmm…
Once the tasting was finished
the night was still young so we staggered (because of the weight of the bottles
we’d bought) down to Earls Court to Ping (see Elle’s review here). We danced,
wiffed, waffed, and drank till our stomachs lead us to Balans in Soho (there is
actually one in Earl’s court but we were heading Northwards anyway) where Elle
and I shared our favourite post-clubbing treat, eggs benedict (sorry no photo).
P.S. I first came across the
sister establishment to Finborough, the Summertown Wine Café in Oxford, which
offers pretty much the same deal and an equally lovely atmosphere. Both also do
great happy hours and wines by the glass if you plan on making it a regular
haunt and the Finborough has a theatre upstairs.
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