All reader reviews by Ed

1707 Wine Bar

Met some friends here on a Wed. night. We had booked a table but decided to sit at the bar instead, which wasn't a problem. We had a champagne 'flight' followed by white and red ones and tapas-style nibbles. Although not served in large amounts, the food was of excellent quality which complemented the wines. Service was friendly and attentive but this might have been helped by it being fairly quiet midweek. The decor is warm and you look out into the food hall (yum!)

What really stood out was the interesting and intelligent choice of wines at very reasonable prices. They have a 'champagne of the month' - normally a selection from one producer, which is offered at *store* price minus 15%. If you fancy something that isn't on the list, they'll pull it out of the F&M wine shop for only £10 corkage, no matter what it is. This is so refreshing compared with the vast mark-ups you'd get in nearby restaurants and encourages you to drink something *really* nice as it's costing you very little more than having it at home. I'd go as far to say that this is the best value wine bar I've been to for 'quality' wines... I don't have a problem with spending money on something good but hate being ripped off. This is definitely not the case here.

1707: if you'd like to enjoy fine wines in pleasant surroundings, then it's a good choice - it's also one of only a few places in the UK where I've seen tasting flights on offer. Recommended.

Monday, October 19, 2009
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 10

Sketch Lecture Room and Library

Three of us went for an evening meal in the Lecture Room last month. We were met by the Manager and given a guided tour of the rest of the premises (impressive!) before going upstairs to our table.

It was hard to choose from the very interesting menu but we thought we'd be different and all went for the 7-course vegetarian tasting selection (none of us are vegetarian). This was outstanding in the presentation, texture & flavour of all the dishes - so many different amazing tastes packed into one meal. Just to illustrate, one of the courses was: Chicory - Braised Chicory / Stuffed Reinette Apple / Aubergines and Fresh Walnuts; this was an unusual mix of ingredients but it worked fantastically well, as did all the other courses.

It was difficult to refuse any of the choice of fresh breads that were always on offer, the amuse-bouche were unconventional but delicious and the bite-sized sweet course seemed to go on for ever. Service was formal but not stuffy with useful input & conversation from the sommeliers and waiters.

I'd been led to believe that Sketch was horrendously expensive but I thought £70 for a 7-course+ tasting menu was actually very good value indeed, judging by the effort required to prepare and serve it. What you do with the wine list is up to you - there did seem to be quite a hefty mark-up but they do have a superb cellar of top producers and vintages.

The decor (check out the toilets!) and ambiance were unusual but as a whole pretty much worked and gave a sort of bohemian touch. There was plenty of room between tables and the seats were extremely comfy for the 3-4hrs the meal took (not a complaint, in fact a compliment: I hate to be rushed - we were allowed time to savour the experience but were never kept waiting).

Overall a great night out and much in excess of my expectations.

Sunday, February 15, 2009
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8