Last night this search led me to Sager and Wilde, a new wine
bar on what I can only describe as the slightly unloved part of Hackney Road.
Nestled in between a variety of Kebab Kings and Royal Fish Bars is a wine
sanctuary for all those East Londoners who are getting bored of bloody Negronis
and just want a glass of vino.
The inside is really well decorated. Exposed brick and a
great big tiled bar – the whole thing is extremely stylist in a minimalist way.
It makes a nice contrast to yet another new East end bar with mismatched
furniture/ shabby chic. We arrived at half 6 to find the place already packed
but luckily scored a small table. I had a prosecco and my companions had the
English Sparkling wine from Kent.
The food offering is either a plate of charcuterie or cheese
(£10 each) or a selection of grilled cheese sandwiches. We shared a plate of
meat and another of cheese and both were delicious. Then again the cheese is
from Androuet in Spitalfields... one of my favourite places to indulge my
cheese problem.
We tried another few selections of wine. The staff were very
friendly and informative in terms of wine selection as the menu does have an
interesting selection which not everyone (including myself) will be familiar
with. If the only wine names you know are Sav Blanc or Cab Sav, then you might get a bit lost
reading the selection of wines from all over the world.I think the main benefit of this place is that
they have a selection of pretty fancy wines which you would never normally be
able to get by the glass. Therefore you can try some wine which would normally
be £80 a bottle for £10 a glass. Not cheap no, but reasonable to compared to
the bottle.
Overall I think Sager + Wilde is a great little spot and welcome addition to the East. Perfect for huddling away from the cold. My only problem? I’m just probably not fancy enough and
still think that a glass of wine after work should be the size of a fishbowl preferably attached to my arm with an IV.
However give me a few years and I can only expect/ hope that my sophistication
will have crept in and I will be swirling and sniffing wine with the best of
them!
Sager and Wilde
193 Hackney Road
E2 8JL
No comments:
Post a Comment