Restaurant reviews | 28-50 Marylebone: a smart West End wine bar for weary shoppers

Restaurant reviews

28-50 Marylebone: a smart West End wine bar for weary shoppers

Marylebone has been regarded as a foodie mecca for a while but the action's been mainly at the northern end. Now posh wine bar 28-50 has conveniently established an outpost at the entry to Marylebone Lane, not far from Bond Street tube - a new haven for weary shoppers or workers in need of a restorative glass of wine.

The chain (there are only 2 but bound to be more, I’d have thought) was set up by sommelier Xavier Rousset (ex Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons) and his business partner Agnar Sverrisson who also run the excellent Michelin-starred Texture on the corner of Portman Square. (Another good bolthole from Oxford Street.)

Their first 28-50 - the name refers to the latitudes between which grape vines can be grown - in Fetter Lane, just off Fleet Street, is housed in a cosy wood-panelled basement and has more of a City vibe. The new branch is street level with big glass windows and feels much more West End.

The big draw is the wine list which is packed with interesting and unusual bottles - all available in 75ml, 125ml ad 250ml serves. That makes it possible to try a couple of wines at very modest expense (prices start at £2.20) or even create your own flight.

I picked two, a beautifully crisp, aromatic Mathis Bastian Rivaner from Luxembourg (that was a first!) and a softer, richer 2011 Malvasia from Giovanni Blason in the Venezia Giulia region, which was very similar to the wines I was tasting in northern Croatia earlier this year. It’s a fantastic place to improve your wine knowledge.

aubergine with grilled courgettes, marinated peppers and goats curd

Food-wise there’s a range of salads and soups, starters like smoked Severn and Wye salmon and salt beef brisket which also double as bar snacks, more substantial mains (grilled lamb shoulder with borlotti beans, Icelandic fish stew), grills (mainly steaks) and tempting-sounding desserts (lemon tart with yoghurt sherbert and almond and cherry cake with almond milk ice cream). There’s also a set price lunch for £14.95 for 2 courses but to be honest if you're in the mood for a bigger meal I’d go up the road to Texture, whose lunch menu is only a fiver more.

Dropping by 28-50 for a quick meal on my own I ordered a starter of aubergine with grilled courgettes, marinated peppers and goats curd (above) - surprisingly, served warm and more than generous for a first course - and a slightly over-caramelized onion tart with a lot of salad piled on top which was on the small side for a main. (Probably a bad plan to order vegetarian from a restaurant owned by a Frenchman. They never totally get it.)

There was a bit too much balsamic vinegar on both for comfort with the wines which I did mention so there may well not be by the time you try it. The dishes I’ve had at the Fetter Lane branch have been better but these are early days.

If - or rather when - I go back with a friend, as I'm sure I will, I’ll probably opt for a sharing plate of cheese or charcuterie or just a single dish. 28-50 is more about drinking than eating. It is a wine bar after all.

28-50 is at 15-17 Marylebone Lane, London W1U 2NE. Tel: 020 7486 7922 (you'd be well advised to book. It was heaving the day I went)

If you like wine bars you should also check out Vinoteca which has a branch in Smithfield, one just near Marble Arch and one in Beak Street in Soho which I reviewed here.

 

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Comments: 1 (Add)

AlexSmith on July 17 2014 at 08:02

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