Cloth

Wine-led bistros are not uncommon in London, and the competition is admittedly stiff, but here to give the Noble Rots and Quality Wines' of the world a run for their money is this very nice little wine bar and restaurant on Cloth Fair in Farringdon. It’s called Cloth (go figure) and is the brainchild of two wine importers plus a head chef (Tom Hurst) who’s worked at the likes of Brawn, Levan and Lasdun. 

You'd barely notice it walking by, which might have something to do with its painted black front and lack of signage, but Cloth hides a lot of history in its centuries-old walls. It’s set inside a grade II-listed building that survived the Great Fire of London, and is neighbours to two of the oldest residential buildings in the capital. The storytelling continues inside with dinky marble tables, wood-panelled walls, and tall candlesticks that flicker away while diners guzzle glass after glass of Bordeaux. If heavy reds aren’t to your taste, the wine list - bound in soft, worn-in leather – has been carefully put together by Cloth’s founding wine-aficionados who will guide you through its pages with ease.   

And while wine is certainly 50% of the draw here, the food is by no means an afterthought. Hurst’s cooking is unmistakably delicious and impeccably executed. Snails and girolles on toast arrive on antique crockery, swimming in a verdant green garlicky sauce. A homemade crumpet dressed with flaky crab meat and smooth ajo blanco is polished and well-seasoned, if slightly on the small side. And Hurst showcases his skill with a perfectly cooked piece of turbot served alongside soft, mellow chunks of artichoke and a gorgeous wine and cream sauce.

We finish with an excellent chocolate mousse, brandished with chunky chocolate crumbs and a scoop of salted caramel ice cream, and surmise that Cloth has hit the nail on the head here. Top-quality cooking and a wine list to match, atmospheric as hell and devoid of any pretension. It's going to do well.

Cloth is a wine bar and restaurant combo led by friends and wine importers, Joe Haynes and Ben Butterworth, as well as former Lasdun head chef Tom Hurst. The restaurant is located on Cloth Fair near Smithfield Market, and is housed in a Grade II listed double fronted corner site, that sits beneath the former home of the poet, John Betjeman.

The restaurant has low ceilings, antique wall lights and wood panelling, paired with warm candle bulbs that create the most cosy atmosphere. Tables are marble with long, dark wood banquettes, topped with antique crockery and silver plate cutlery to create a classic bistro feel. The bar area offers drinks and snacks from 12pm until closing, and the restaurant is open for both lunch and dinner. Tom's seasonal menus are designed to celebrate the very best that Britain has to offer.

The menus do change, to reflect what is best available, but you can expect to be delighted with what you find. Enjoy fried olives with salted almonds, malted sourdough and South Downs butter to begin, before trying out starters of Norfolk asparagus vinaigrette, a smooth blend of duck liver parfait with fennel jam and duck fat brioche, and the Cornish squid with black olive, preserved lemon and lardo. Bigger plates may be the cappelletti of sheep's ricotta with girolles and hazelnuts, the Cornish pollock with razor clams, white asparagus and lovage, and an 800g longhorn ribeye with roscoff onion and bone marrow. For dessert, try the poached meringue with creamy vanilla custard.