Useful place for lunch and wine near Borough Market

We’re off to the National Theatre so we head up to London Bridge early to wander around. It’s a sunny Saturday, so Borough Market is heaving – every available space around Southwark cathedral is occupied with people munching their way through their take-aways. We stroll through and make our way to The Wine Wharf, the wine bar part of Vinopolis on the Borough Market side of the building.

Though everywhere else is really busy, the Wine Wharf is pretty quiet surprisingly. Maybe because it’s rather gloomy here indoors when people would rather be taking advantage of the spring sunshine – the window tables are taken too.  Still, the place has a nice character – stripped walls, lots of corks in jars, and upstairs some comfy settees.

There’s a choice of Viogniers, so we go for the Viogner Delas 2011 Pays d’Oc at £25 because it’s served by the glass as well.  The food selection has lots of tapas-style platters and light bites as well as a number of main dishes. We’re in a grazing mood, so we choose the garlic & chilli tiger prawns with char-grilled ciabatta  and the salt and pepper squid, and also take the “build your own platter” option: hummus, aubergine dip and stuffed chillies were our choice. On a whim as I order at the bar, I also go for some smoked almonds.

And I’m certainly glad I did. We’re waiting about half an hour for the food, despite the fact there’s hardly anyone else in the place.  When the food does finally come we’re brought an extra bowl of pitta bread as an apology – whoop-di-whoop!

The prawns were something of a disappointment, being rather cotton-wool, not very spicy and the char-grilled ciabatta made all soft by the oily sauce. On the other hand the squid were very good – a substantial portion, crisp batter and tender squid. The stuffed chillies were also nice and the hummus firm and nutty, though the aubergine was rather oily.

With a couple of extra glasses of Viognier the bill is £57 without service. Service has been friendly and attentive in its way, despite the initial delay.  There are plenty of options around Borough Market, but if you want something reasonable with good wine then the Wine Wharf is a good place to go.