Humble Grape Liverpool Street (Bar)

Top 10 things you need to know about Humble Grape:

1) The food at this wine bar and restaurant restaurant near Liverpool Street is delicious. The moreish meatballs come with a delectable sauce that’s worth trying to sop up with any free piece of bread, or appetiser garnish, for that matter. Try scooping up the saucy masterpiece with bits of spare purple endive from the burrata, if need be. It sort of works (eventually we just tilted the bowl to our lips without regret). About that burrata: rich, sultry in texture and artfully plated, this is likely to be the restaurant’s most Chef’s Table-esque dish. The tangy grapefruit salad is a fresh surprise after all of the yummy richness.

2) The whole experience is nearly perfect, but not completely. While the menu is 98% satisfying, the French executions aren’t exactly right. While the quality is totally palatable – it all tastes homemade – the mackerel rillette is a bit too watery and the duck pate too close to a stringy rillette (which works for those watching their weight but hey, we’re in it for French calories, friends). You do only live once.

3) Not a surprise: they really know their wine. The tasting flights are generously portioned and nicely chosen; red or white depending on your taste. Vallerio is on hand to give tips on which wines deserve special attention. A spicy-yet-drinkable red: the Château Gigognan Les Vignes de Prieuré Rouge. A white that's a perfect seafood pair: the Ménard-Gaborit AOC Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Cuvée Prestige.

4) It’s a tiny restaurant, but that’s part of its charm. No more than about 15 people are able to be seated on its original brick-walled ground floor and it (somehow) packs about 30 people in to its downstairs private dining area. The perfect spot for a cosy function with friends.

5) You can still have a conversation, which is almost as important as having great food and wine. You can chat and eat without being superbly annoyed by your neighbours – this happens miraculously in the tiny space.

6) They plan things well. As mentioned, the restaurant is small and, as such, your table is as well. Careful staff gently place shared plates two by two so to not overwhelm you.

7) That said, if you’re doing a tasting (which you should do) there’s not much room for glasses so you do find yourself carefully manoeuvring glasses and plates, but that’s also a fun challenge as the wine kicks in. What can we say, we’re gluttons for punishment.

8) The staff are attentive but not overly, which is an art in itself. We were left alone to taste and explore with gentle check-ins to see how we were liking the wine. A few educational tips were offered when the mood struck.

9) In terms of ambiance, this restaurant doesn’t echo its neighbourhood. It’s wholly chic, and totally relaxed. Service is not over-the-top or snobbish, it’s just right, which is how you feel when you dine here.

10) Stemware makes a statement here. Glasses have the Humble Grape signature full bowl with a narrow rim: artful without being too high-fashion. These haute glasses are in all of their locations.
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