Forty bottles, a dozen by the glass, two Welsh, written by Tom
The wine list
Forty bottles chosen to go with what the kitchen cooks, a third of them under £35, a dozen by the glass, two from Welsh vineyards, and a manager who will steer you to the cheaper bottle if it is the better match.
A wine list is a set of recommendations, not a test. Forty bottles is enough to find the right one for every dish on a menu of eight mains, and few enough that Tom has drunk every one of them with the food.
The list is rewritten twice a year and tweaked weekly to the menu. A third of it is under £35 because a bistro wine list should be, and the two most expensive bottles are there for the people who want them, not to make the middle look cheap. Two Welsh wines, a white from Monmouthshire and a sparkling from the Vale, are on by the glass and are good rather than worthy. The by-the-glass list changes with the menu: four whites, four reds, two sparkling, a rosé and a dessert wine.
Tom will match a glass to each course if you ask, swap any glass you do not like, and tell you plainly that the £28 Beaujolais is better with the lamb than the £60 Burgundy. On Wednesdays and Thursdays you can bring a bottle for £15 corkage; on Fridays and Saturdays the list is the list. The beer is from a brewery in Llantrisant and the cider from an orchard outside Cowbridge.
In short
- Forty bottles, a third under £35
- A dozen by the glass, changing with the menu
- Two Welsh wines, by the glass
- Honest pairing advice from Tom
- Corkage £15, Wednesday and Thursday
- Local beer and cider
Prices and booking
By the glass from £6 at lunch and £7 at dinner. Bottles from £26 to £95; a third under £35. Corkage £15 for a bottle you bring, Wednesday and Thursday only. Prices include VAT. A 10% service charge goes entirely to the staff and can be taken off. This week's menu is on the menu page; the regular nights are on the what's on page.
Questions about wine
Can I bring my own wine?
On Wednesdays and Thursdays, yes, for £15 a bottle, and Tom will open and serve it properly. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, no; the list is part of the evening.
Book a table.
Forty covers, so Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays need a booking. Lunch is two courses for £24, Wednesday to Saturday. The back room seats twelve with no hire fee. The menu changes every Wednesday and is online by noon.