Hip wine bar & restaurant by the Noble Rot lot

---

LOCATION

Noble Rot is on Lamb’s Conduit street in Bloomsbury, about an 8 mins walk from Russell Square tube. It’s quite an understated area with a bit of an olde worlde feel to it that could make for a nice day out: do a little shop in some of the independent retailers on the street, catch a film at the nearby Curzon and round off the evening with a lovely dinner at Noble Rot.

---

FOOD & SERVICE

I suggested Noble Rot to friends for a post Christmas dinner, we could only get an early booking on the 28th Dec, so I got there for 6:15pm. They were accommodating when I requested we sit in a different spot from where they’d put us, so from the get go, things were looking good.

Generally, I will always go for a main and dessert, so when the waitress asked if we’d like any starters, I was indifferent. She suggested the bread and butter which the table decided to go for. I normally begrudge paying for bread and butter at restaurants but when this arrived, I have to admit it was worth paying £4 for.

The rye bread and soda bread were wonderful and the foccacia, my favourite, was sublime if a touch over oily for my liking.

If there’s duck on the menu, I’m eating it. So, there was no agonising over what to have for my main. The duck was lovely and moist and fell off the bone easily (£18) with a nice bit of fatty skin. The braised red cabbage was quite sweet but not sickeningly so and the perfectly roasted potatoes rounded of the dish very nicely indeed.

Dessert came fresh out of the oven much to my delight. I had ordered the Custard Tart (£8). The pastry was nice and firm and the custard mixture tasted like it had just been made fresh with that discernible eggy taste one gets from fresh custard (a little too eggy for me though). So, no lazy boy warming up of packaged pudds here (not that I had that expectation in the first place!) However, I do think the desserts are a bit on the pricey end of the scale at £8 a piece.

As I was always proclaim, I am no pro in the wine department – I just know what tastes good on my tongue and everything I had here was fab, from the easy drinking fresh Muscodat to the delicious byodynamic prosseco and the desert wine.

With a starting price of £3 for a glass of wine, accomplished French cuisine, a lovely ambience and a cool space, there’s nothing to dislike about Noble Rot. It’s win win all round.

We had a very lovely lady attend to us the evening we went – the service was friendly, laidback but efficient.  

Overall, the food is good but it’s not AMAZING. However, the combination of the pleasing selection of wine on offer, as well as the service and good ambience, makes it a solid choice in my books. It’s a place I feel would visit several times and would feel confident recommending to friends.

---

VIBE

We opted for an early dinner, 6:15pm to be precise. Post Xmas with no ambient music, the place felt eerily quiet, there were only a few diners and we sat all the way in the back in a booth style area which felt even more secluded. However, over the course of the evening, it picked up significantly and had an upbeat cool vibe about it – everyone dining just looked super relaxed and like they were in good company. There were a group of very hip looking friends that sat right next to us, so it feels like at this stage, it is pulling in that sort of crowd.

---

MOOLAH

So, sharing a bread plate (£4), my main of duck (£18), dessert of custard tart (£8) and two glasses of wine (£13) and a glass of prosecco (£5). Our total bill as a party of 4 came in at just under £45 each, which is kind of what I expected to pay. So all in all it feels like it’s priced as it should be. Not a bargain night out in London but not super expensive either.

---

THE TAKE OUT

This wine bar and restaurant from the folks behind the magazine of the same name serves up the sort of food I’d happily eat everyday but probably shouldn’t. The food isn’t 10/10 but the restaurant as a whole package makes it worth the visit.

---

Cuisine: French

Cost Inc. Glass of Vino: £36-45 [£££] 

Address: 51 Lamb’s Conduit St, WC1N 3NB

Reservations: Yes

Hours: Open Mon – Sat Lunch 12.30–14:30 | Dinner 18:00-21:30 Closed Sun

Phone: +44(0)207 242 8963

http://www.noblerot.co.uk

LAST VISITED DEC 2015

---

Cover image from thenudge.com