hometipple — Restaurant in London

Fantastic place to discover new tastes and indulge familiar ones.

My partner and I went along for dinner on Saturday and found this place to be a real gem. I went home with such a pleasant buzz that I can only give HomeTipple 5 stars.

The staff are extremely welcoming and keen to tell you about the eclectic selection of wines, all of which have something to say, and many of which are sourced from countries or regions that you don’t easily find in the UK (try the delicious Armenian areni noir).

We found a large menu with every plate expertly paired with a delicious glass of wine. You can also order bottles if you prefer, but if you like a well curated ‘adventure’, I recommend having a different glass with each plate. I’m probably a bit set in my ways, so I really enjoyed being nudged into new experiences.

The food was creative and really tasty. The venue apparently has guest resident chefs which means the menu is refreshed every few months with a new creative concept. Billy Fisher’s spring menu was certainly seasonal, with wholesome-tasting ingredients, and some divine sauces. My partner is gluten free, largely vegetarian and can’t eat sugar, but found plenty of options to enjoy. They have nibbles, small, large and desert plates, all paired, so you can go in for a tasting session or a 4 course meal, however you want to build your experience.

Inevitably, I also bought three bottles of the wines I liked most to take away and share with friends at home. I only hope I can do them justice...

Used to be a wine shop, but now they have added seating and a kitchen for a restaurant as well.

The restaurant and wine shop areas overlap, so there's a chance you'll be eating while people browse the wine next to you.

Food is really great tasting. Based on the menu, it seems like they might be trying to get a different "chef residency" every once in a while.

Service is ok. The staff is trying at least.

The menu has specific wine recommendations for each course, but they don't make an effort to bring the wine and the food at the same time.

While I was there, the back door to patio area was left open a few times. This was on a cold, December night and made it uncomfortable until we asked for the door...

Really lovely wine and service but we were a bit disappointed by the meal we had, when Marie Mitchell was in residency. The food was fine, nothing special. The main issue was the extortionate cost for the starters, one of which was two slices of cornbread with cream cheese which cost £9 and the other was one piece of a mackerel fillet for £12. Both were totally fine but it felt really cheeky to charge so much, especially for the cornbread. We really like supporting local business and have no issue spending more but you have to feel like it's worth it. I'd really urge HomeTipple to think about the prices of their food. Otherwise it might be better to stick to having a...