1 & 3 Vining Street, Brixton, London, SW9 8QA
Tel: 0203 302 1617
Closed Monday and Tuesday
The Wine parlour is a new concept in Brixton… a bar with cheese and sausage …..well not quite so new; Champagne and Fromage opened a few months ago in Brixton Village. But the difference really is that this establishment does not sell the charcuterie, it sells the wine.
You will not miss this place as you head into Atlantic Road. It is the place on the corner with all its windows outlined with fairy lights. The small interior is laid out with tall metal stools up against wooden boards under the windows where you can balance plates and glasses. When we arrived at 6.30 it was empty but within 20 minutes it became crowded with no chairs to spare. This is a mixed crowd – not quite the same clientele as in Brixton Village and it is inside, so another bonus – it’s warm.
We normally review restaurants but this place is somewhere to nibble and slurp. The wine list by the glass is extensive but the food comes as a Plat du Jour of cheese and sausage. But if you have a sweet tooth there is rich fruit cake and sherry or dessert wine and blue cheese. The food comes from the French Comte Company in Borough Market – hopefully there will be other stalls in Brixton that can soon provide their fayre. For those who want just a sample there are olives and bread and olive oil. We chose the plat for two which arrived with four cheeses – hard and aged, soft with ash, blue and a really smelly, runny one. All were absolutely lovely – my favourite was the blue. The plate also comes with slices of pork sausage and boar. The pork was palatable but the boar was a bit too smoky. However, this was not the view of both of us. So it is lucky that they offer a tailoring service so you and your partner can choose exactly the right mix.
For wine we chose a glass of the house red (tempranillo) and a glass of the much more expensive Valpolicella. The wine changes every day so there are no hard and fast favourites. There are always 5 red and 5 white and some fizz too. For those who want a slightly longer drink there is a pale ale from Italy. They have wine tastings (£25.00) but you need to book a place in advance as they are already full up for the next three or four.
The whole evening cost £25.00 – two glasses of wine and the cheese and wine plate but I did have one of the more expensive wines.
EATINBRIXTON 