We’re not even halfway through January’s journey on the wagon – ascetic and edgy in equal measure – but it feels like reaching the 31st finish line home and dry is going to require an impervious focus. If you’re in the same leaky boat, then you might want to look away now.
IDEA
Firstly, that pesky name. Not an easy one to suggest to friends or colleagues. It doesn’t exactly slip off the tongue, especially one loosened or tied, or both, by wine. Well, 28°- 50° refers to the latitudes between which most grape growing flourishes. So now you know. It’s the first, of many, indications that good booze is the primary focus here.
The bar and restaurant, sorry, ‘wine workshop’ is the brainchild of influential Icelandic chef Aggi Sverrisson, who is doing some of the capital’s most interesting cooking over at Marble Arch’s Texture, and master sommelier Xavier Rousset (who has now left the group). The concept, it seems, is to get London pissed (and maybe gently educate us) on excellent, accessible wine. This, with modern, ingredients led plates of a vague Scandi bent to complement, is an idea that realises itself in style.
LOCATION
Google Map’s curt definition of a Mayfair Wine Workshop fills us with fear. Tonight’s gonna get pretentious, we suspect. In fact, Maddox Street’s just-off Regent Street location, opposite a Subway, doesn’t exactly feel glitz, glamour and gaudy. And that’s very welcome for these gauche diners. The vibe is refreshingly inclusive. Refreshing, it seems, is the name of game here.
ATMOSPHERE
We get in early, post Christmas shopping splurge, and it looks like a lot of people have had the name idea. Most seem only in for a nip, which is a shame as the food far surpasses the supporting-act expectations it sets.
There are booze motifs everywhere….glasses of all different shapes and sizes hanging, illustrations of scenes of inebriation, empty bottles on shelves and full ones in racks. All of this serves to remind you where you are and what you’re here for, but also lends itself to excellent acoustics; essential for a place of cheer and chatter.
The central trilateral bar is the focal point of the room – of course – and where most choose to sit. Although it’s not a huge space, it’s been very carefully conceived, with tables just that little bit larger than they need to be to convey a sense of privacy.
Curiously, it gets less busy as the night wears on, maybe a reflection of its location. We overhear a lot of punters talking shop, and assume it must attract a hospitality crowd; there’s abundant restaurants around and their employees might like to decamp here. Maybe it fills up again as last orders are called?
FOOD & DRINK
So, to the victuals.
Bread with an excellent crust arrives first, alongside butter whipped with skyrr, the first nod to the chef’s homeland. It takes great willpower not to fill ourselves up on it, as the wait staff keep replenishing the basket and it’s really bloody good.
Both starters are superb. There’s celeriac slow roasted until it gives generously, with a piquant goats curd and rye – another nod – for texture. It’s earthy and earthly, too. The second opener is the best thing we put in our mouths that night; fat, juicy prawns grilled over coal until they’ve taken on a well-judged level of smokiness, then bathed in garlic butter and served with garlic aioli for dipping. As they’re heads on, the brain juices can be sucked up; there’s so much dirty, sensual stuff going on here that it’s frankly erotic, and no amount of garlic on the breath could dissuade from acting on that desire. The eating is surprisingly hands on for a place with designs on being classy, and that’s the charm. We’re later told people come here specifically for these beauties, and we can see why. The sommelier pairs a Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay expertly, complete with a few approachable, informative words about their merits. We like this place.
The mains are less carnal and also less good as a result. Cod comes as a handsome, thick fillet and is cooked well, but the pearl barley promises cinnamon, which is undetectable (thankfully?). There are more prawns mixed through it, but this time they’re slightly apologetic, like from a Marks & Spencers lunchbox, and the accompanying bisque has that slightly metallic taste of being overboiled. The pinot noir paired with it is to complement the cinnamon, but as spice is so lightly administered, the match is amiss. By no means a failure as a dish, but a little flawed, we’re afraid.
The other main is a slow cooked lamb shoulder, pressed and finished on the plancha, which sounds an interesting technique but in reality, didn’t elevate things. No, matter, as it tastes great regardless. There’s a quenelle of swede mash which brings colour to a plate otherwise a little brown.
Desserts bring the house down. An almost saccharine hazelnut parfait is lush but bracing, and needs a sharp dessert wine. Once that arrives to cut through things, it’s a spectacular pud; the hazelnut flavour amazingly pronounced and offset beautifully by a bitter coffee crumb. Even better are warm, almondy madeleines, so festive and boozy. They’re as delicate as we feel the next day, with the requisite balance between crisp exterior and soft centre which only a freshly baked one will bring. A splodge of white chocolate which is so light and aerated it must have seen the espuma rounds everything off succinctly.
A word for the young assistant-head sommelier, who is bossing the floor all evening. We’re told she learnt everything required to hold such a role in just a year, and she’s only 20. She pairs our wines thoughtfully and passes no judgment on our lesser knowledge; all delivered with great confidence and expertise. Bravo.
WHY GO
In this part of Central London you’re spoilt for choice when hungry. Indeed, there are few better stretches for high end restaurants in the capital. 28°- 50° Maddox Street, though, mangages to occupy its own niche, as somewhere affable and welcoming for both a quick glass of fine wine or a long, leisurely meal. We wish there were more places like it.
Website: www.2850.co.uk/maddox
Disclosure: IDEAL Magazine dined as a guest of the restaurant.