Ten years after their first shop in Farringdon, today sees foodie twosome Brett Woonton and Charlie Young launch their most ambitious Vinoteca site yet.
Based at One Pancras Square – a mere stagger from both King’s Cross and St Pancras stations – the dining room is centred around a 20ft horseshoe zinc bar. And that’s not all: floor-to-ceiling windows will not only allow lashings of natural light, but also a spot of people-watching over King’s Boulevard, the main route to Granary Square. It’s where the colourful parade of Central St Martin’s students swish up and down, after all.
As with other local behemoths Caravan and Dishoom, this branch will be their largest, with ninety covers, including a sizable outdoor terrace. It’s also the first to boast a dedicated wine shop and tasting space, with a whopping 250 wines, from low and no-alcohol varietals to bag-in-box, including two “on tap”.
Hungry? Head chef Kieren Steinborn (Alain Ducasse) will be dishing up grub inspired by British classics, the Mediterranean and beyond. So, expect superior dishes like English rose veal tonnato, silver skin anchovies, and hot smoked Scottish salmon and quinoa tabbouleh. Yum-o-yum.
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With the insane and relentless weekend popularity of Caravan, breakfast and brunch has become quite a thing in King’s Cross. And Vinoteca will, we imagine, prove no exception, capitalising on the zeitgeist with everything from prunes with orange to coddled eggs and grilled manx kippers.
And best of all for those on a budget? You can bag a £1 espresso at the bar, European-stylee. We’ll report back soon.