28-50 Wine Workshop And Kitchen. A Restaurant That Adores Wine.

Andy Mossack reviews 28-50 Wine Workshop and Kitchen, a restaurant that idolises wine.

It seems 28-50 is not, as I first thought, the address of this Maddox Street restaurant. No, much more interesting than that. 28-50 is the geographical coordinates for the World’s most perfect wine growing latitude and if you are serious about wine then 28-50 Wine Workshop and Kitchen is a pretty good name to have I reckon.

But it gets even better. When your founder is Icelandic Michelin-starred chef Aggi Sverrisson who’s at the helm of Texture and master sommelier Clement Robert, then it’s a potentially killer combination. Quality food and excellent wines.

But then, it gets even better again, because 28-50 Wine Workshop and Kitchen is founded on the principle of offering very good wines by the glass at very affordable prices.

It all sounds like a match made in heaven.

28-50 Wine Workshop and Kitchen currently has three London outlets; Marylebone Lane, Fetter Lane and the latest opening in Maddox Street, which was where I found myself on a cold and windy Tuesday evening, the restaurant already buzzing with an eclectic crowd.

Restaurant Manager Olga materialised from behind the giant bar dominating the centre of the restaurant and showed me to a window table. “How about some nibbles and a drink to start. I have smoked almonds, barbecued pork crackling or olives?”

I am always won over by almonds at anytime, so with a bowl of smoked ones and a Bloody Mary I was off and running.

I was having dinner with a wine pairing which made sense in a place where food and wine took centre stage and thankfully the theory worked perfectly in practice with a combination of excellent choices.

My English asparagus starter with pecorino aioli, grilled flatbread and crispy serrano (£9.25) held hands beautifully with a glass of crisp Slovenian Malvazija white (125ml £6.20) whilst my partner’s melt like butter baby back ribs with barbecue sauce (£5.50) much appreciated the cool tang of her Austrian Gruner Veltfiner (125ml £5.00).

There were other tempting starter options of course, including a scallop ceviche with fennel and horseradish (£9.25) which looked delicious, a seafood platter (£25) which included Blackwater mussels, prawns, clams and crab salad or a half dozen Blackwater oysters (£12)

The main event proved to be equally positive for both of us. Very moist oven roasted chicken breast and thigh with braised shallot and béarnaise sauce (£14.95) went down delightfully with a Languedoc Moulin de Gassac (125ml £4.30).

And although I could have been diverted by a lamb rump with Jersey royals (£17.95) or even half a Native lobster at a very reasonable £16.95, I picked the stacked cheese burger with tomato relish and mustard (£12.95) because the table next to me had one and I just had to have it with a side of heirloom tomatoes with chili riccota and triple cooked thick chips! Of course the robust glass of Tejo, Quinta do Lagoalva red (125ml £5.00) did it absolutely no harm either.

By now the clientele was proving even more eclectic; a group of lawyers on one side of me celebrating some kind of corporate victory and four ladies having a girlie night out on the other. The bar chairs were also doing brisk business as people came in for a light bite and a glass of something.

Olga materialised again armed with a dessert menu where the wines, ports, Madeira and digestifs outnumbered the desserts by over 50%. That said, the Icelandic Skyr, (which is like a mild yoghurt) poached rhubarb, granola and mint (£6) sounded very intriguing. Not only did turn out to be delicious, it was perfectly paired with a Petit Manseng Cuvee Saint Clement (125ml £9.15).

28-50 Wine Workshop and Kitchen is an excellent example of how to enjoy really good wines and delicious food at a very affordable price in Mayfair. The concept is excellent and there is no doubting you are in the safe hands of people who really know their trade.

Look out also for their programme of wine tasting events which run throughout the year where you might have Old World v New World, or a by the glass tour through European vineyards.

All images (c) Andy Mossack