By Just Opened London

 

Leroy is a new Parisian-style wine bar and bistro, now open in Shoreditch.

It comes from the team behind the Michelin-starred Ellory, now closed. This place is mostly about the wine, much of it natural or ‘low intervention’. We’re sure Leroy will quickly join the ranks of the best natural wine bars in London.

The Spot:

This site was previously the home of a French wine bar and they’ve kept a little of the Gallic feel; old bistro chairs contrast pleasantly with a modern marble bar. The kitchen has been brought out into the main space and there are stools surrounding it, for those who like to watch the chefs bustle about. Who doesn’t?

The Food:

The approach here is similar to that of its predecessor Ellory, so imagine a very seasonal, ingredient-led menu. The head chef is Sam Kamienko (previously head chef at Ellory) and the menu is made up of snacks, small plates, cheese, charcuterie and larger sharing cuts for the table.

Snacks include grilled quail; whipped cod’s roe; whelks with garlic mayonnaise and beetroot remoulade. Larger plates include the Leroy salad (pictured below); ricotta dumplings with peas and artichokes and lamb sweetbreads with morels, spinach and a nettle sauce. A large sharing dish might be a whole fish for the table.

For dessert, choose from chocolate mousse with hazelnuts or poached rhubarb with milk ice cream.

The Drinks:

The 100-bin wine list is drawn from the team’s favourite producers from around the world, and includes some classic and iconic bottles along with what co-owner Ed Thaw describes as ‘wine on the edge.’

They’ll also be pouring their own Vermouth, as well as wines from Vigneti Tardis, their winemaking project in Campania in collaboration with Michael Sager (Sager & Wilde), Jackson Boxer (Brunswick House, Chess Club) and Stevie Parle (Pastaio, Rotorino, Craft London).

The Damage:

Small plates range from £8-18, while larger cuts vary in price but of course, cost more. There is a workers’ set lunch of two courses for £16 and three for £20.

In a Nutshell:

We’re loving this change of direction towards a more bar-focused offering and the team are happy to have moved from London Fields to this new location in Shoreditch. Apparently, they made the move to take advantage of cheaper rents and are relishing the chance to offer something new.

Co-owner and sommelier Ed Thaw said of the move, ‘This new site is so different to Ellory that it made sense to give this new space its own identity. There is a new energy about Shoreditch all of a sudden. There’s a wave of quality places coming from friends of ours in the next year and in March especially. We can’t wait to get into it.’

We’ve made a very cool interactive map of London’s best new bars and restaurants (even if we do say so ourselves).