They say if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it…
And that’s our view on wine bars, which have been cropping up like grapes during harvest since we borrowed the format from our French cousins and started freely using the word ‘natty’.
So it’s with open arms and a primed palate we welcome Marjorie’s – a Parisian-inspired wine bar and cave à manger in Soho.
It’s from the minds of a new-to-hospitality duo, Michael Searle and Josh Anderson who have brought in a kitchen heavyweight, chef Giacomo Peretti (ex-Le Gavroche, Temper, Firebird and The Culpeper), as the third member of their team.
Named after Michael’s late grandmother (a fully-fledged Francophile, who had a particular penchant for good food and wine), the Marjorie’s brings a sliver of Paris to central London. The site itself used to be a Hawaiian burger joint tucked just off Carnaby Street and inside, the nook of a space is split across two levels, comfortable enough for close to 50 covers. It’s bijou, not poky.
On the ground floor, there’s a travertine-topped bar, designed for communal dining and drinking along with a few tables available for booking but the majority of seats are held for walk-ins. Another feature of the site is the cellar vault room, which is designed to be an intimate dining space, complete with walnut wall panelling and a large round table.
The menu at Marjorie’s is the work of chef Giacomo, who leans into his Italian upbringing to create dishes that are all about simplicity and of seasonality. Here, expect a modern take on French cuisine that nods to classic technique, with the opening line-up including, chicken liver rocher, hazelnut & morello, fried courgette, rouille and trout roe, escargot, seaweed and pine nut cream, crab tart with crab bisque, mille-feuille, strawberries and chantilly. It wouldn’t be a French-leaning wine bar without cheese and here, there’s a daily cheese board with the crème de la crème of France’s finest from La Fromagerie.
And naturellement, there’s that wine. The team have pulled together an ‘all-French’ shorter-than-the-norm wine list, which aims to show the variety of wines from the four corners of France. There’ll be a range of contemporary, small-batch producers as well as more carefully chosen, classic varieties that have seen a bit of age.
See this as an excuse to down your tools and come and sip on a glass of something naturally sparkling…
NOTE: Marjorie’s open now, seven days a week. You can find out more, and make a booking at the Marjorie’s website.
PREVIOUS ERK: Nudge Members got in for two nights of exclusive previews at Marjories on 7th & 8th May with 50% off food.
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Marjorie’s | 26 Foubert’s Pl, Carnaby, London W1F 7PP
Looking for somewhere else to whet your whistle? Read our guide to the best wine bars in London.