A Covent Garden Jewel.
This must be one of the most popular tourist spots in London. The area is steeped in history, yet there is a particular building that is surprisingly overlooked. It is now the home of Plume Wine Bar and Speakeasy.
Plume is a striking boutique word-of-mouth daytime wine bar and evening Speakeasy in Covent Garden, in a Grade II listed building. The beautifully eclectic wine bar is ranged over two storeys (ground floor and basement). It was built in the early 1800s and has had at least one famous tenant.
Not only did Dickens live and run his newspaper ‘All the Year Round’ from this building in the 1860s, but he also set parts of several of his novels in the area. Arthur Clennam, a character from ‘Little Dorrit’, lived in a dingy flat in Covent Garden. This neighbourhood has not always been a polished tourist magnet.
Plume is decorated with, well, plumes, peacocks, paintings, exotic ornaments and gold velvet. The walls are white, providing a backdrop for the art. Light floods in from the wall of windows. It’s a people-watching venue during the day; the basement comes alive at night when it takes on the mantle of a popular speakeasy.
Speedy menu
Specialising in sparkling and English wines, Plume offers a changing list of 70 bottles, which makes it an attractive location for regulars. The Power Hour menu, with its £14 fixed price, is available from Monday to Friday from 12noon till 3pm. This offer includes a glass of wine and a tempting speedy menu turned round in a hurry. Food options include Golden Boy or Bacon Boy sandwich inspired by its popularity in New York City; hot honey halloumi; beef or aubergine flat bread, all with chips or a side salad. All menu items are served within twenty minutes, with the promise of a complimentary glass of wine if the service exceeds the time limit. Power lunches of both healthy and comfort food plates and a glass of wine combinations make the perfect quick meal for office workers or a delicious break for Covent Garden tourists with discerning tastes – and in a fascinating and historic location, too.
The regular menu here isn’t extensive but appropriate for the size of bar. There are nibbles, flatbreads, cheese and meat boards and hot sandwiches. The wine list is creditable and encompasses both New and Old-World wines. The cocktails are tempting.
My guest and I ordered from both the Power Lunch menu and the regular food and drink bill of fare. The Beef Flatbread should be a signature dish here. The well-seasoned meat topping was juicy and aromatic with cinnamon. Don’t miss this one. The house red was Wild House Syrah and complemented the beef perfectly.
I was charmed by the Dickens Punch which has a spirit base of two rums with plenty of pineapple and orange, perhaps giving a nod to the fruit market in the Covent Garden of yesteryear, with which Dickens would have been so familiar. An attractive and delicious glass.
The British Cheeseboard was my choice of lunch dish, and it was substantial. This was one of the best-constructed cheeseboards I have had in a while. It was delightfully presented with cheeses, condiments and garnishes working in creamy and rich harmony. We do cheeses so well in this country and it was a pleasure to taste soft cheese, blue cheese and classic Cheddar – and generous chunks of each, too.
Plume Wine Bar is the style of lunchtime pit-stop that raises a smile. It’s a great location offering a thoughtful and well-executed menu, an interesting wine list and some well-crafted cocktails to suit every taste. We will return to enjoy another relaxing couple of hours passed in delicious fashion.
Plume Wine Bar and Speakeasy
26 Wellington Street
Covent Garden
London
WC2E 7DD
Visit Plume Wine Bar and Speakeasy here.