The Vestry - ONIN London

Fox and Anchor have introduced The Vestry, a new wine and seafood bar located near Smithfield Market. The Vestry was formally a vestry within St. Sepulchre’s Parish and definitely has that kind of feel to it. A lot quieter and more rustic than the attached Fox and Anchor, The Vestry was a the perfect location to spend a quiet Saturday evening enjoying great food, drinking amazing wine and catching up with old friends.

We ordered a range of different small plates to go with our White Rabbit Riesling and Roccalanna Montepulciano d’Abruzzo wines, which were absolutely wonderful. Fried Baby Squid, Black Angus Hanger Steak (chilli, parsley, garlic dressing), Faggot croquettes, Dorset Crab and Nduja macaroni cheese, Salt baked tiger prawns (garlic parsley), Rosemary fries and paprika fries. We didn’t expect the large serving sizes of all the small plates as usually you receive tiny portions of food and still pay almost the same as a main at some bars. This definitely wasn’t the case at The Vestry!

I don’t even know where to start with the food as everything was so full of flavour and didn’t last long on our plates. As an Aussie, the large Salt baked tiger prawns really stood out. They had so much flavour, they almost didn’t need the garlic parsley dipping sauce they came with. I’m glad they did though as they tasted even better with that sauce. As we made our way through the small plates appearing at our table, each dish became more flavoursome and were such joys to share. The Faggot Croquettes were my least favourite of the evening as I didn’t grow up with these as my friend did but they still had an unusual taste that had me going back for a few more.

While we were finishing off our wine, our lovely host of the evening as we were the only two people in the bar brought over some wine cocktails for us to sample. Elizabeth’s Lace (City Of London Dry Gin, Lillet Rose, Champagne Testulat Blanc de Noirs, lemon juice, sugar syrup / Fresh classic take on the French 75, floral garnish) and the Piccadilly Whistle (Janneau V.S.O.P. Armagnac, Le Pinada Carigan Merlot, lemon juice, simple syrup / Full bodied red wine cocktail, cork garnish). We enjoyed these cocktails so much. Definitely ones to try out at this bar. It always amazes me when bartenders/mixologists can create standout drinks with what appears to be simple ingredients.

Still drinking our wine, our host suggested we have dessert so we ordered the Bakewell tart with Scottish raspberries and his favourite the Chocolate truffle selection. We didn’t think we could fit anymore in after our small plates, but we could. This was the first time I had tried Bakewell Tart and it was delicious. It just melted in my mouth.

As we were sitting in The Vestry, we were disappointed it was so quiet. It is such a lovely venue and definitely should have had more people in there enjoying the ambience, food, wine and cocktails. Maybe if an acoustic music night is held on Saturdays to draw the crowds in and away from the city. I have been told that on Fridays there are a diverse selection of up and coming blues and jazz musicians who play at The Vestry. Also it is busier during the week with the after work crowd.

Thanks to The Vestry for having us on Saturday night. It was such an enjoyable evening. Make sure you head down to The Vestry to experience the friendly hospitality and all there is to offer as soon as you can. The Vestry also has private hire space for buffets, wedding receptions and corporate hire It is also available for full exclusive private hire on weekends. There are also a number of exciting upcoming events in the works with regular food and beverage sampling evenings and private masterclasses, so make keep an eye out for these.

Reporter: Tegan LeBon

Twitter and Instagram: @toogs1

The Vestry: 115 Charterhouse Street London EC1M 6AA

| 020 7250 1300 | EMAIL: [email protected]

OPEN

Tues: 5pm – 11pm

Weds: 12pm – 11pm

Thurs & Fri: 12pm – 12am

Sat: 5pm – 1am

Sun & Mon: Available for Private Hire

KITCHEN

Tues & Sat: 5pm – 10pm