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The trouble with writing a restaurant blog is you have to keep moving on, a repeated venue is a wasted opportunity. So although Vinoteca is one of our favourite restaurants in Chiswick, it has taken until October for us to review it for the blog. We'd gone on my 50th birthday, so it seemed the fitting place to celebrate completing another year.
Created and run by Brett Woonton, Charlie Young and Elena Ares, Vinoteca claims to combine "high quality, characterful wine with a selection of paired dishes created from fresh and seasonal produce." They first opened in Farringdon in 2005 and Chiswick became the fourth location when it opened in Devonshire Road in August 2013, in the premises formerly occupied by the Oriental Brasserie.
They gave the interior a major revamp, putting the main dining area towards the front of the premises, with the kitchen and wine bar at the back. The menus are seasonal and constantly changing and the Chiswick head chef James Robson used to work at the River Café. But as you'd expect from a place called 'Vinoteca' wine is the focus here: there are 25 wines available by the glass from a total list of 285 wines, which is updated twice a year.
Miss WEST4URANTS was happy enough to start with some olives but I went for the Buffalo Mozzarella with Crown Prince Squash & Wet Walnuts and eschewed the recommended Chardonnay in favour of an Italian red. This Lombardy Pinot Nero, "with supremely Italian hints of rose petal and wild berries", is a big favourite of Mike in Operations, apparently. Forget Jancis Robinson, I always go with Mike's recommendations.
Mrs WEST4URANTS opted for the Day Boat 'Fritto' - a big fry-up of Cuttlefish, Hake & Pollock served with a Sage & Sorrel Aioli. She paired it with the recommended 2015 Lugana Cá Lojera, an Italian white from Veneto.
For main course she chose the Grilled Wild Bass Fillet with Chickpeas, Sprouting Broccoli & Dragoncello (a Tuscan sauce made with tarragon, vinegar, bread, garlic, anchovies and lemon juice). This was served with a glass of the brilliantly named Kung Fu Girl Riesling, "a ‘kickass’ dry Riesling from Columbia Valley, with apricot, peach and satsuma and a lime-rich finish." If Carl Douglas had been there we'd have burst into a verse of 'Kung Fu Drinking'; I don't know what 'the funky China men from funky Chinatown' would have made of it, but Mrs W enjoyed it.
Mrs WEST4URANTS opted for the Day Boat 'Fritto' - a big fry-up of Cuttlefish, Hake & Pollock served with a Sage & Sorrel Aioli. She paired it with the recommended 2015 Lugana Cá Lojera, an Italian white from Veneto.
For main course she chose the Grilled Wild Bass Fillet with Chickpeas, Sprouting Broccoli & Dragoncello (a Tuscan sauce made with tarragon, vinegar, bread, garlic, anchovies and lemon juice). This was served with a glass of the brilliantly named Kung Fu Girl Riesling, "a ‘kickass’ dry Riesling from Columbia Valley, with apricot, peach and satsuma and a lime-rich finish." If Carl Douglas had been there we'd have burst into a verse of 'Kung Fu Drinking'; I don't know what 'the funky China men from funky Chinatown' would have made of it, but Mrs W enjoyed it.
The younger Miss WEST4URANTS is on the meat-eating side of the family, and she and I went all in with the Char-Grilled Marinated Bavette with Chips (obviously) and Cress. They'd run out of the recommended Aussie Clare Valley Shiraz from Rodney & The Horse (surely called Trigger?) but came up with a very acceptable substitute, a 2014 Syrah Nouveau from the Adelaide Hills.
We hadn't saved room for pudding, or any of their wide range of dessert wines, sadly.
Food (for 3): £78.00
Drink: £71.50
Total: £168.06
