Steam Wine Bar

Independent wine bar established over seven years ago. Steam Bar is sleek and professional with a faithful following thanks to its friendly appeal, impressive wine list and relaxing surroundings – an experience not to be missed.

Venue
The Bar is one long basement room shaped into three areas – one for dining, one for drinking and a third area at the far end, a discrete three-sided space that is ideal for groups to gather together. Décor is contemporary with an array of wooden tables and upholstered chairs and banquettes. Walls are largely cream-painted and are decked with a range of suitably simple monochrome prints. The prominent central bar has a marble-topped counter and a handsome mirrored back fitting.

Atmosphere
Working for Balls Brothers among others, Stephen and Michael have multiple years of hospitality practice. The former spent five years in California and so Steam Wine Bar expresses the easy relaxation for which the Sunshine State is famed. Therefore, it’s understandably a prime choice for parties and get-togethers, with events often booked for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings and party packages available for larger groups. Often people just happily meet and mingle, and this ambience suits the modern style of the City, which is abandoning the formality of the past.

TV Screens are only switched on for select sports programmes – cricket, tennis, golf – and there are monthly race nights, quiz nights and karaoke. Most notable are a series of sporting dinners devoted to charities – a different one for each event with raffles and collections swelling the proceeds. Sporting legends are dinner speakers and the roll call is impressive: Mike Gatting, president of the MCC; football pundit Matt Le Tissier; Lions rugby star Will Greenwood and snooker blarney-spinner Dennis Taylor.

Menu
A three-person kitchen team prepares the all-day menu, which is lengthier in the evening. This is not extensive, but focus is put on fresh ingredients. Starters include a tangy mature cheddar and Guinness rarebit and an unusual dish of quail’s eggs. Mains feature a succulent rib-eye steak and smoked haddock and leek fishcakes with poached egg, a tasty blend of flavours. The gammon steak and a pie of the day are also very popular. Vegetarian options include a skillfully created gruyere, basil and pea tart while a steamed chocolate and hazelnut pudding stands out on the dessert menu. For snacking there’s a goodly range of sandwiches with chicken, avocado and bacon a speciality. Pricing is honest with starters around £6, mains around £10-£15 and substantial sandwiches around £6.

Drinks
While the wine list is comprehensive – 12 whites, five roses, 17 reds and two dessert wines – you may expect a little more reach for a wine bar. Having said that, this focused selection is excellent. More common varietals are strongly preferred for wines by the glass – there’s a Sauvignon Blanc, a Chardonnay, a Pinot Noir and two Cabernet Sauvignons. Pick of the bottles are a Puligny Montrachet white and a Pomerol red. To engage in City celebrating, there are six sparklers with the best a Dom Perignon vintage. Twelve listed cocktails keep things interesting, and include such classics as the Old Fashioned, Mojito and Caiprinha. Beers are represented, too. The one real ale is a cask Bass and lagers include Beck’s Vier and Peroni. There’s the usual range of spirits and liqueurs and, interestingly, a top-quality brandy, Janneau VSOP Armagnac is available.

Pricing is again competitive for the City. Wines by the glass are between £4.15 and £6.50 and cocktails are only £7.50. As a bonus, a happy hour is offered between 5pm and 7pm Tuesday to Friday, when cocktails are reduced to £4.50 and a bottle of house wine can be bought for £8.

Summary
Come in as a customer and leave as a friend; this is the mission statement at Steam Wine Bar. Putting it into practice has produced many a pleased patron.

https://junior-broker.com/life/food-drink/bars-clubs/steam-wine-bar/

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