It is a pattern we see repeatedly. At times of austerity and economic hardship: people crave luxury, colour and escapism. During the Great Depression we saw the rise of jazz, dancehalls and art deco glamour, while the World War II ushered in an era of escapist, technicolour movies filled with flights of fancy. Now in the grips of a seemingly endless cost-of-living crisis, London’s wine lovers are craving frivolity and entertainment.
Members’ club 67 Pall Mall recently released its fine wine report, and its members showed no sign of curbing their spending. Premium Burgundy was still top of the club’s orders and a third said the rising price of wine had no impact on their drinking habits, More than half of members claimed their household spend on wine was between £500-£3,000 a month.
Sparkling wine remains synonymous with celebration and crémant has seen a huge surge in popularity. At Marks & Spencer, bestselling Classics No 12 Crémant de Bourgogne (£10) went from nine per cent to 20 per cent of their sparkling sales this year.
For those yearning for some seasonal flamboyance, here are a couple of fabulous places to disappear into.
Lilibet’s – Bruton Street
Named for Queen Elizabeth II and residing in the building where she was born this new restaurant is ostentatiously glamorous without being garish.
All the Christmas decorations are up, but none of that plastic tat – instead there are loops of handmade paper chains and trees decorated with knitted baubles. “They’re made by a woman called Beryl who sells them to raise money for air ambulances,” says owner Ross Shonhan. The vibe is premium quality indulgence, a place to sink into a plush red velvet chair and be handed a crystal glass of Gosset, their house champagne.
The wine list is whimsically divided into sentiment and situation – ‘Bubbles for Mischief’, ‘Whites for Whispered Lunches’, ‘For Lovers, Dreamers and Dinners That Linger’. And I can imagine many dinners do linger: the food is exquisite.
Specialities include piled-high seafood platters and the fish triptych; we had the gurnard, which arrived flame grilled, in a soup and (best of all) as a perfect ceviche with the citrus zest melting into the warmth of chilli.
Lilibet’s champions the underappreciated species in the sea with their “unsung heroes” section, which is worth a look as an alternative to the classics such a lobster spaghetti and buttery scallops fresh from the wood fire grill.
Do not miss Lilibet’s Mash with its shellfish bisque and lobster. The air ripples with high-class fun but you don’t have to spend big if you don’t want to: the set lunch menu starts from £29 midweek. Then again, you could order a bottle of La Tache Grand Cru, Domaine de la Romanee-Conti 2009 for £13,900 a bottle.
Town – Drury Lane
Designed like a cross between the Mad Men office and a 1960s Star Trek set, Town is slick, crisp and convivial.
There’s a window into the open kitchen and tiny but lethal martinis glide from the bar alongside bowls of moreish chilli and heather honey fried sage leaves.
The menu is gently innovative and consistently interesting. There is a twist on London’s most fashionable snack right now, the Gilda, swapping anchovy for mackerel, and warm thick sourdough with silky dipping gravy.
Other highlights inlcude blackened fish from the grill and a huge pork chop with burned apple sauce.
The pasta was my personal dish of the dinner; creamy, perfectly sauced and layered with fine shavings of white truffle. The wine list is spectacular – curious, creative and satisfying. I had the best Georgian wine of my life, a K’Avshiri rosé, and the reds were properly decanted by head of wine Merlin Ramos.
Distract yourself from the bleak midwinter, shut the door on the chill and settle into another delicate but dangerous martini.
And if you fancy a glass of sparkling to relieve the efforts of Christmas shopping, try the new Searcys Champagne Bar in the beautiful art deco halls of Battersea Power Station – we all deserve a bit of merriment this year.