Owner Geoff Nordell did much to liven up this stretch of Aungier Street with his cheerful and hugely popular Whitefriar Grill, which was later joined next door by the equally popular Bow Lane. Now he has merged the two, to create the larger Bow Lane Grill.
Customers familiar with the original Whitefriar Grill will find a quieter, warmer and more spacious place, with more comfortable seating options and a new room, where the kitchen used to be.
It’s a stylishly laid-back haunt aimed squarely at ‘creative types’ who want a place that they can nurse a hangover, laze over brunch, gossip over a pint, catch a match, imbibe a cocktail or two, luxuriate in confident comfort food, opt for dessert in a glass and get their groove on to live DJs – and all within the one day if they so wish.
The bar is peopled by staff who take their craft seriously (and there are many creative cocktails to keep them busy), but attentive lounge staff ensure that customers can maximise the unwinding that they are here for. The cocktail list is worth making time for, with some interesting use of fruit shrubs and liqueurs, house infusions and fresh herbs, and staff are happy to help you navigate should you need guidance. It’s nice to see several well-conceived booze-free options offered, including one of the best Virgin Mary’s you’re likely to come across (dubbed the Not so Bloody Bleedin Maire and featuring an expletive-inducing hot sauce and balsamic vinegar reduction).
The Bar Bites menu is also worth exploring. Although short, it features the likes of Baked Cooleeney Camembert with an artichoke dip, crab tostadas with avocado, chipotle crema and radish, while the seriously hungry might choose the BBQ back ribs with fries and ruby slaw.
But the real highlight here is the concise but perfectly-pitched offering of refined comfort food for grown-up palates. Choose from a pithy but balanced wine list (with good choice by the glass, and a nice scattering of under-appreciated styles), while the informed and assured staff guide you through the specials, which might include imaginative flavour combinations such as halibut with fennel pollen gnocchi, girolles, ham and scallop emulsion.
The menu brims with well-loved classics including big Bow Lane Prime Steaks– porterhouse, sirloin, fillet, ribeye and rump, all served with red onion jam, home fries and a choice of sauce - while fish lovers will opt for chargrilled tuna, perhaps, with aubergine caponata, asparagus and crispy polenta.
Save room too for the brilliant desserts (such as a chocolate fondue with boozy choco sauce, profiteroles, pineapple, rice crispy caramels, pretzels, marshmallows, with date and hazelnut oils.
Aside from the skill and imagination invested in the food and drink on offer here at Bow Lane, what is really impressive is the way in which it can cater to parties of very different scales, from intimate dinner à deux to big bash celebrations.
