Nestled away in Covent Garden, you’ll find the perfect I-know-a-place place. Plume is a gorgeous two-storey wine bar-cum-speakeasy based inside Charles Dickens’ former publishing house.
Not to be confused with his former home on Doughty Street (which is now the Charles Dickens Museum), 26 Wellington Street housed the offices wherein Dickens worked on his weekly literary magazine, All the Year Round. The Victorian periodical debuted in 1859 and featured the first instalment of his famous novel, A Tale of Two Cities.
Now, over 150 years later, literature and wine fans alike can gather inside the former publishing house for a tipple, some small plates, and – on Tuesday evenings – a secret note-passing game. Sounds pretty interesting, right?
Passing notes at Plume
It’s pretty difficult to meet new people and make new friends in the capital city. After all, we Londoners aren’t exactly the most approachable people on the planet, are we? The thought of a stranger coming up to me in the street and starting a conversation makes me want to run for the hills, to be quite honest with you… But Plume has come up with a fun way to change this.
Every Tuesday evening from 7pm, the Covent Garden wine bar puts on a ‘Secret Notes’ session. This note-passing game encourages punters to use their imagination, get creative, and communicate with the other tables around them. The rules of the game are simple: you write little notes to start conversations, hand the notes to the waiters, and they’ll then be delivered to your chosen tables. Previous nights have seen people exchange numbers, go on dates and stay in touch. Not bad, hey?
Adding to the secretive communication is the seductive, intimate setting, downstairs in Plume’s speakeasy. The whole space oozes dimly-lit luxury – but not in an intimidatingly stuffy way. It has more of an ‘I could quite happily spend an entire afternoon and evening here‘ vibe. Boasting ambience and charm for days, heading downstairs in Plume to the cosy little cavern feels like being let in on a big secret.
The wine
Plume’s wine menu comes in the form of an atlas that showcases a curated selection of wine and fizz from around the globe. And don’t sweat if there’s too much to choose from; one of Plume’s expert sommeliers will be there to help you choose your perfect pour. We can confirm that the extensive list has something to tantalise even the fussiest of taste buds.
They quite literally have everything you could want on the menu. There’s orange wine from Romania, South African Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignons from North and South America, and much more – including some unusual vintages from smaller, experiential winemakers that you might not find elsewhere. We were particularly fond of the Loxwood Honey Wine and the Solara Orange Wine – both deliciously sweet and something a little bit different.
Image: @plumewinebar, via IG
The food
Now, you simply can’t have wine without cheese, can you? And boy, does Plume deliver on that front. Their show-stopping charcuterie boards boast a dairy-good mixture of local cheeses, cured meats, and plentyyyyy of bread and crackers to go alongside them – just how we like it.
They also serve up humongous bowls of their Plume chips. Our personal favourite were the ones that came smothered in parmesan cheese. And if you still have room for more cheese, you simply must try the fried Bocconcini – a bowl of fried, bitesize pieces of mozzarella, served with garlic mayo. So, in other words: heaven.
Image: @plumewinebar, via IG
Other temptingly cheesy pickings on the menu include artichoke pesto burrata and toast, baked camembert with honey, rosemary, and sourdough, and Plume’s signature grilled cheese. I guess we’ll just have to go back for round two at some point to try these. What a darn shame, hey?
So, grab a date or some mates and head on down to Plume for an evening of sipping, scoffing, and secret note-passing at this utterly enchanting spot.