Nestled away in Covent Garden, you’ll find the perfect I-know-a-little-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 was actually the offices whereby Dickens worked on his weekly literary magazine, All the Year Round. The Victorian periodical debuted in 1859, featuring 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 and some small plates.
The wine
Their wine menu comes in the form of an atlas that showcases a curated selection of wine and fizz from around the globe. 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 tastebuds.
They – quite literally – have everything; orange wine from Romania, South African Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignons from North and South America, and so 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.
The food
You simply can’t have wine without cheese – and boy, did they deliver. We began by tucking straight into some of their show-stopping charcuterie boards. We opted for the ‘All Board’; a perfect mixture of local cheeses, cured meats, and a generous amount of bread and crackers to go alongside them – just how we like it.
We also tucked into a mountain of their Plume chips; our personal favourite being the ones that were -you guessed it – smothered in parmesan cheese. And the third component of our holy trinity of cheese was the fried Bocconcini – a bowl of fried, bitesize pieces of mozzarella, served with garlic mayo. So, in other words: heaven.
Other temptingly cheesy pickings on the menu included the 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?
The decor
The whole space oozed dimly-lit luxury – but not in an intimidatingly stuffy way; in a ‘I could quite happily spend an entire afternoon and evening here’ way. Boasting ambience and charm for days, heading downstairs in Plume to our cosy little cavern felt like being let in on a big secret.
The whole evening was utterly enchanting. The service was *chef’s kiss* and the fact that we basically had to be rolled out of there says it all really…