The Venue:
The Libertine first swung open their doors at the tail end of 2022 to rave reviews, and they’ve added to their roster with their new Sunday offering, which they’ve knocked out of the park. But before we get to that, let’s talk about the venue. An opulent spot set within the underground vaults of the Royal Exchange, it can hold up to 400 punters and is decked out in booth-style seating, ambient lighting and traditional portraits hanging off the walls.
It’s a charming space that is well worth a visit here on any day of the week – not least because of the friendly staff and the fact that they’ve got their own whisky vault for tasting experiences. Winner, winner.
The Drinks at The Libertine:
Speaking of drinks, they were our first foray into the new Sunday menu – and we were more than impressed. The Bloody Mary my friend James had was one of the best I’ve tried since being in London, and I went for the Bloody Maria – a heavenly concoction that uses Casamigos Mescal instead of the traditional vodka – a nice twist on the much-loved classic.
For the hearty main course – more on that later – we went for a bottle of the Izadi – an aromatically-intense, ruby-hued Rioja which complemented our food just perfectly. Now speaking of food…
The Food at The Libertine:
I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that this Sunday roast is the best that I’ve had in my decade or so living in London. No word of a lie.
Once we’d warmed up with some warm and crispy slices of sourdough lathered in butter, it was then time for the main. We both went for the 42-day dry aged beef rump, which was basted with thyme and a garlic beurre noisette. It was melt-in-the-mouth good – especially when served with rosemary roast tatties, maple-glazed carrots, confit garlic greens, parsnip puree, lashings of tasty Bordeaux red wine gravy and one hefty Yorshire pud.
The friendly waiting staff at The Libertine also treated us with some other sides – the roasted root vegetables, the namesake cauliflower cheese and the ‘pot of pigs’ – a mouthwatering dish of roasted chipolatas wrapped in honey-glazed bacon. I’m not even lying when I say that the thought of it is making me salivate right now – it was THAT good and well worth ordering if you ever find yourself here on a Sunday.
As if we weren’t full enough (we were), we then went for some dessert. When in Rome after all… James went for the sticky toffee pudding with a salted toffee sauce and a vanilla bean ice cream which was as good as you’d expect. I went for the chocolate orange torte with an orange ganache and a scoop of vanilla crème fraîche. I know I might be overdoing the superlatives here, but it was absolutely bloody delicious and I’d order it again in a heartbeat. And I’m not even a dessert person!
The Overall Verdict:
The jury’s out on this one – the Sunday roast here is one of the best (if not the best) roast I’ve had in a decade’s worth of Sunday roasts in London. The food and drinks were absolutely bangin’ (there are veggie and gluten-free options too), the staff were great, and the overall vibe of the place was pretty bloody charming thank you very much. Even though the Bank sort of area can seem like a bit of a ghost town at the weekends, it’s well worth making your way here and whiling away an afternoon. You won’t regret it!