28°-50°

The initial rash of reviews followed by deathly silence could tell its own story. A prologue of high expectations followed by a flabby plot, which fails to deliver on the initial promise and to capture the reader's ongoing attention perhaps? Being tucked away down some stairs on a side street you don't stumble across this place by chance, so it will have to rely on people seeking it out and on some repeat business. The quality of the food is not going to guarantee either. The menu is short and pedestrian with the usual steaks, seabream etc. I had a passable bavette steak with chips but I wouldn't go back for seconds. Still, this is a City wine bar, and it fulfills that purpose rather well. I can't really comment on the wine list, which I assume would be the draw for most, as we were on the champers, except to say there's no Prosecco or Cava. The subterranean location and elegantly restrained decor it does make it feel a bit secret special and cosy but I'm not sure that translates to “exclusivity” (thank goodness). It is pleasantly busy without being noisy. There are some good propping tables by the bar and apparently some good group tables dotted about up on the mezzanine floor. Service is adequate if not particularly memorable. As a venue it treads a graceful line between being refined, without being snooty, and being casual, without being sloppy. This should pull in repeat be-suited punters looking for a drinks venue where the food and locale might not impress but at least won't embarrass. The epilogue on this one could be a long time coming.

I really wanted to like this place and there's certainly no denying the owners passion and knowledge for wine but I was left a bit cold by the whole experience.

The greeting we received was strange. Friendly but we were offered water at the bar whilst waiting for our guest?! What – no wine?

Bread and water arrived quickly at the table but things went downhill after that, the waiting staff seemed unfamiliar with the menu and a bit unsure of themselves. The manager took our order though and was very charming.

I found the food a bit fussy for the environment, it seemed to be crying out for some simple big flavours and seemed a bit ‘try hard fine dining’, the puddings however were really very, very good.

It didn't seem as if the waiting staff had completed their full training as the wine we ordered came out with a different year to the menu, it wasn't mentioned and we were the ones that spotted it. The waitress (who was very sweet) looked non-plussed as to why that might be an issue. For a place that prides itself on its wine list I was shocked by that. It could have been fixed by getting the manager to recommend a different wine or to explain why the replacement year was just as good but she poured on regardless.

I love the idea of the wine flights though and I'm sure some people will love it. I think if I was to go back it would be to try lots of different wines and share some bread and olives.

Oh and bearing in mind it's had a recent fit out and is brand new, how come the toilets looked like they've been ripped out of a council leisure centre?

I think Sabrina's been too generous… I've lunched here twice recently (eg last week) and here's my lowdown. The ambiance is depressed by total absence of natural light – not a summer venue. The decor is fine, though, neither loud not too muted. The service is good, in that it's not evident, but not impressive either though dishes came when they were suppposed to and no mistakes were made. Last time, I had the burrata – I can't believe it was an Italian burrata because it was small, they only served half of it and it was tough and not the almost melt in your mouth, creamy, fresh cheese that distinhuishes burrata from similar cheeses. The previous time, I liked the duck rillettes though they were very rich. Bread was hearty and good. Last time I had the onglet steak – cheap cut which needs to be thinly sliced to help with the chewing. It was not good – tough even though not overcooked, and a very small portion. This time I had the baked cod over cous cous which was absolutely delightful, subtle, interesting flavour and texture. Shame there was only a mouthful on the plate. The wine list was a saving grace, though, with some decent wines at apparently very competitive prices. I like to bargain-spot and I am a fan of Priorat which is normally very expensive (just bought some from Enotria at £22 +/- per bottle, wholesale). This Priorat was on the menu for £26 and was a decent example of the style of wine from that area of Cataluna (sorry, no “til” available over the “n”). So, overall a good experience but one which could be vastly improved with little effort by just a bit more on the plate to complement was goes in the glass.

Having wanted to eat here since it opened a few months ago, I finally managed to sneak an extended lunch hour and meet a friend for a couple of glasses of vino and some good food. The menu is incredibly simple, which I adore and the wine list is really excellent serving wine measures starting from 75ml upwards, enabling you to try many different wines with your meal.

My friend opted for special lunch set menu of 2 courses at £15.50 which produced fantastic value starting with a salad of yellow and red beetroot, generously scattered with goat's cheese and crushed pistachios; followed by a main course of pan-fried mackerel accompanied by artichokes and a caper dressing. I was genuinely impressed with the quality and value of the food on the set menu.

My own choices did not cost that much more with a wonderful duck rillette to start, delicate in flavour with succulent shreds of confit'd duck and a selection of pickles with huge hunks of bread. Heavenly. My main course was even more sublime, pigs cheek with belly pork, a side of crackling, quince, cale and swede that looked like spaghetti. A wonderful, sweet jus topped the dish off and made the experience absolutely perfect. I will most definitely be going back, preferably in the evening when I can really enjoy the wine list fully!

28-50 is fast becoming my watering hole of choice in the City (run close by the Planet of the Grapes, in Leadenhall Market).

Located at the Fleet Street end of Fetter Lane, 28-50 is a champagne cork's pop from the grande dame of City wine bars: El Vino. It is also streets away from the Rumpole of the Bailey style that pervades at El Vino. There is nothing wrong with El Vino: it knows its clientele, and that clientele knows exactly what it is going to get there; solid food, solid wines, solid atmosphere. 28-50 is different. It is lighter, hasn't been ravaged by the effects of smoke and time, and is designed for a different, more oenophile than dipso, audience.

The bar breaks the golden rule for restaurants and bars everywhere by having an entrance with stairs going straight down. This means that nobody can see the bar from street level, so passing trade is going to be limited. I'm not sure that this is a bad thing, so long as sufficient people know about the place to make sure that it is prospering. It certainly hasn't harmed Fino and, judging by the number of people who found their way through to the high ceilinged, surprisingly light and open, bar on a Tuesday night in the height of summer, it isn't going to be a problem here either.

No, what is going to harm the financial success of 28-50 is going to be the absurd generosity of the owners: £325 may sound a lot for a bottle of wine, but this is the 1989 Mouton Rotshchild. Alain Ducasse (never a man to be backward in pricing) sells this same vintage at £1,490. Retail it is a touch over £300. A mark-up of around 10%; a lot of places could learn from such generosity.

It is not just at the top end of the wine list either: there are 30 or so wines by the glass (and they sensibly do small 75ml tasting glasses as well as more normal 125ml glasses), carafe and bottle. These, when we last went (and they are ever changing), included a Slovenian Sylvaner at £2.80 a glass (not the cheapest offerings, I should add, that award being claimed jointly by a Spanish red and an Italian white (not a Pinot Grigio either) at a mere £1.95), a Sicilian Grillo (no, me neither), Coteaux du Languedoc, a Pinot from the Mornington Peninsula and some serious Meursault and St Emilion Grand Cru. The latter two were the most expensive at a mere £5.45 a glass.

There is food too; nice platters of meats and cheeses, simple starters and mains, but really, this is about the wine.

This place really deserves to do well: it offers great wine, at a great price, in a great underground cellar. I just hope that this latter point (or indeed, two points) doesn't (or don't) cause it to fail.