Sous le Nez en Ville

This congenial catacomb in the city’s financial sector seethes at lunchtime with suits taking a break from their work stations, & plays host to a rumbustious, good-time crowd in the evenings. The attraction is Sous Le Nez’s relaxed but sparky atmosphere, moderate prices & a wine list the length of the M1. The labyrinth of cellar dining rooms is as bright & light as ever, while the menu remains agreeably cosmopolitan & rich in choice. Robust meat dishes are a strong suit, although the kitchen’s main focus is fish: flavours are eclectic & the menu casts its net wide, taking in everything from crab cakes with lime & coriander salsa or grilled haddock with mash, spinach & cheese sauce to roast boudin noir with onion Tatin, braised oxtail or casseroled rabbit with merguez sausage & buttered linguine. To finish, perhaps crème brûlée with caramelised pears.

Wine List Of The Year

A list with personality, this does its job brilliantly. Tasting notes for every wine, and highly informative, funny, sometimes controversial musings on wine regions, people and wines. An extremely good selection of Bordeaux makes this a list for the serious wine lover and the novice alike.