The Bottlescrue

After a successful after works drinks at the Bottlescrue, I thought it was worth checking out for a lunchtime. Unfortunately I picked a beautiful summer's day to descend into the depths of this very traditional. subterranean winebar, but the coolness and quietness we encountered was actually a blessing in disguise. For once we could hear ourselves speak! True it is a throwback to the winebars of my early days in the City, but sometimes a steak sandwich with a side of fries just hits the spot. We both opted for starters which in retrospect was a bit of a mistake - portion sizes are very good here and if you're not sure on which wine to choose, their tasters are pretty generous too! My companion effectively got a free glass of wine for her indecisiveness! Whilst there is nothing to truly excite on the menu, it is varied and has something for everyone, although I would love to see the return of the fish finger sarnie. Service was polite and attentive but it appears to suffer from its tucked away location - on both visits it was decidedly under capacity. I hope it survives as is definitely a place I'd use again. By the way, I think the Square Meal review is for a different place as this is not really that close to Holborn Viaduct, nor does it have any outside space.

Came here for a family celebration. One guest was an hour late, so we waited in the bar. Gradually we became aware that everyone was leaving, and we were the only ones left. Once we were all assembled, we were shown to a large table at the back, with two extra chairs, we tried to arrange ourselves so we could sit near to each other and chat. There were a number of private dining rooms around, none of them seemed occupied. As far as we could see, staff had nobody else to serve. Steak and burgers were good. They brought us dessert menus, but some of them were out of date, so we had different items to choose from. When we tried to order, they took the old menus away. The newer menus had a trio of mini desserts or mini desserts and coffee, but they told us they had all gone. It felt like we were there at the end of the evening, but even with the late arriving guest we sat down at 8pm, which isn't late to have dinner in this country. So a bit strange. It is quite hard to find, which is why one person was late and only arrived when someone else went out to look for him. Best approached down a narrow alley called Gutter Lane, then it is at the end, opposite, to the left.