Great space, great food and drink at Plume

Wine bars were considered old hat for much of the last two decades but they might just be making a comeback. I, for one, hope this comes to pass.
Last week, I found one that could act as the blueprint for any future openings. Plume is everything you could ask for from such an establishment.
Upstairs is cosy, while downstairs takes the intimacy up a notch with striking interior and alcoves designed for catch ups.
The interior is jaw-dropping – and that’s just the plume of peacock feathers gracing the archway wall of a former tunnel, once used to shuttle coal.
Plume is steeped in history. Our delightful host, Alejandro, confirmed that Charles Dickens was a frequent visitor to this former pub, pitching up to sit by (and perhaps write by) the fire place that remains today. He also had lodgings above the pub so was never really out of the place.

My first impression from my bar seat was that I was in hands of professionals. Cameron and co clearly know what they are doing when it comes to tending bar and are skilled in the art of mixology. One sip of a Fig Old Fashioned told me this.
It’s the attention to detail here that’s most noticeable, be it the surroundings or everything that is imbibed and consumed. Cocktails look beautiful – pretty crystal glasses and dried citrus slices are by-words for high quality.
All wine is served by the glass, even the good stuff. There’s help on hand to steer, guide and generally make sense of the lengthy wine list.
A few glasses of something cold requires accompanying small plates. This was a pre-theatre visit, so just three dishes were ordered but each one scored highly.
Fried courgette, pea puree, Ricotta & honey (£8.50) came out on top but the others weren’t far behind. Smoked aubergine, tahini & coconut yoghurt (£10.90) was vegan perfection. While I adore blitzed aubergine, it was nice to see the vegetable served whole for a change.
Baked Camembert with honey, rosemary and a generous pile of sourdough followed (£13.50). Beef fillet carpaccio with lemon rocket salad was a reasonable £12.70.
The price point at Plume is surprisingly good, given the central London location.
I love what parent company Grays & Feather are doing. It has another outpost in Brixton Village with one more in the pipeline, rumoured to be opening in Farringdon at some point this year.
Plume 26 Wellington Street, WC2E 7DD.
Paloma was a guest of Plume.

Organic butter brand All Things Butter started just three months ago. It sold 100,000 sustainable blocks of the Somerset-made butter in the first 10 weeks of trading.
The product range includes salted, unsalted, garlic & herb and chilli. It is available via Ocado, Planet Organic, Milk & More and The Modern Milkman.
Believing whole-heartedly in British farming, All Things Butter donates 1 per cent of its revenue to support the nation’s agricultural industry.
All Things Butter hopes to expand its range with four new flavours.

Co-founder Thomas Straker’s TikTok and Instagram have blown up with a series incorporating flavoured butter into recipes going viral.
As a result, All Things Butter has attracted investment from Hollywood. Lucky Chap Entertainment, which produced 2023’s biggest box office hit, Barbie and the much talked-about comedy thriller, Saltburn is now involved with the brand.
All Things Butter is manufactured by Brue Valley Farm in Somerset, which has incredible dedication to the production process that still uses traditional batching and hand-salting methods, including twice churning the butter to achieve the perfect texture and creaminess.

Top, great interior and great food at Plume Pictures: Grays and Feather