28°-50° comes to Covent Garden

Popular wine bar and bistro 28°-50° has expanded into Covent Garden with the opening of a new site on what used to be Cantina Laredo on Upper St. Martin’s Lane.

Founded by Icelandic chef Agnar Sverisson and Master Sommelier Xavier Rousset in 2010, at its height there were three 28°-50° sites – the Fleet Street original and sister sites in Marylebone and Mayfair. Today only the Marylebone site remains.

With its focus on wines by the glass and modern European sharing plates, 28°-50° helped pave the way for the likes of Sager + Wilde, The Remedy, Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels and The Laughing Heart that make a hero of wine.

The new Covent Garden site is the largest 28°-50° yet, with seating for 180, a private dining room and summer terrace.

Among the dishes on offer will be truffle arancini; cep velouté; artichoke tempura with chermoula mayonnaise; stone bass with celeriac choucroute and a shellfish bisque; and goose and mustard terrine with spiced apple relish and brioche.

The majority of the wines on the list will be on pour by the glass, with drops starting from as little as £2.75 for a 75ml measure of 2018 Viura from Utiel Requena in Spain and 2018 Sangiovese from Emilia Romagna in Italy.

Among the whites on offer by the glass are: Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling 2017 from Washington; Domaine Lamy Pillot Sain Aubin Les Pucelles 2016; and Guigal Hermitage Blanc 2015.

As for the reds, you’ll find the likes of La Crema Monterey Pinot Noir 2016; Domaine Philippe Gavignet Nuit-Saint-Georges Premier Cru Les Chaboeufs 2017; and La Mission Haut Brion 2008 all on pour by the glass.

In a hat tip to its wine focus, the restaurant is named after the latitudes within which most vineyards around the world are found. In June 2018 the Fetter Lane site was sold to Cliffords Restaurant Limited. Five months later the Marylebone site was sold to an undisclosed buyer.