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Wine List Confidential: Cornus

11 November 2024 By Douglas Blyde

Douglas Blyde visits Cornus in Belgravia and examine how the wines by-the-glass range in price from £8.50 to £65, and discover why members of the wine trade “flock here in droves”.

Cornus balances the charm of its team with an air of seriousness, as Grace Dent of The Guardian discovered. “The staff are lovely, smiley and very amiable,” she notes, while the menu, adorned with an illustration of the blazing stems of the resilient dogwood shrub, is “seriously grounded in the principles of French cooking.”

David Ellis of The Standard captures its exclusive vibe, describing it as “a place for those who were already in, whose jewellery in the sunlight gave the room its own strobe-lighting.”

Sommelier, Melania Battiston earned high praise from Andy Hayler for being “particularly impressive,” while one nostalgic TripAdvisor reviewer likened Cornus to “The Square of old,” their “favourite ever London restaurant.”

Design

The Square, once a temple of fine dining, met an ignoble end in February 2020, shuttered by bailiffs mid-lunch service. Within its storied walls, O’Connor honed his craft alongside his life partner Monika, whom he met at a country house hotel. The kitchen also served as a proving ground for Gary Foulkes, now head chef at Cornus. During our visit, the venerable Phil Howard himself was dining. If you have a spare £56, you can relive the Howard era with his eponymous dish: “Langoustine (3 pieces), truffle purée, parmesan gnocchi, potato and truffle emulsion”- a starter both opulent and steeped in nostalgia.

Accessed via a lonely passageway lit with cool lights and a stainless-steel lift, Cornus is perched atop a warehouse built in 1830 for Shingleton’s Ice Company, which has also served as coachworks, power station, and mechanics. This marks the second act for O’Connor and his long-time collaborator Joe Mercer Nairne, the duo behind Medlar, which made waves near the ominously named World’s End in Chelsea. Mercer Nairne, an Oxford graduate in archaeology and anthropology, traded his trowel for a toque, honing his culinary skills in the kitchens of The Savoy Grill, Chez Bruce, and Rockpool in Sydney.

Designed by Day Studio (Trullo, Sidechick), the restaurant embraces a minimalist aesthetic with art curated by Tanya Baxter, including works by Tracey Emin. A sleek bar, framed by marble-fringed alcoves, leads towards a triangulated roofline extending to two terraces – the second with planning permission for a retractable roof. Special attention to acoustics unfortunately meant we experienced Michael Bolton’s “How Can We Be Lovers” with striking clarity. Exposed climate control systems and visible rigging, still bearing the fingerprints of the fitters, feel out of place, lending an atmosphere reminiscent of a pop-up eatery. Beyond the concertina doors to the facilities, you’ll find gold sinks and toilets with a curiously compelling whirlpool effect.

Drinks

Born in Mede, Lombardy, Melania Battiston lives by the mantra, “you can’t control anything except your state of mind.” Initially studying tourism, a twist of fate led her to London, where she briefly considered business and marketing before joining 28°-50° Maddox Street. There, she met her mentor, Clement Robert MS, and, following her mother’s advice to “trust her instincts,” dove fully into the world of wine. Within months, she had risen to head sommelier and assistant buyer for the group.

Battiston’s career flourished at Medlar, where she won UK Young Sommelier of the Year and the Gérard Basset Tasting Trophy. A stint at Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana exposed her to the vibrant synergy between kitchen and front-of-house, which she described as “fiery and enthusiastic.”

At Cornus, wines by the glass range from just £8.50/125ml for aged Bergerac, Fleur de Thénac Rouge 2016, to £65 for Henriot’s third Hemera. In between, there’s trusty, sustainable 2021 Muscadet Sur Lie, Cuvée Lucien by Bernard Maillard (£11), and dainty Moscato d’Asti, Nivole by favourite producer of the late Michael Broadbent, Michele Chiarlo (£11/100ml). From magnum, 2018 Bannockburn Pinot Noir from Felton Road comes in at £20.

Organised by region, then country, bottles begin at £38 for, Côte du Rhône Les Vignes du Prince, which isn’t, in truth, fit for a prince, reaching to £2,500 for Armand Rousseau 2000 Clos de Bèze at retail price (£2,500). The notable Burgundy section also includes 2018 St. Romain from the consistent Alain Gras at less than twice mark-up (£97), 2005 Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru, Etienne Sauzet at a very fair £360, and the magnum of 2012 Clos des Lambrays at £1,200. Another big bottle is the apparent “500cl” of Roagna Gallina Barbaresco 2016 (£1,400).

Other bins of note include the 2021 Xisto Cru Douro Branco (£70), a 2016 Grüner Veltliner, Ried Steinertal, from FX Pichler (£130), and 2009 Rauzan-Ségla featuring a label by the much missed Karl Lagerfeld (£170). 1998 Pol Roger, Sir Winston Churchill is yours for a kind £245, 2011 Almaviva is £260, and the 2003 Cornas (not Cornus) by Thierry Allemand is a bargain at £350. Sweeter selections include the vivacious 1990 Vouvray Moelleux Clos Du Bourg from Domaine Huet at a magnetic £115.

A lover of symbolism, Battiston’s favourite tattoo of a light bulb represents “enlightenment, ideas, and brightness.” Her team includes the garlanded Lukasz Gorski, with bar maestro Mario Aranquez behind cocktails such as the Clarified Coffee Negroni.

Dishes

Though absent on our visit, the kitchen is led by Gary Foulkes, whose impressive CV includes The Square, The Vineyard at Stockcross, Aubergine (RIP), and Angler, where he remains consultant chef. Pastry is in the capable hands of Kelly Cullen, formerly of Cornerstone.

Alongside astonishingly accomplished, brittle, gushing, and rhyming, Gruyere gougères, Battiston prefaced the opening fizz with the words, “I’ll never give you a pét-nat, unless you ask,” as she poured biochemist, Michael Cruse’s blushing Rosé LC18 NV from the Sonoma Coast. This fizz, whose label features a giant firing lasers from its hands, had an equally intriguing composition, including Valdiguié – otherwise known by its aliases, Gros Auxerrois and Napa Gamay. Kudos was again due to Cullen for homemade focaccia with triple cream Normandy butter.

A standout savoury dish arrived in the form of roasted Newlyn cod, which, I discovered, had been brined and dehydrated for eight hours to amplify its flavour – though not every diner may appreciate such behind-the-scenes insights. The translucent cod was masterfully accompanied by tender squid, a “Quality Chop” grade chip, and the richness of Alsace bacon. Battiston paired it with the unfortunately unmistakably youthful, Hirsch Vineyards 2021 West Ridge Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast, its label adorned with a serpent-woven triangle.

We continued with Pinot Noir for Surrey hills fallow deer, in the form of the “big gun” that was Henri Gouges’ well-chilled, mineral, livestock-scented Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Pruliers 2010 from magnum reaped from half-century-old vines. The venison was handled with care by the kitchen. However, the accompanying braised red cabbage, albeit presented with finesse, overwhelmed both dish and wine, evoking memories of the sort of pre-packaged fare people pierce before popping into the microwave.

The meal’s most memorable match came in a glass bowl, showcasing Cullen’s caramelised apple, and toasted brioche ice cream – undoubtedly putting the venue’s past as an ice cream factory to shame, topped with a rich toffee apple sauce, it encapsulated autumn. The blind pour of a vibrant 1971 Château Coutet, with sesame paste notes, brought pure bliss to the table.

Last word

Cornus boasts a well-drilled team, led by O’Connor – the mind behind the Drive For Service podcast – and Battiston, though her well-intentioned description of one wine as “feminine” felt behind the times. The popular corkage policy from Medlar has made its way over, so it’s no surprise to see the wine trade flock here in droves; during our visit, we spotted teams from Maisons Marques et Domaines and Corney & Barrow. The catch? With all that BYO, fewer bottles fly off the list, perhaps explaining why starters have crept to £56. That Phil Howard homage may raise an eyebrow, but the flavours, at least according to big eaters who tried it, are ostensibly on point.