107 Wine Shop & Bar

Not a huge amount has changed at 107 Wine Shop & Bar since the site’s previous incarnation as beloved P. Franco. It’s still a tiny Clapton wine bar, shop, and excellent French-ish small plates restaurant. The single sharing table remains. The former manager remains. The cutlery is still the same. But when a place has perfected the atmosphere of an open-door dinner party with one of London's best wine lists, a lack of change isn’t a bad thing.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Every night of the week, the Salomon and clog-clad crowd of east London piles in for something fizzy and funky. Even if the handful of stools are taken, you should stick around for a glass and a lean. Have a chat with the friendly staff about what bottles are open—don’t be shy if your wine knowledge extends to “I fancy something red, and maybe a little fizzy, but isn’t going to give me a raging hangover”. It’s all very laissez-faire around here, so embrace it and hang about. The food is worth any wait.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

The chalkboard changes weekly but dishes that fall under the category of “a bit of this and a bit of that” are always plate-mopping stuff with a creative edge. So order the bread and save some to swipe earthy, rich mushroom sauce that accompanies a shattering fried chicken wing, or grassy olive oil from a plate of sausage and lentils. As your evening draws on, the candles dotted around burn down, you might find yourself leaning in closer to your date, the windows steam up, and you’ll probably order another glass and a plate of cheese. It’s a dinner party you’ll want to come back to.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

The Chalkboard

Order from 107 Wine Shop & Bar’s changing chalkboard menu with confidence. Although the place leads as a wine bar, dishes are clever and elegant. Oysters come topped with funky fermented brassicas; a fried chicken wing is partially deboned so it can be stuffed with a rich ceps paste; delicately fried lamb sweetbreads pair with tangy cooked plums. If anything on the menu is deep-fried, get it. The kitchen is a master of a crunchy skin and crispy crust, whether it be prawn heads to scoop aioli, skate schnitzel with an electrifying green herb sauce, or a sliver of onion on top of oysters.