4 months ago
When it’s cold and blustery outside, head underground to WC, the sneaky wine bar you didn’t even know was under your feet…
We know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking “why on earth would Best of SW be recommending a public bathroom?”. Well, hear us out. In this case ‘WC’ stands for ‘Wine and Charcuterie’, not Water Closet. You can find this sneaky, underground bar down some stairs behind Clapham Common tube station. And whilst it’s not currently a public toilet (thank goodness) it is, in fact, a former 100 year old Victorian bathroom. Since it’s functional days, it’s been lovingly restored with stylish bar stools, candlelit tables and private booths fitted with curtains if you really want to be in your own little world. What could be better for an intimate date? It’s a real “if you know, you know” kind of place that’ll seriously impress your plus one.
You might have already guessed the kind of things featuring on their menu. Wine and charcuterie of the very best quality feature heavily, but there’s an impressive cocktail list to and, because it’s the season for all things festive, we went for “The Grinch”, which is their Christmassy version of a grasshopper. It’s a striking pastel green colour but don’t let that put you off, it’s really creamy and has a luxurious mint chocolate flavour. Think After Eight in drinkable form. Delicious. Of course wine was just as good. We asked our friendly server to recommend a glass of red and white each and they clearly know what they’re doing. Our preferences were taken on board and before we knew it we were presented with our ideal glasses of wine.
There are loads of nibbles to order, or if you want something a little more substantial you can get one of their sharing boards. We couldn’t choose between the cheese or meat boards- both looked divine- so we requested a mixture of both. Whilst a mixed board isn’t on the menu currently it will be soon, and the staff were more than happy to make one up for us. We received a beautifully presented mixed board which had 5 types of cured meat (a mixture of British and Italian cured meats), and 3 cheeses (Comté, morbier and a blue). It was garnished with strawberries, sweet mixed grapes, crackers and a spiced chutney which were the perfect little accoutrements to go with the richness of the meats and cheeses. We also had to try out the roasty Camembert which was expertly done. It was flavoured with honey and rosemary and had that dream crispy, golden top with a gooey, sexy centre. There were some hunks of crusty bread that we wasted no time on dunking in and, honestly, could there be anything nicer on a cold wintery evening?
You’ve probably walked past it a million times, and here’s your sign to head down those steps and try out WC. Impress someone on a date night, have a catch up with a pal or, heck, go solo for a glass of wine and some cheese. There’s nothing better.
