It’s a rare thing, having that little tucked-away spot in your repertoire of venues; the sort of place you know you can take someone you quietly want to impress. It may be off the beaten track, even in a city, but once you’re there, you know it will elicit a favourable reaction.
So, to my little black book I can add Quill. It’s set among the cobbled lanes and backstreets of Borough Yards, feeling every bit as ye olde London as you can get. It’s in good company, too; this trendy spot behind Borough Market has a few contenders, with Enoteca, Bancone and Hawksmoor (of course) each grabbing a toehold in the area.
As you come across Quill, the first thing you encounter is a capacious terrace, in an ode to an English garden. To launch a venue in the onset of winter is daring, but heat lamps, cushions, shagpile rugs and throws draped over cast iron furniture make it pay off. I can only imagine what this will be like in the summer.
It’s inside, however, that gets you talking. Emulating an eccentric wine cellar, filled with artworks and objets d’art, it’s the set-up that’s most striking. You can’t help but look UP as you enter. Built into a railway arch, the footprint is compact, but it reaches high into the ceiling, with a spiral staircase taking you to the top.
Throughout, there’s a lyricism to the design; salon-hung pictures dot the ceiling, tribal masks, birdcages and musical instruments are framed into countless nooks; everywhere is a talking point. Indeed, such is the inspiration that Quill will host interactive activity nights, with ‘Tarot Readings’, traditional card and dice games, and ‘Secret Notes’ where clientele pass notes anonymously between tables.
‘Ordered Random’ may appear to be the designer’s MO but, of course, there’s careful thought applied. The team behind it, Fables & Company, are on a mission to make wine bars more approachable and connected to the storytelling of wine. Making fine wines accessible defines Quill’s list, the ability to try prestige plonk at an affordable price, championing English wines remains, with a mission exploring lesser-tasted wines and twists on known varieties.
You might not expect a kitchen in such a tight space, but there is, and token bar snacks these most certainly aren’t. A ‘Duck Confit Burger’, so hearty you’ll need a pair of napkins to enjoy it, a ‘Boar Hotdog with Bacon Jam & Pickles’ takes the standard hot dog to another level, and their signature ‘Golden Boy’ grilled cheese sandwich all make for upmarket street food to do justice to that exquisite, eclectic wine list.
If all that sounds like sales patter, take my word for it; over an evening sipping Henners English sparkling and fine rioja poured from a Jeroboam, I got into conversation with Luke, their poet in residence. “How about an ode to your wife?” he offered, and as I expounded all the virtues of my better half, I left him, fingers clacking on a typewriter, as I ventured via the bar and back upstairs with a couple of Ink Wells (cocktails, that is).
As we were leaving Luke caught me, “Your poem, sir!” How could I have forgotten. He pulled a page from a sheaf of papers, I thanked him, and before I pocketed it, glanced at the line, ‘let’s write a novel of ideas, let’s see the stars…’
As a first step to that, I think I’ll take her to Quill on our next date.
Quill is the latest in the portfolio of wine bars and venues from Fables & Company, including Plume in Covent Garden and Finch in Brixton. For more information, and for bookings, please visit www.quillwinebar.com.
Photos by Rod Kirkpatrick/RKP Photography
