Name: The Press House Wine Bar
Address: 1 St. Brides Passage, London, The City, EC4Y 8EJ, UK
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7353 5059

Having worked in and around for the City for so long, it’s easy to forget those hidden gems that served you so well in the past.

The Press House is one of those gems. It’s tucked away off Fleet Street behind the fabulous St Bride’s Church – renown for inspiring tiered wedding cakes and being the place of worship for journalists.

It’s tricky to find but well worth the effort. While so much of the City has been renewed and offers sterile glass and chrome anonymity, this place is a little like stepping into the real City of London. Reminiscent of those Davy’s Wine Bars – but with so much more day light – the front bar area is vast and has the obligatory wooden floor. It’s a great place for a quick drink and it’s rarely so busy that it’s uncomfortable.

The dining area is towards the back and it’s again vast, open and spacious but still comfortable – so you can talk in the knowledge that the people are the next table aren’t catching the drift of your conversation.

We were sat in a delightful leather backed booth with sides high enough to obscure those in the next booth. The waitress was friendly and efficient without being brusque.

My colleague and I had much to catch up on in a short space of time so we weren’t able to sample the delights of the formidable wine list here. The lunch menu offers a surprising variety of light bite sandwiches and all manner of lunch staples.

As the winter chill had just started we both selected the Fisherman’s Pie. A proper pastry crust (although I was expecting mashed potato on top) with a rich, creamy white sauce embedded with firm chunks of tasty white fish. The portion was substantial and took a while to get through. And at £12.50 I thought it was very reasonable.

There are lots of other options – including kidney skewers (£11.95), sausage and mash (£11.25), Lancashire hotpot (£11.25), pan fried salmon (£12.25) haddock and salmon fishcake (£12.50) as well as pasta (£10.25) and steak dishes (from £16.95).

Business lunches in the City can often by elaborate and expensive affairs. So if you want to relax with a bit of peace and quiet in a fantastic spacious wine cellar environment and eat good food without breaking the bank, this is the place for you.

And it must be an extremely popular venue for office parties and similar events.

The Press House Wine Bar

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