Terroirs

Just a few busker's back-flips from Covent Garden, Terroirs is somewhere any visitor to this tourist-rife part of town should know about. It is, in short, a wine bar slash restaurant that does relatively simple things extremely well. First off, there's a determination to source organic and bio-dynamic wines from small artisan producers (mostly from France and Italy), matched by a passion for the provenance of ingredients, and some great cooking. There's an unpretentious, Gallic feel to the place, both on the ground floor, where you can sit at unclothed tables or grab a seat at the zinc-topped bar, and deep down in the basement. Small plates are the thing here (although the conventional three-course route can be taken), including superb charcuterie and cheeses. Jamon de Teruel is top-drawer stuff, perhaps enjoyed with some excellent buffalo mozzarella, or there might be Jerusalem artichoke soup, snails with wild mushrooms, garlic and parsley, and a hearty plate such as boudin noir with Lyonnaise onions, button mushrooms and a fried duck egg. The wine list contains some great stuff, with France the main focus, most of which is available refreshingly in varying measures to suit the customer's needs.