Old Tom's Bar

In early December a little hideaway called Old Tom’s Bar in Leadenhall opened up beneath popular Young’s pub, The Lamb. The invite promised gin fizzes and festive nibbles so I glammed myself up, grabbed a friend who works nearby and got down to sample what they had to offer.

The décor was really simple and the chairs comfy with a cute back-story to bring the place alive (all about a goose saved from the butchers’ block back in ye olden days). There were cured meats hanging from the back bar, which was stocked with some decent spirits, in particular a range from London’s distillery du jour Sipsmith. There was also what appeared to be a little raclette grill on the go which looked very nice.

Though promised gin fizzes we were actually greeted by gin topped with champagne, which is something else entirely, but I doubt it will pull in a cocktail crowd so I will forgive this oversight (especially as the champagne was poured frequently). The nibbles were lovely, in particular the Colston Basset Shropshire Blue which was tangy and creamy and went perfectly with the chutney provided. To finish off the evening we had a glass of wine each, I opted for a pleasantly plummy Malbec and my friend had a crisp Sauvignon.

As it’s a pretty small venue it started to get pretty crowded around 9.30pm so we were lucky to have nabbed a table early. The staff were very attentive and made the experience enjoyable so I hope they’ve kept that level of professionalism up after launch night. Overall prices were a little high but expected for the area and worth it for the quality of the cheeses, which pair well with the ‘grape and grain’ offered.

Due to location it will undoubtedly pull in a City crowd but hopefully the more refined sort than the general crowds - it will be interesting to see how the clientèle influence the atmosphere. I would definitely go again but only if meeting a few City friends or had a real hankering for some good quality cheese as it’s not an area I frequent.

All in all it’s not your traditional boozer, encouraging you to be more European by taking small amount of food with your alcohol, but putting a British twist on it, which is refreshing in the heavy drinking culture of the area. A great place for a few after work or as a ‘starter’ place for an evening but not an all-night venue.