The Real Wine Drinking Guide: Bright
Bright opened in May 2018 on the back of Noble Fine Liquor and P. Franco with the same principles, but with the added bonus of having a working restaurant kitchen, and saw the reuniting of P. Franco resident chefs William Gleave & Peppe Belvedere with P. Franco manager-at-large Phil Bracey.
The restaurant is effectively split into two sections with a 30-seat dining room supplemented by a 20-seat wine bar (and a further dozen seats outside, weather permitting), operating the same menu across all areas.
The walls are adorned with posters from past winemaker events at Bright, P. Franco and Noble Fine Liquor, with classic iconic bottle “trophies” in evidence. Music is selected by the staff with an emphasis on playing albums start to finish.
Whilst the food ranges across countries, and borrows from different cultures, the à la carte menu always focuses on the best seasonal daily ingredients and allows the diner either to graze on several small dishes, or to chow on something more substantial.
As with its sister P. Franco, and retail arm Noble Fine Liquor, you will drink wonderfully well here. Quality is paramount, and given that rigour, wines must be farmed either biodynamically or organically in principle (certification unnecessary), with an emphasis on being unfiltered and with minimal to zero-added sulphur. The list is arranged by style and not region e.g. light & fruity, bold & powerful etc. As they say: “We rarely hear a customer specifically requesting a wine from Ardèche or from Auvergne, so why have talk in these regions as the main point of reference?”
The by-the-glass selection changes constantly with an orange number always open, and other wines that are not on the list uncorked according to whim and curiosity. Service is laidback and efficient.
Producers we love: Etienne Thibaud, Francois Dhumes, Adrienne Grenier, Julie Balagny, Francois Rousset-Martin, Daniel Sage, Claus Preisinger, Christian Tschida, Manon Farm, Richard Leroy, Domaine Bohn…
Look out for the lesser-spotted: Jura wines – with a succession of small vintages these are increasingly difficult to get hold of.
Key wine person(s): Michael Moran and Mattia Bianchi
We really like: Winemaker dinners, guest chefs, mortadella party…
Do: Ask for recommendations - the list contains some very rare gems.
Key wine person(s) on site: Phil Bracey with Rory Loder & Lucinda Tindal.
1 Westgate Street | London | E8 3RL