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"The Don" Restaurant--City of London
Posted: 16:31 Wed 18 Jun 2008
by JacobH
I walked past this place last night and was wondering if anyone from
had been there. Apparently it is in the old Sandeman cellars and claims quite a bit selection of ports by the bottle. What drew my attention to it was a big sign with a picture of the Don, which, I gather from their website has been recently given to them by Sandeman.
Unfortunately, the sole vegetarian dish seems to be a Gorgonzola Risotto, so I might have to wait until they change the menu before trying it out!
Posted: 17:26 Wed 18 Jun 2008
by DRT
I haven't been but have looked at their price list of ports which are enormously over-priced.
Derek
Posted: 22:27 Wed 18 Jun 2008
by JacobH
DRT wrote:I haven't been but have looked at their price list of ports which are enormously over-priced.
Ah yes, just found your post on that. It’s a bit of a shame. Were they massively over-priced at the lower end, too? Considering it’s location, I wouldn’t mind so much paying the standard 30% mark-up on something like an LBV.
-Jacob
Re: "The Don" Restaurant--City of London
Posted: 02:18 Thu 19 Jun 2008
by g-man
JacobH wrote:I walked past this place last night and was wondering if anyone from
had been there. Apparently it is in the old Sandeman cellars and claims quite a bit selection of ports by the bottle. What drew my attention to it was a big sign with a picture of the Don, which, I gather from their website has been recently given to them by Sandeman.
Unfortunately, the sole vegetarian dish seems to be a Gorgonzola Risotto, so I might have to wait until they change the menu before trying it out!
what vegetarian dish do you pair with port?
Re: "The Don" Restaurant--City of London
Posted: 04:02 Thu 19 Jun 2008
by jdaw1
g-man wrote:what vegetarian dish do you pair with port?
An obvious answer would be cheese. (But that doesn’t always work well.)
FWLIW,
The Don has been mentioned before on
:
[url=http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=7231#7231]Here[/url] AHB wrote:Overtired and emotional wrote:...head sommelier at The Don in London (never heard of it)...
The Don is an upmarket restaurant in London, close by Canon Street station, built out of a conversion of the old Sandeman cellars and bottling plant. It is a very port sympathetic establishment and has a very impressive port list, going back (if I recall correctly) to 1927.
But don't plan to drink port there unless you are on an expense account!
[url=http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=4738#4738]Here[/url] AHB wrote:This is a restaurant now established in the old bottling factory of the Sandeman company in London. I've eaten there and the food is very good and the range of ports on offer is very impressive.
However, you may spot why Derek and I did not go there tonight as we originally planned ...
Prices are per bottle
Sandeman 1927 £750
Sandeman 1935 £670
Sandeman 1947 £650
Sandeman 1960 £190
Sandeman 1963 £265
Sandeman 1966 £190
Sandeman 1970 £150
Cockburn 1927 £900
Smith Woodhouse 1947 £390
Dow 1950 £320
Graham 1960 £185
Fonseca 1960 £220
Taylor 1963 £425
Graham 1970 £240
Fonseca 1970 £260
Fonseca 1975 £110
Graham 1975 £100
Graham 1983 £115
Croft 1985 £95
Fonseca 1985 £145
Taylor 1985 £140
Warre 1985 £125
Posted: 05:25 Thu 19 Jun 2008
by Alex Bridgeman
But I will say a word in the Don's favour. I've eaten in both the restaurant (on expenses) and in the Bistro (paying myself) and the food is very good. In addition to the Vintage Ports available by the bottle, they also always have at least one decanted and offered by the glass. The nature of the clientele is such that the "by the glass" decanter is usually empty by the end of the evening with a fresh bottle being decanted the next day.
If you get the opportunity to go, it's worth a visit.
If it's not a special occasion and you're looking to spend a more normal amount of money, you can do a lot worse than our old favourite of The Crusting Pipe in Covent Garden.
Alex
Re: "The Don" Restaurant--City of London
Posted: 09:52 Thu 19 Jun 2008
by JacobH
jdaw1 wrote:g-man wrote:what vegetarian dish do you pair with port?
An obvious answer would be cheese. (But that doesn’t always work well.)
I’ll admit that being vegetarian puts me at a disadvantage in terms of Port drinking, but Julian is quite right about cheese. Also many deserts/puddings go quite well (which is fortunate, as I prefer to start my Port at the end of a meal!).
In this case, though, I just don’t particularly like the sound of Gorgonzola Risotto!
Alex, thanks for the info. I have a few friends who live or work nearby (and I don’t live too far away myself) so I’m always looking out for new places to try.The bistro food prices don’t seem too expensive by City of London standards and so once they change their menus, I think I’ll pay it a visit.