Test Driving Bar Blondie, this vibey Queen's Park pivot pulls in the crowd with an excellent wine list

Inside Bar Blondie

What can you tell us about Bar Blondie?

First up, this is a place that was, until recently, the original Queen's Park outpost of the Aussie-inspired Milk Beach. They've embraced something that's working for a lot of restaurants these days: the pivot, aka a complete relaunch in the same location. They've completely redesigned the space and opened it as a very different affair, a Southern-European-influenced wine bar and restaurant. And for that, owner Elliot Milne has teamed up with award-winning sommelier Alexandra Price (previously at Bar Crispin and Plates), so you know there's going to be a good wine list. 

Where is it?

If you haven't been to Milk Beach before, you'll find Bar Blondie on Lonsdale Road in Queen's Park. This little stretch is something of a haven, unlike any other part of the surrounding area (or indeed London). Almost pedestrianised by the large crowd outside the road's local pub, the Wolfpack, it's a stretch of galleries, restaurants and shops, many of which have decent terrace spaces. It all feels like a little oasis away from a much busier London. Down here, you'll also find Don't Tell Dad and Carmel.

Where should we meet for a drink first?

If you're not heading straight for Bar Blondie and fancy staying outside for a bit, The Woolpack now has a few taps on a pop-up bar serving outside. That's become much more of a scene than the last time we were down this road.  

But, as bar Blondie is a wine bar you can just have a drink here too. The inside is mainly put aside for dining (although it is worth asking if there's space for a drink later in the evening), but we did like the set-up on the terrace. The small wooden wall around the terrace has a little ledge, which allows you to stand on the road but still have somewhere to put your drink. This is a great set-up and helps to make it all very convivial outside. 

Outside Bar Blondie and if you look closely, you can see the very handy ledge where you can leave your drinks. 

Where should we sit?

If it's a decent day, the terrace is a great spot, but honestly anywhere inside is good too, and many of the tables can be put together for larger groups. The decor has been completely revamped from the previous incarnation. They've apparently taken inspiration from Spaghetti Westerns in some of the style (there was at least one instance of Ennio Morricone playing while we visited), but ultimately it's a very warmly designed room, with only hints of its previous life as Milk Beach. 

So what's on the menu?

The Southern Europe focus is mainly showcased on the menu, where it looks to France and Italy for inspiration. So it's not quite "Mediterranean", but it is leaning that way. It's a collection of snacks, small plates and a few larger sharing dishes. Recent dinners have seen us foolishly forgetting our own usual advice to order only a few plates as you go, so you're not overwhelmed. But it's advice you should definitely follow here. We ordered two-three dishes at a time here and it all went quickly and smoothly - the kitchen clearly knows what it's doing even on a busy Saturday night. 

Here's a taste of what we had:

Crostini, Bluefin tuna, stracciatella (£4.50 each) - the perfect bite-sized snack. Even if you're just popping by for a drink, you should get these too. 

Seabream crudo, Carosello cucumber, Honeymoon melon (£13)

Heirloom tomato, black olive tapenade (£10) - towards the end of a very sunny summer, a tomato dish is an absolute must-order right now. 

Paccheri alla vodka, nduja, pecorino (£16) - there are a few pastas on the menu, this one had a vodka/nduja kick that hit just right. 

450gr Txuleta ex dairy rib eye (£68) - wonderful beef (txuleta usually is), cooked to a perfect medium-rare. The jus it's served in is particularly lovely too - you might want to save some of their foccaccia for this. 

Alongside the above, there was a great potato salad and green beans side (£7), which goes very well with the steak. 

We'd recommend all of the above. The only thing we'd like to see a little more of is some more substantial snacks. The crostini are perfect and the house foccacia is good, but a few more bite-sized snacks that have just a smidgen more carbs would be great. And while that potato salad was great and a clearly healthy option, a basket of well-made chips would have gone down very well with that steak (particularly mixed with that jus). Would it be right for the beautifully turned out people of clientele of Queen's Park, though? We're not sure. 

How about dessert? 

Either one or both of the below should be your go-to, and we've also heard good things about their olive oil and ricotta cake.

Red Mayan chocolate mousse (£8) - great mousse, cut through with a salt hit. 

Creme Caramel (£7) - this had slightly collapsed in the half we're not showing you, but we'd still recommend this, having that just-set texture that all the best creme caramels have. 

What about drinks?

Obviously the wine list is a big deal here, but before we get to that, we do want to highlight the cocktail list. They're predominantly classics like a martini, margarita or negroni, but from our experience here are done very well indeed. The Manhattan below in particular was excellent and we'd highly recommend that. 

But while there are also beers, ciders, softs and a couple of lo/no cocktails, the wine list is the main draw here. Whther it's been at Bar Crispin or Plates, sommelier Alexandra Price has always impressed us with her choices in the past and the list here goes one step further. She's taken a very different approach to the list, which fits in with that spaghetti western element we were talking about earlier, with the list split into four parts. So there's a section called The Writer, which showcases "with a strong sense of place and storytelling" or The Actor, which showcases emerging talent, or The Director, which features some of the well-known greats. If you know your wine, you're going to find something excellent here, and if you don't, you'll be led to something that's either just right or have an opportunity to try new ground. 

Price wise, wines start at £45, with plenty under the £60 price point and lots more available just a little further above that. Head to the bottom of the director's section if you're feeling spendy (where a 2012 Cabernet Franc, Merlot from Château Cheval Blanc comes in at £910).

Vodka martini (£14) and the Grappa Manhattan (Sir Davis Rye Grappa Riserva Nardini, Manchino Chinato, £14). Both good, with the Manhattan being excellent. We covet these glasses too. 

Overall thoughts

The pivot has been a valuable tool for restaurateurs of late, bringing new life back into areas. The team here have clearly given thought to what would suit the area really well right now, and Bar Blondie really does fit that bill. Great design, vibey space inside and out, good food and a really great wine list. A worthwhile pivot then, and absolutely well worth checking out if you're in the area.