The rear seating area/dining room at Sova
What makes this new vinyl bar interesting?
There's been an explosion in popularity of the listening bar in London over the past year or so, which does make it hard for any newcomers to stand out in a saturated market. That said, Sova is in West London, which runs a few years behind East London when it comes to food and drink trends, and there aren't all that many of them here...yet.
The other defining quality this bar has going for it is its focus on wines from eastern and central Europe. That harks back, in part, to what was here before, the Slavic restaurant Zima. But it also reflects a growing movement in London to introduce us to wines from this part of the world - other places doing it well include newbie Mayfair spot Daka Daka and a clutch of indie wine bars in and around Islington.
Where is it?
You'll find it on Blenheim Crescent, two doors down from the Notting Hill bookshop. Ladbroke Grove is probably the closest tube station.
This is what you're looking for.
Are we starting with cocktails?
You should because, based on the two we tried, they're decently made. It's a short list, but that means that the attention is focused on making them properly.
Left to right: Sidecar (£14) which was perfectly balanced, and Amber martini (£14) - this was an orange wine take on the martini and would have been even better if colder, just nudging 6 points on the Hot Dinners chill scale.
And what's the wine list like?
They've brought in roving wine sommelier Cristian Vega (Wilton’s, Pollini at Ladbroke Hall) to help them come up with a list that reflects the exciting Slavic wine scene right now. So if you're in the mood for low-intervention and skin contact wines, this is going to be the place for you. This is West London, so prices reflect that with bottles starting at around £45 for a Romanian Aligoté. But there aren't many places in London at all where Serbian, Slovenian and Armenian wines are featured so strongly on the list, so you'll have fun trying something new.
We ended up choosing a Ukrainian Chardonnay from new wave biodynamic winemaker Ihor Petrenko, which sits for six months in new oak barrels and was a wonderful choice - rich and interesting.
Is there food?
There is, although we found their small plates and desserts more enticing than the mains.
Sourdough from Notting Hill bakery with seaweed butter (£6) - great bread, but we were expecting more of a saline hit from that seaweed butter.
Raw tuna, adjika, cucumber, fennel & capers (£15) - a really good crudo with plenty of crunch and we particularly liked the funkiness of the adjika chilli paste dressing.
Dark chocolate mousse & sea buckthorn (£9) - a different take on the chocolate mousse that everyone's putting on their dessert menus at the moment.
Wait, didn't you mention this was a vinyl bar?
We were there on a weekday when they didn't have a DJ so we almost missed the decks as we came in. But if you're here on the weekend they have live DJs; keep an eye on their socials for details on who's coming in.
You can see the decks here at the front of the bar
Overall thoughts:
Sova is a more than solid addition to Notting Hill's increasingly creative food and drink scene. Our recommendation would be to pull up a seat at the counter, get the lovely staff to talk you through the eclectic wine list and find something new you've never tried before.
More about Sova
Where is it? 9 Blenheim Cres, London W11 2EE
How to book? Book online.
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @sova.london
Hot Dinners visited as guests of Sova. Prices correct at time of publication.
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