AS AUTUMN’S weather closes in, I venture in search of the perfect place to enjoy a good glass of wine in London. I’m a creature of habit, often returning to the same handful of bars, but I finally decide it’s time to find a new favourite. Walking into Luna, a charming spot moments from Tower Bridge, I have a feeling I might have found the one.
Starters. Photograph: Rebecca Dickson
Owned by the duo behind the much-talked-about Italian restaurant Legare, just across the road, Luna brings the same passionate approach to food and drink but in a smaller, more laid-back setting. The space is small and cosy, with just a handful of tables scattered across two floors and shelves of colourful bottles lining the walls. The homely interiors are illuminated by warm lighting, the space feels like an invitation to relax for hours, the atmosphere resembling more a visit to a friend’s living room than a bar.
Luna. Photograph: Rebecca Dickson
We’re welcomed by the friendly team, who immediately rush to pour us a chilled glass of white while we browse the menu. As we chat about the weather, everyone chips in to explain the dishes and recommend their favourites; the atmosphere is so easy-going I bite my tongue to keep from asking if they’re accepting job applications – you just want to be one of the pack.
Presiding over it all is Jasper, Luna’s enthusiastic wine wizard, who treats the business of pairing us with the right bottle like a small but serious investigation. He wants to know what we drank last, what we didn’t like about it, whether we want to play it safe or are keen for a new adventure. Following our answers, he arrives equipped with a selection of bottles, pouring us sip after sip, some “just to see how you feel about it.” It’s the kind of attention that feels more akin to mind reading, and as we move through the evening, he knows exactly what we’ll appreciate.
Starters. Photograph: Rebecca Dickson
As we chat away, our thoughts loosened by a steady stream of whites and oranges in our glass, I enjoy watching the locals who walk through the door. Some stay only for a casual drink at the bar, others walk away with bottles they didn’t know they wanted until Jasper suggested them.
The food menu is short and confident, and everything on it looks deliciously intriguing. To keep things fresh and seasonal, the dishes change frequently, meaning there’s always something new to explore, even for the regulars who stop by weekly. Despite summer slowly fading outside, every Sunday Luna refuses to let it go: the “Eurosummer” nights take guests on a tour of a different European holiday destination each week, with the kitchen reworking its menu around whichever coastline is on the day’s itinerary.
Duroc pork chop. Photograph: Rebecca Dickson
I decide to put my full trust in the chef’s judgement and let him order us a selection of dishes. First are the snacks, essential to take the edge off our hunger: large Gordal olives from Andalusia arrive with guindilla peppers for a gentle kick, followed by warm flatbread topped with labneh and vibrant Vesuvio tomatoes scattered on top. Next come the more substantial plates, with an emphasis on meat: a steak tartare served with delicate, paper-thin salted crisps, then the Duroc pork chop, which quickly becomes the highlight of the night. Served simply with an apricot mostarda, it doesn’t need much else to complete its flavour. We leave no trace of it on our plates.
As we leave, we step outside onto the cobbled alleyways of Shad Thames, mixing with tourists who are rushing to see the illuminated Tower Bridge or hunting for that last bar of the night. It feels like Luna is one of the Londoners’ well-kept secrets, hidden in plain sight for those who know where to look.
by Olga Petrusewicz
Luna, to book visit: lunawinebar.co.uk
36 Shad Thames, London SE1 2YE