Head chef Mike Portley starts with the wine first – sustainable drops that are biodynamic, organic or use sustainable practices – and then builds the menu from there. Seeing as he works almost exclusively with small producers, both menus change constantly. You could be sipping a glass of Unico Zelo Fresh A.F. nero d’avola one week and a Hart & Hunter The Remparts Semillon the next.

When it comes to snacks, anchovies-on-toast is as ubiquitous as Kim Kardashian, but Portley elevates it, placing a salty Ortiz anchovy on an ethereally light Danish pastry, sandwiched by a rich parmesan custard. The inventiveness continues in the beef crudo with porcini cream – rather than on the usual cracker, it’s served on a crunchy, squishy, salty square of fried rice. An umami-rich macaroni dish with mushrooms, soy-cured egg yolk and crunchy puffed wheat is almost too much for just one diner.

A humbug might be a dishonest person, but if you go hard on the snacks, split a pasta and drink with an open mind, you’ll learn that Newy’s newest wine bar is the real deal. 

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