Corkage, Bath wine bar and restaurant review

With a focus on interesting wines and eclectic small plates, Corkage in Bath has an extensive menu of plonk by the glass which thankfully includes informative descriptions for wine dumbasses like myself. Take for example a Dorset sparkling rose (“Strawberry jam and clotted cream on a scone. This does the same in a glass.”) or a Galician white (“A peach orchard with crushed cantaloupe melons underfoot.”)

Mrs G stuck to an “elegantly floral” (their words) and highly neckable (my words) Austrian Gruner Veltliner (£5) whilst I also drank a light and fruity La Galoche Beaujolais (£6).

 
Everything we ate was delicious.

Ham hock croquettes (£7), laden with shreds of porky goodness and silky bechamel, sat on a pokey kimchi mayonnaise. 

Padron peppers (£5) were nicely blistered and liberally sprinkled with sea salt. 

A crisp crumbed brick of shredded confit duck leg (£7.5) was nicely herbed and flecked with richness balancing greenery (capers, I think). A nutty, vinegary and sweet pickled walnut ketchup was a genius accompaniment. 

A silky babaganoush (£6.50) was topped with smokey and fiery harissa and texture-giving chickpeas. Shards of nigella-seed flecked flatbread were a little too well crisped rendering them on the chewy side. 

 
Fudgy caramelised heritage carrots (£8) were paired with a thick, tangy and creamy chickpea yoghurt, a liberal scattering of spiced mixed seeds and nuts, and a warming chilli oil. 

 
Well-aged complexly beefy bresaola (£7) was topped with shavings of pecorino and deliciously sweet yet sharp petals of baby pickled onion. 

Finally, the surprising star of the whole meal was delicately charred yet beautifully tender hispi cabbage (£7.50) topped with a ridiculous quantity of umami-rich miso butter and a snowdrift of pecorino. I think there may have been more cheese and butter than there was cabbage but I’m not complaining. 

 
We had an excellent lunch at Corkage. It’s exactly the kind of place I’d gladly spend a few hours leisurely working my way through a heap of booze and food.

The Details:

Address - Corkage, 5 Chapel Row, Bath BA1 1HN

Web - https://www.corkagebath.com/

Telephone - 01225 423417