It’s not the hippest place in town, but Corney and Barrow Paternoster Square is a spacious, relaxed venue with a superb wine list and friendly, attentive staff.

The Venue
Corney and Barrow Paternoster Square, part of a chain of smart City-centric venues, is located by St. Paul’s tube station, with a rather broad frontage right on the square itself. Outside, a large fenced off area holds a number of tables and chairs under huge umbrellas; ingeniously these have heating built into them for when it gets colder. It really is a big place, and you won’t be able to miss the Corney and Barrow signage.

It’s even larger inside, with an array of tables and chairs at both bar stool and traditional heights, and a couple of huge circular padded booths that will accommodate larger parties. The bar runs down the middle, with low-slung light fixtures hovering above the ordering areas. The interior is well spaced out and despite the numbers it can hold you won’t feel confined, allowing you to share a conversation at your table at leisure.

That said, the decor is something of a blast from the past – it’s decked out in brown padding more worthy of the 70s than the City today. Strange yellow quasi-spherical lampshades hang over the large booths, and the interior is bathed in an orange glow. It’s comfortable and it’s spacious, but it’s not going to win any design awards.

The Atmosphere
You’ll be unsurprised to hear that a bar in the heart of the City is filled with City types and, here, it is a somewhat older professional crowd in attendance. At lunchtime there are workers grabbing a bite and even people closing a deal. As you’d expect, it’s certainly not rowdy (at least at lunchtimes) but rather relaxed and laid back.

The staff are exceedingly helpful to their clientele, and the service exceptionally fast. You can comfortably be in and out for lunch within the hour, impressive given the scale of the place.

Corney and Barrow Paternoster Square is a place for conversation, and there’s only ambient music and a couple of TVs playing the news to intrude. Overall, it’s a very pleasant oasis from the outside world.

The Food
The food menu at this Corney and Barrow offers plenty of variety. A small selection of starters are available, together with two sharing platters for snacks with friends. The old standards are here, with a selection of fresh breads (£2.50) accompanied by red pesto balsamic vinegar and virgin olive oil or a big bowl of olives marinated in garlic and herbs (£2.95) providing something to nibble on. It may be simple stuff, but the olives are plump and the balsamic tangy, so it’s well executed. Just don’t expect too much from the selection of fresh breads, as it’s simply a selection of white and basic brown bread.

There are a number of sides available as well, and the chunky chips with dips (£3.65) are worth having simply for the outstanding garlic mayonnaise, with ketchup provided as well. For those looking for a substantial sitting, a large selection of sandwiches is available – including neatly cut sandwich platters – as well as more substantial mains. Pub classics co-exist alongside more unique options, so you’re likely to find something that appeals.

From the former category, the Cumberland pork sausages and mash (£10.50) gives you three fat sausages, a good chunk of mash and a red wine and shallot gravy. The sausages are juicy and flavoursome, and the mash is soft and buttery, but you may find the flavour wanting in the gravy, which is a little lacking in flavour. It’s still a hearty meal which will fill the gap and then some.

A couple of ‘healthy choice’ items are available for the health conscious, including the grilled tuna loin (£13.95) which comes atop a borlotti bean, spring onion and broccoli salad with alfalfa sprout citrus oil. It’s all prepared perfectly; the tuna loin, in particular, is a treat for those who love the taste of chargrilling, while the vegetables are cooked for just long enough. Like the sausages and mash, though, it would be nice to taste a bolder intensity in such an interesting dish.

Rounding off the menu is a selection of desserts. The steamed sticky toffee sponge (£3.95) is swimming in delicious butterscotch sauce, and is perfectly warmed and springy. Or try the vanilla creme brulee (£3.95), which is gooey and sweet under the shell, with a piece of traditional English shortbread on the side. If you have room, they definitely come recommended.

The Drink
Corney and Barrow Paternoster Square has an impressive selection of drinks, including a wide choice of spirits and cocktails. The selection doesn’t extend to draught beer; you can have anything you want as long as it’s Peroni (£4.20 for a pint). Bottled beer fares much better, with an interesting selection from around the world.

But it’s the wine list that will catch your attention, and it is truly remarkable in scope with pages upon pages, broken up by recommendations if you need some help. More impressive still is that many bottles hover around the £20 mark, good value for the area.

Each category comes with recommendations, describing a select few wines in detail to help you choose. Amongst the white wines, the Ana Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (£5.65 for a 175ml glass) is exclusive to Corney and Barrow and is a very light, refreshing drink, while for something slightly bolder try the Chateau de Fontenille Blanc 2008 from Bordeaux (£6.45/175ml), a vibrantly fruity drop. If you can’t decide, simply ask the staff who are happy to make a recommendation.

The Last Word
If you want a simple, no-nonsense place for lunch or after-work drinks at quite reasonable prices (for the City), Corney and Barrow is worth checking out.

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