Located beside St Paul’s Cathedral, Dion is an elegant bar with a great Champagne list. Good for City workers that can still afford it.

The Venue
The statement black Panton chairs outside make it clear from the outset that, despite the location, this place isn’t aimed at tourists. Instead, Dion is an elegant bar for those wanting to splash the cash.

The venue is split across two floors. The ground floor is bright and minimal. Expect wooden furniture with boxy shapes and hard lines, tall tables and chairs by the window, and a row of booths. Downstairs, however, is a different story.

A dramatic chandelier made from red Champagne glasses complements the flocked red and cream wallpaper, brown sofas, red swivel chairs designed to high specification, and a second bar. Further in, a large room functions as a lounge with couches, a low ceiling and dim lights.

The Atmosphere
At Dion you can practically breathe in the wealth of The City. You’ll find a lot of suits here after work, although the Champagne trickles rather than flows nowadays. That said, the atmosphere is more upbeat here than at other City joints. Private events are popular in the two areas downstairs, where the two adjoining rooms can host up to 60 people each.

The Food
Dion concentrates on lunch rather than dinner. At lunchtime you have a choice of starters and salads (£6.25-£13.50), sandwiches and wraps (£5-£14), mains (£9.50-£18) and desserts (£5-£8). The menu is mostly British, with dishes like crispy whitebait, warm goat cheese salad, sea bass with crushed new potatoes, sausage and mash, and salmon fishcakes. A crunch lunch set menu is also available with two courses priced at £10 and three for £14.

For dinner, you can nibble on small dishes (£6-£7.50) like crispy duck wrap, chicken liver and foie gras parfait, chicken satay, Thai pork rissoles with spring onions, or red onion and gorgonzola tart.

The Drink
Dion is a Champagne bar although only a few are available by the glass (£9.50-£13.50). The cheapest bottle is Jacquart Brut Mosaique and costs £49, whilst the most expensive is Krug Clos du Mesnil 1996, priced at a whopping £795.

If you can’t afford Champagne then you can order a glass (£4.75-£9.50) or bottle (£16-£75) of white, red or rose wine instead. Bottles are grouped by the country of origin and France steals the limelight.

Too pricey? Bottled beers are only £3.50-£4.25 for Moretti, Becks, Kronenburg and Heineken.

The Last Word
Minimalist styling upstairs and extravagance downstairs, Dion certainly strikes the balance in terms of its decor. However, a Champagne bar in The City seems a little crass in the midst of a recession. Good if you can afford it.

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