Located close to the cutesy little boutiques of Carnaby Street, Antidote is an eco-aware wine bar that concentrates its offering on wine produced without chemical fertilisers, pesticides and additives. A nice premise for a new bar.

The Venue
The aesthetic of Antidote fits in with its ethical viewpoint – you won’t find OTT prints on the walls and chandeliers hanging low from the ceiling. This is a place where simplicity rules and, in the case of this bar at least, the neutrality of the setting actually fits its ‘theme’ rather well. Grey is perhaps a strange choice of colour but the underlying blue hue is actually rather calming and covers everything from the walls to the bar. The floors are stripped back wooden boards and the chairs and tables are dark wooden affairs – and not the most comfortable of seating options for when you want to enjoy a good bottle of wine. The décor is consistent throughout – there are two floors to make use of here – and the only real touch of artistic fun is the lighting over the bar made out of old wine bottles. Wild.

The Atmosphere
Many bars in and around Soho are hedonistic or tacky and aimed at the party-hard – Antidote certainly doesn’t fit into this mould. Instead there’s a chilled out, distinct ‘wine bar’ feeling to the space, which is very appealing when looking to escape the hustle of the area. The staff are friendly enough, although you can feel a little ignored at times if sitting out of the way. The big plus of Antidote are their regular monthly events, which include wine tastings with canapés for £15 and upcoming cheese and wine pairing events.

The Food
There are a few dishes available at Antidote with a focus on small plates and sharing platters. If you just want something to nibble on then olives (£2.50) or fish croquettes (£4.50) should do the trick, or you can share their charcuterie platter (£12). However, if you’re feeling properly peckish then they do – rather randomly, perhaps – also offer steak dinners with chips (£14.50-£24). The big plus of the menu is they employ the same ethos to their food as they do to their wine – sourcing products directly from producers who share their ethos.

The Drink
This is the major draw of Antidote. Biodynamic and organic wines free from chemicals means – apparently – less chance of a hangover! Oh, and it’s good for the environment, of course (ahem). This means that they source bottles from independent vineyards and producers and you’re likely to find wine varieties you won’t have tried before.

There are an impressive 20 wines available just by the glass if you want to sample a few, priced at £3.75-£11 and there are a huge number available by the bottle, coming in at £19.50-£80. The only real negative is they almost entirely originate from France – the South of France to be exact – which means they’re missing out on a huge number of exciting new world and other old world options. And then there are the UK producers, many of whom are embracing organic and biodynamic methodologies. It seems a shame that they have been ignored.

The Last Word
Antidote does have a great ethos and is a pleasant escape from the more madcap happenings of Soho. If they could open up their wine list to include other countries then it would be even better. If you're a fan of the vine, it's one to check out.

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