I ate at a dog-friendly wine bar and restaurant in Chislehurst set within a former bank, with some of the most delicious cocktails I’ve ever had.
Bank House is a wine bar and restaurant spanning across two floors, serving a range of menus from brunch, set menus for two or three courses, and regularly changing cuisine that utilises local produce.
If you visit on the weekends, the business offers Saturday brunch every week from 12 – 4pm, as well as a Sunday Roast with vegan options available.
The restaurant is run by chef Stuart Gillies and his wife Cecilia, who opened the business in September 2019, and despite the difficulties the pandemic pitted against the hospitality industry it is a busy restaurant that was thronging with people when we went.
The restaurant is within what was formerly an old NatWest bank, before it was given a new lease of life as a cosy restaurant space with a bar as you walk in and dark wooden interiors.
I was invited with a friend to try out their menu, and being a local to the area I was keen to see what was on offer for anyone looking for an evening out.
We were both keen to try some cocktails and the restaurant has a good selection of classics on offer, including a Lychee Martini and a Cosmopolitan, with prices starting at £7.
The drinks are made at the bar and came beautifully presented with garnishes that really did compare with cocktails I’ve had at central London restaurants.
We ordered our food, the menu itself is small with around four sharing plates, four starters and four mains, which changes on a weekly basis.
For starters my friend and I got the Cornish Crab & Cucumber Ciabatta Toast served with crab mayo and avocado, and the BBQ Buttermilk Chicken with blue cheese sauce.
The starters arrived very quickly and were very flavoursome, the crab dish was creamy with flaky pieces of crab meat on soft sourdough, while the chicken had a delicious crispy outer layer, and both would be something I’d order again.
For mains I ordered the Tagliatelle pasta with butternut squash and spinach, whilst my friend went for the Sea Bass with inter greens, mussels and prawn sauce.
The portion sizes were very generous and the Tagliatelle had a creamy and warming flavour with the butternut squash.
Finally moving onto desserts, I went for a Chocolate Marquis with chopped pistachios and my friend tried the Biscoff Mini Donuts with milk chocolate sauce.
Both desserts were delicious, the Chocolate Marquis was a chocolate mousse with a gelatinous layer and a creamy centre with crunchiness from the pistachios.
The desserts on offer are a good selection, with a range of dessert wines and cocktails to choose from, as well as Baileys which me and my friend partook in.
All in all, I think this restaurant is a great addition to Chislehurst, offering a great place whether you are looking for wine and nibbles or a full main.
It has a relaxed vibe that only a local restaurant can bring, but has the look and feel of a Central London wine bar with its sophisticated interior, and It’s definitely somewhere I’ll be visiting again.
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