Campo Viejo's Viva el Vino campaign at Rebato's Wine & Tapas Bar has diners choosing their wine without deciding what to eat and then being presented with a selection of food matched to their chosen wine. Control freaks and ultra connoisseurs might snub at this idea. However, others may find it a fun way to experience the best bits of a restaurant's menu. In the case of Rebato's, this wine first option is a novel way to sample a variety of satisfyingly homey dishes.
Rebato's hosts the Viva el Vino promo until the 15th of February with a £22.50/person Menu Uno featuring four red wines paired with food and a £32.50/person Menu Dos which includes eight (bubbly and non-bubbly) glasses of red, white, rosé with paired dishes. On our visit, Londonist dabbled with the Menu Dos. Without giving too much away (the courses are supposed to be surprises), we were more than pleased with what the kitchen decided to match to our vino. We were impressed with the variety of vegetarian dishes too. But carnivores don't worry: there was plenty of succulent meat! The wines complemented each course well. Our favourite was probably the floral and woodsy Campo Viejo Viura 2008, but all samples pleased our palette to some degree.
Located at 169 South Lambeth Road (SW8 1XW), Rebato's is a well established restaurant with a friendly, local vibe. The Viva el Vino campaign is as good an excuse as any to visit and offers an excellent opportunity to give their menu a try, but obviously you can simply order what you like from the menu if the Viva el Vino thingy isn't your cuppa. Visit Rebato's online at www.rebatos.com. More about Viva el Vino can be found at Campo Viejo's dedicated webpage (but, last we looked it wasn't updated to include Rebato's).
