California Vintage

For the few times I was here, I almost always had this in my mind: «Yeah, it’s pretty much a classic example of a 3.5 stars business.»
Prime location at the junction of Wyndham Street and Hollywood Road, it has its edge focusing on wine instead of other hard liquors like other bars around.
Having said that, California wines were not universally praised and most often when I walked past, I’d give it a pass just because I didn’t feel like limiting my choices of wine (or alcohol) of the night.
Having said that, I was told that the food there was amazing, and turned out it was true. Tried the sliders and fries there. Couldn’t stop eating and almost fed myself way too much before the actual dinner.
Having said that, if you decide to come and set to enjoy some wine, it’s on a pricey end even in Soho’s standard. Something like HKD$ 120 where you could buy a bottle elsewhere, you get yourself a single glass of wine here.
Having said that, you can order half a glass of wine here, so that you could taste a couple of different vineyards more than usual. Having said that, that’s no discount whatsoever between a half and a full glass (e.g. $ 60 for half and $ 120 for full).
Having said that, they have some 2-​for-​1 deal in happy hour which makes the price tag lower… but having said that, it’s only limited to one brand of red and one brand of white.
This can go on and on… but you get the idea why it’s never a straight 4.5÷5 stars, probably by nature of its own scope of target customers.
(By the end, I ordered a mimosa to go with the fries and sliders…)

A fun experience that every Californian wine lovers should try at least once! I stumbled upon this fun bar/​restaurant for pre-​dinner drinks and enjoyed their wine list so much that I went back for their cheese plate!
The environment and menu is casual and designed just for impromptu tasting sessions– walls of wine dispensers/​vending machines surround high tables so that guests can point out bottles to sample– all wines can be sampled by the glass and are sold in 3 sizes: you can have a small tasting tipple (s), a normal pour (m) or the North American hearty pour (l) for a true Californian experience. Ask for Martin who made our experience super awesome.
The cheese plate was so-​so (Bibo’s still hard to beat) but the rest of their menu looked pretty amazing. Will definitely return for a proper meal there.
Bottomline: the vast selection of wines sold by size, the hooks under the table for hanging my purse, the salsa also looked pretty great in picture.
Good choice of Californian vintages