A slice of France in the Wharf

Although still busy at peak times, it is the gentle sound of chatter rather than a demonstrative business din which fills the air.

Some see it as an informal meeting place outside the office while many others see it as a piece of France in London's business district.

The wine's French, the food's French and the staff are French.

In fact it's the one place in Canary Wharf you wouldn't be surprised to see the country's President Nicolas Sarkozy sipping a glass of vino after a hectic London Summit - if he wasn't a tee-totaller that is.

Manager Pierre Korb said: "People like to come down here because they see it as a part of France. And it makes them feel they are away from Canary Wharf and work for a short while.

"Most of the customers are English, however, five to 10 per cent are French. We have a few Italians and Germans and some Americans come here.

"People pop down quickly for lunch and others stay here all afternoon or meetings perhaps. Often they come down to hold work interviews here."

There are 80 Nicolas shops in the country but the Canary Wharf site is the only one with a restaurant.

Nicolas owns the shop, and the restaurant is run by Nicolas-owned subsidiary La Carte Autrement. This relationship seems to keep prices affordable.

Pierre said: "Customers can pick up a bottle in the shop and drink it in the wine bar, for a £1 per bottle transfer fee, which is still cheaper than many other places."

It provides French cuisine through its two chefs, as well as mediterranean specials such as paella and couscous.

The manager said: "People like to have a restaurant meal at lunch and in the evening they tend to go for sharing plates, things such dried sausage and ham, or plates of cheese."

Pierre is in his second spell at the bar after returning five months ago.

He left in 2002 when he was assistant manager, travelling across Europe, Asia and Africa, while also working in the catering field.

He started in the business at the Michelin starred Serge & Co in his home town, Strasbourg.

He has seen a change in the way the business operates, but a more impactful transition in the last few months has been the economic downturn.

He said: "The restaurant has certainly got bigger since I was away. There are more tables while the shop has got smaller. The main difference is more customers and more staff.

"It's because Canary Wharf has grown. Of course the credit crunch has affected the way people spend money. We've lost customers who have stopped working here, but on the other hand we get new customers coming in all the time.

"People are also spending their money differently.

"Our focus is we sell food and wine and people tend to like that combination so keep coming."

Out of 200 wines 20 are world wines and the rest are French. All the wines are offered by the company but Pierre selects which wine he prefers.

As well as having an abundance of specialist wines, Nicolas' unique selling point is its versatility.

It has a shop where people can pick up last minute gifts from wine to cigars to foie gras - which can all be delivered within a close distance - as well as the bar and restaurant and even sometimes a mini wine tour.

Pierre said: "People will come and talk to me about wine, ask me to explain something, and we often end up arranging a group tasting.

"For maybe eight to 10 people or a group of 15, probably for about £25 minimum, they will get two and half to three hours tasting.

"Could be a general session or one focusing on a region, it depends what people are looking for.

"But it just shows the variety of services we offer here."