Arabica Bar & Kitchen, London Bridge

Type of Bar: Bar/Restaurant, Levantine
Damage: ££
Ideal for: Food, Lazy Lunch, Sundays, Meetings, Small Groups

Borough Market has welcomed yet another spectacular restaurant in the form of Arabica, once a Borough Market stall itself. Serving up food from the Levant with contemporary takes, Arabica brings a necessary cuisine to the area (done well, at least). An open plan space perfect for a lazy lunch.

Besides an excellent selection in food, Arabica offers a short cocktail list of classics with Near Eastern twists.

Let’s start off with a personal favourite: the Mujrim. A development on a Dry Manhattan, bourbon, dry vermouth and lemon meet pomegranate molasses. As you can imagine, the end product is much sweeter than a Dry Manhattan, but dry vermouth is necessary to not make the cocktail too sweet. The flavours are all distinct – with its spectacular simplicity, the Mujrim isn’t necessarily a dessert cocktail, but better to have without food so that it doesn’t drown out the pomegranate molasses.

Rayyan Gin Fizz (L), Mujrim (R)

The Sassine Square is a much more subtle flavour outside the intense high-rye bourbon and bitters – the date syrup is almost too quiet. Perhaps a bit more and here we have an excellent dessert drink.

The Nana Ti (Cuban and Jamaican rums, lemon, cacao, wild mint) is a supremely clean flavour to be paired with food. I notice the recipe for the Rayyan Gin Fizz since the soft launch: removing the rose water – a very good move since the rose water was overpowering. Now, Arak Brun, orange blossom water, orange and cardamom marmalade, citrus, and cream. Yes, it sounds complex, but is far lighter in person.

Arabica is certainly a new destination in the area, and its cocktails do not fail to disappoint! I just wish I knew what they intend to do with the bottle of QuiQuiRiQui mezcal that’s on their shelf.

Drinks: ***
Atmosphere: ***
Service: ***

Arabica Bar & Kitchen

3 Rochester Walk,
Borough Market,
London SE1 9AF

http://www.arabicabarandkitchen.com/

The Lost Angel & Gaslight Grill, Battersea

Jun29

Type of Bar: Bar/Restaurant, Quirky
Damage: £ – ££
Ideal for: Food, Sundays, Gin, Live Music

Now here is a long-time favourite.

A hungover Sunday’s solution is always in the Angel’s arms. Even if it means travelling an hour from Greenwich and cowering in the corner till that spectacular Sunday roast comes around.

Sorry, I think I drooled on the keyboard.

Trying to pin the Lost Angel’s design is a bit difficult. Its jazzy, Victorian, 60’s randomness, upscale pub vibe somehow *works*. It lends to a really comfortable, relaxed atmosphere with live music in the day time; to a raucous party in the evenings – both indoors and in the large garden in the back. It’s that laid back attitude that makes it one of my favourite Sunday spots.

But it’s not just that, the LA hosts several events, from various DJ nights, extended happy hours throughout the week, and Gin Soaked Thursdays – where you can explore the LA’s reputation as a gin palace with a choice of its 30 different gins at 6 pounds each.

Drinks wise, the menu is varied, but tends towards the sweeter on many occasions – but there are still drier, intense cocktails to choose from. Classics can always be requested.

Without argument, their Bloody Mary game is on point. And they dish them out faster than you could believe. The Bottomless Bloody Mary Sundays get you as many as you like for only 15 pounds, and to that deal you can add a Sunday roast for 10. I normally go straight for the Spice Route Gimlet, Opihr Oriental Spiced Gin’s playfulness blends wonderfully with cardamom and lime cordial, and a star anise garnish. A strong gimlet with a spicy Eastern twist, don’t let the lime cordial-instead-of-juice fool you, this drink still packs a punch.

Cucumber, Jalapeno & Coriander Margarita…does exactly what it says on the tin. Lively, spry, spicy as all hell, this drink is perfect for the afternoon. Another bar could take a lesson here on how to salt a rim; you’re not supposed to make the drinker cringe. The Marrakesh Martini, saffron infused Beefeater gin, apricot liqueur, orange bitters, spiced sugar, ginger and lime juice has great potential, but often is drowned out by the apricot liqueur. A good idea is to let the bartender know to turn that down a bit.

The Strawberry Amaretto Sour makes an excellent dessert drink with fresh strawberries and egg white, as well as the Lost Skipper with dark rum, Chambord, blackberry jam and red wine.

The admirable aspect to the LA’s cocktail list is how straightforward they are, often twists on the classics, they do exactly what they say will – which makes the Lost Angel a great introduction to cocktails.

This is where the Lost Angel’s charm lies: It’s laid-back, and out there to make a fun drink, without overcomplicating things, and without pretension. It is a reminder that complex reductions and vaporisers aren’t necessary to earn high points, neither is unwavering devotion to the classics – simplicity can be the key to a welcoming venue on a harsh Sunday morning.

Seriously though, that roast.

PS: Please update the website’s cocktail menu! People be missing the Jalapeno Margarita!

Drinks: **** (Especially deserving on discounted hours)
Atmosphere: ****
Service: ***

The Lost Angel & Gaslight Grill

339 Battersea Park Road,
London SW11 4LS

http://www.lostangel.co.uk

The Delaunay, Aldwych

Jun16

Type of Bar: Bar/Restaurant, Central European
Damage: ££
Ideal for: Date, Small Groups, Large Groups, Food

Anyone who has met me knows I do love a good Corbin and King. And I love the Delaunay no less. The Central European charm is all very coded-telegram-in-the-croissant which appeals to me to no end – this is a matter of taste, though. The 1940s feel, with its hardwood and white cloth deserves a bit more effort in the appearance department from the clientele. But the superbly presented staff, who are just the right mix of warm and cold, suit perfectly.

Even though my priority is cocktails, it is far too easy to get distracted by painfully shiny silver coffeepots and the most tempting of viennoiserie and patisserie, baked to perfection, dressed immaculately. The menu (breakfast, brunch, lunch and a la carte), is generally simple comfort food, but one can’t complain when it is done so well. The choices and twists on the ice cream coupes makes coming here or to the deli counter just for sweet worthwhile in itself. Expect typical central European fair of wursts, frites, brioche and schnitzel. An obscenely long list of starters is accompanied by a short entree list of exclusively meat – leaving very little for vegetarians, unfortunately.
Bringing myself back to my purpose with drinks – expect a short list of very simple, two-ingredient classics. 8 to 9 pound well-made Old Fashioneds, Last Words and Sazeracs. Although the Manhattan ordered perfect came a bit more on the dry side.

For a less intense flavour, do try the Veritas (Bourbon and Port). If my taste wasn’t for the short and strong, I might find myself complaining at the lack of tall, fruity drinks – but the Delaunay is really sticking to its guns to protect its classic European atmosphere you’d expect right out of Coppola’s ‘Youth Without Youth‘. The Delaunay demands a long, languid dinner.

If you have visited Fischer’s, another Viennese Corbin and King establishment, you have an idea of exactly what the menu might look like – just less formal. If you enjoyed it, you’ll certainly enjoy the Delaunay.

If you like trendy, juicy, chrome and glass – this is not the place for you.The Delaunay earns high scores for excellent atmosphere, on-the-ball service and rather good bartending, even if the list is short and classic.

If you enjoy Corbin & King’s work, do check out our review of the Bar Americain @ Brasserie Zedel, Soho!

Drinks: *** (if you consider this is primarily a restaurant, ****)
Atmosphere: *****
Service: ****

The Delaunay,

55 Aldwych,
London WC2B 4BB

http://www.thedelaunay.com/‎

Holborn Dining Room & Delicatessen, Holborn

Jun9

Type of Bar: Bar/Restaurant, British
Damage: ££
Ideal for: Date, Small Groups, Large Groups, Food

My word, is this place beautiful.

We stumbled onto the HDR and were glad for it. My hangover needed as much food as it could stomach.

The atmosphere is reminiscent of a Corbin and King venture (always a good thing) and the cocktail menu is uncomplicated and unique without trying too hard. The bright room with its shades of red, creams and whites accentuated with gold linings create a peculiar vibe of Vienna-cum-Manhattan, and is successfully versatile as a venue. Expect to see a roughly equal mix of dates, couples, families and friends on a lunch out. On that note, the venue looks its best in the daytime.

The enormous venue houses a bar, large dining area, and charcuterie counter with seats. The hot and cold counter menus provide more than enough choice for bites in the side of your drink with reasonable prices.

Unless you’re dining, do get a seat at the bar for the rousing chats with the bartenders. With drinks reasonably priced, you really can’t say no to a second. It may be a short list, but it is effective. The Highlander (Bulleit Borboun, spiced honey, hazelnut) does the job with its simplicity and perfectly reflects the bar’s feel of modern unpretentious sophistication.

The one drink that seemed out of place, yet worked wonderfully was the Camden Town Treacle: Havana rum combined with fresh apple juice and ‘Harviestoun Old Engine Oil Reduction’, was just the right combo of sweet and tart. And who knew rum and black ale reduction created whiskey? Which makes one wonder if it would work as just ‘Whiskey and apple juice’?

But you can’t go wrong with the cigar-esque Montecristo Daiquiri, tobacco infused Havana rum, vanilla liqueur and lime juice – sweeter on the nose than expected, but the rush of flavours upon the first sip need a few moments on the palette to separate.

The quintessentially British menu is absolutely worth the money (Starters at roughly 8 pounds, Sirloin steak at 24), and cooked to perfection. If there is any complaint regarding the food, it would be the menu, which desperately needs more vegetarian options that are not the tired mushroom risotto. Speaking with the manager, it seems this problem had been mentioned before, and the main launch would consider more original options for vegetarians.

Service was blameless. Upbeat and on the ball bartenders and waiters make the service worth it. Definitely look forward to returning.

Drinks: ****
Atmosphere: *****
Service: ****

Holborn Dining Room

252 High Holborn,
London WC1V 7EN

www.holborndiningroom.com/‎

Agaveria El Nivel, Covent Garden

May1

Type of Bar: Bar/Restaurant, Mexican
Damage: ££
Ideal for: Food, Tequila, Mezcal

The Hoodooist is in love. The Tomas and Jesse Estes venture upstairs at La Perla, Maiden Lane is a brilliant success. It is early days (Launch week), but it stinks of success. Absolutely reeks of it. Gifts of spirits from Megaro and NOLA, and the appearance of bartenders from various other bars speaks of its presence in the bartending world.

The La Perla/Café Pacifico branches have always been the chilled out venues to break into for a Margarita you know you’ll love, but the atmosphere up here at El Nivel takes on a more sophisticated, experimental twist. The wealth of knowledge in this tiny venue is expansive, the service impeccable. Sitting at the bar with drinking buddy Anastrophe and Cheese, was an absolute pleasure as the barmen served us tasters of various mezcal and tequila, and explained the process of their home-made cordials and accompaniments.

Some of QuiQuiRiQui’s Mezcals

We began with the Mezcal Fix, my first, and favourite of the evening: Mezcaleria QuiQuiRiQui’s personal brand of 45%abv mezcal, roasted pineapple syrup, Cynar artichoke bitter liqueur and saltwater spray. Everyone knows I’ll snatch anything with Cynar in it. I was amazed by the incredibly harmonious combo of sweet with salty; how the pineapple’s roasting doesn’t give it a strongly pineapple flavour, but just its fruity sweetness that tames the mezcal – releasing only its smokiness. The Cynar does a wonderful job at just rounding out the drink for the saltwater spray to not overpower it. Unbelievable work.

The Fallen Angel was certainly an interesting drink. Gran Centenario Añejo, Antica Formula sweet vermouth, Cynar. I’m not sure how to describe this drink except as the best sweet Manhattan you’ve had that wasn’t actually a Manhattan. A bit too sweet for my taste, but I know when to appreciate a well-made drink. The Añejo is an excellent twist on the classic, and my Manhattan-loving mate almost wept in excitement.

The Mezcal Fix (L); and Fallen Angel (R)

The Horchata is a boozy twist on a classic Mexican refreshment: rice water, condensed milk, cinnamon and vanilla with Ocho Reposado, garnished with an edible flower. As much as I enjoyed it, it might need a shorter serving, as the condensed milk gets incredibly heavy – but a pleasant drink no less.

Finally, the Siesta was a *very* citrusy complexity. AquaRiva premium Reposado, fresh lime and grapefruit juices, almond syrup, Campari and Merlet apricot, churned over crushed ice. The Campari is barely noticeable, but necessary to hold back the possibility of being too sweet. The first flavour is the tequila, until there is a sudden punch of lime citrus, to eventually settle on the apricot and grapefruit. A wonderful work for those less comfortable around tequila.

And yes, in case you’re wondering, they are working on mezcal/tequila flights!

The Horchata (L); and Siesta (R)

Food is varied in substance and price, so I certainly look forward to returning for a boozy lunch – because return I will. El Nivel has all the makings of an excellent bar, certainly blowing its competitors on Maiden Lane out of the water – in terms of both drink and service. I wish them all the best, though they probably don’t need it.

Drinks: ****
Atmosphere: ***
Service: *****

Agaveria El Nivel,

Upstairs @ La Perla,
28 Maiden Lane,
London WC2E 7JS

http://www.elnivel.co.uk/

Opium Cocktail and Dim Sum Parlour, Chinatown

Feb10

Type of Bar: Bar/Restaurant, Chinese, Speakeasy, Lounge
Damage: £££
Ideal for: Food, Small Groups

I do like Opium. But you have to be there at exactly the right time.

There are two floors, both are not always open at the same time, but each feels totally different from the other.

In the evenings, the bar can be absolutely empty, and though I do love a good empty bar – Opium’s upper floor is one of those that really needs every seat filled to make it a great experience. Those bizarre 70s grandma’s living room seats need to be hidden from view. Especially when randomly placed beside black leather alcoves. It’s why I prefer to snatch the bar seats, which are in a kitchen setting with wonderfully engaging bartenders.

I think my issue with the chairs is just personal

The upper floor bar is unnaturally dark, making it reminiscent of the Shochu Lounge at Roka. The best way to enjoy it is to get a reservation for a late Saturday evening, crowded and pigeonholed with a few good friends, with each drink accompanied with the bar’s dim sum menu.

The lower floor, though, has an excellent atmosphere, better lighting. But the bartenders are just as engaging and thoughtful. They’re half the experience here.

The beautiful lower floor bar

Said bartenders are excellent for crafting personal cocktails with good reason. The menu comes with a custom cocktail section, where filling out a little questionnaire on your tastes in flavours and drinks will have them craft a little masterpiece for you. The cocktail list in itself is a treasure for making itself accessible to the less libationary-aware. Other than an ingredient description, each drink is given a three word summary. For example, the Long March (Bombay Sapphire gin, Plymouth Sloe, pomegranate juice, cinnamon and sweet red bean puree) is ‘Long – Complex – Fruity’.

On my first visit, I went straight for the Blind Date: Heaven Hill bourbon, Pedro Ximenez sherry, date puree and szechuan pepper. Definitely an after dinner drink (necessary, following my lunch at the Holborn Dining Room), the intense date flavour might have needed more pepper to balance it, but for the sweet tooth, works perfectly. Perhaps too many ingredients in each cocktail, but I’m willing to let it slide, since they end up working. The Feather of the Phoenix is an excellently contradictory cocktail: Olmeca Altos Blanco meets blood orange puree and ginger beer in a long drink, topped off with smoked chilli infusion. I needed a bit more bite in mine so asked for more chilli, which makes the drink what it is. It’s up to you to judge whether or not a good drink hinges on one ingredient, but I certainly won’t turn it down.
Maybe I’d be a bit more forgiving if each drink came at 10 pounds instead of 11.50 to 13. Please do not ignore the tea, a great break from a long night out – and hey, no one said you couldn’t add some G to your Tea. A dim sum box comes at about 6.50 to 8 pounds, or grab a platter at 16.

All in all, besides the peculiar environment, the Opium Cocktail and Dim Sum Parlour does a good job as a hidden away den, and certainly makes a much less pretentious alternative to the Experimental Cocktail Club next door that I abandoned because of terrible service. Opium has gone for the speakeasy-but-not-speakeasy feel by simply avoiding the conspicuous bouncer or massive signs – just come in through the Jade Door.

Also, for those in the know, query about a certain New Orleans tune, or perhaps an old Soho brothel of the same name that dear Nina Simone crooned about. The waiters will first insist they have no idea what you’re talking about. But at your own risk, Nina did tell us that it brought down the reputation of many of the curious over the years.

Drinks: ***
Atmosphere: Upper floor: ***, Lower floor: ****
Service: ****

Opium Cocktail and Dim Sum Parlour
15-16 Gerrard St,
London W1D 6JA

http://www.opiumchinatown.com/

Made in Brasil, Camden Town

Jan23

Type of Bar: Bar/Restaurant, Easy-going, Brazilian
Damage: £
Ideal for: Food, Party, Shamelessly Drunk

Camden’s Inverness Street takes on a great party vibe in the evenings, and Made in Brasil is an indispensible part of it.

It seems to have a party atmosphere almost constantly – which makes it a necessary pitstop when in Camden practically every time. At under 7 pounds, you can’t turn down the incredible assembly line of bartenders preparing Caipirinha after Caipirinha. Or if Cachaca isn’t your thing, the vodka variation, Caipiroska, tends to take a slightly different route in flavours. The caipirinhas tend to focus on one flavor at a time – acai (fabulous), kiwi, chilli; the caipiroskas tend to be more hybridized with strawberry and basil, or mandarin and cashew.

MiB offers other classics and variations of Vodka Martinis, but trust that they know what they specialize in, and do it well.

Once the live band comes in and the night picks up, you want to turn to a shooter that really does you in. When the Gostosa is brought to the table, the actual aged Cachaca looks a lethal acid yellow. But couple that with the slice of strawberry dipped in chilli sugar that chases the shot and the sudden effect on the palette is extraordinary.

Practically any flavour you need

The food menu is traditionally Brazillian, and well-priced, from a la carte to tapas. Expect a lot of cassava and black beans – you could dine in the much calmer basement, or keep the noise up upstairs when you’re stuffing face on the incredible Queijo coalho tostado com vegetais assados, or its meat-eater’s cousin.

In any case, the atmosphere coupled with the quick drink service means that you are always dangerously close to yelling “ANOTHER!” after every shot. Remember that Hailo is your friend.

Made in Brasil might not be a mixology haven, but they rock tradicional and rock it right. You want a live night out and a mother of a hangover; this is the place to end up.

Drinks: ***
Atmosphere: ****
Service: ***

Made in Brazil
12 Inverness St,
London NW1 7HJ

http://www.madeinbrasil.co.uk/‎

Highball Hoodoo

London, Cocktails, you know the drill

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