Any bar that has ‘and’ in the middle of its name is always going to have connotations of a big traditional boozer, or one of its modern, trendier incarnations. Rose and Crown, Slug and Lettuce… you get my drift.

So, it was a surprise to find the Shrub and Shutter is none of those things. In fact it was a surprise to find it at all, because it’s all too easy to walk or drive past a couple of times before you realize you’ve arrived at this gem of a bar in the heart of buzzing, bustling Brixton.

Now, I am fast coming to the conclusion that there are two kinds of ‘best’ bars – the glitzy grand hotel bar and the small, personal variety, run with love, attention and humour by owners and fellow bar lovers.

And that’s the Shrub and Shutter for you… small, but perfectly formed with delicious food and drink served by well-informed, friendly staff under the expert ownership of Dave Tregenza and Chris Edwards. All of whom are only too happy to talk you through the varied and creative cocktail menu featuring funny, fresh and frankly quite bizarre ingredients including gunpowder.

At the time we visited a new series of Game of Thrones was about to kick off and the Shrub and Shutter had created some specially themed cocktails to celebrate the occasion. So, more a case of GoT than G&T. Fortunately for me that meant a proper pewter tankard foaming at the top with majestically medieval ingredients.

We also tried a literally smoking, Milk of the Poppy with a Dragon’s Egg. All of this was complemented with plates of delicious bar food prepared in the impossibly tiny, but obviously very competent kitchen.

The bar quickly filled up as the evening wore on, so we were thankful we had arrived early and were warming up to stay late until we realized bedtimes beckoned. We will certainly return to Coldharbour Lane, because despite the address, the warmest of welcomes will be waiting.

336 Coldharbour Lane
Brixton
London
SW9 8QH

www.theshrubandshutter.com

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Of course, as you might expect from people dedicated to bars, cocktails are our thing. Beer has been a bit of a mystery to us… especially those real ales beloved of your original beardy CAMRA types who proudly sported the hirsute look long before hipsters stole their whole vibe.

But when you’re taking out Uncle Rory – whose love of beards and chunky sweaters is only matched by his capacity for sinking ‘proper’ beer – you have to find a bar that gives you the best of all worlds. Which is why we found ourselves at the Draft House on Northcote Road in Clapham’s ‘Nappy Valley’.

The Draft House is one of a small chain of pubs dedicated to, as the name suggests, real beers. Some of these are so good they are more like “witchcraft” rather than craft. They certainly had the power to alter reality. The staff were helpful and knowledgeable about their wares which range from beers, stouts and lager on draught to a wide variety of bottled beers from Britain and around the world. I mean where else would you find a powerful bottle of beer that delights under the name of Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter?

I tried a delicious stout called Camden Ink which made a welcome change from the ubiquitous Guinness. Uncle Rory supped on local Wandle Ale. Also on offer was a very interesting little gin shot called an Up and Under – made by the Draft House Crew in honour of the 6 nations and infused with botanicals representing each of the competitor nations. It had the faint aroma of bubble bath – no doubt due to the herbal essences in it, but tasted delicious.

Beer is filling, but real food sometimes needs to be taken on board too. So it is fortunate that the Draft House has a fully functioning restaurant serving up a variety of hearty food. We dined on chilli hot dogs, ably accompanied with chips and delicious ‘foot-long pork scratchings’. All in all, a warmly welcoming and thoroughly enjoyable destination that even us fancy bar lovers love.

The Draft House, Clapham
94 Northcote Road,
London
SW11 6QW

www.drafthouse.co.uk

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Now the Hixter bar in Southwark is good for lots of reasons. It’s stylish, chic, dark, sexy and it’s got a large sunken bar with low bar stools around it that make you feel the size of a giant and the bar staff the size of Oompa Loompas (although they’re much better looking, much friendlier and much better informed when it comes to creating and dishing up delicious drinks.)

The drinks are great, as you’d expect from a bar crated by Mark Hix, one of the leading lights of London’s restaurant and bar scene. A refreshing Innis Gunn Scottish lager, aged in whiskey barrels provided instant refreshment and banished thoughts of McEwans from my mind for ever.

As it was a cold, wet and windy night outside, and the faint whispers of Scotch were already floating around in my head, Marks Mr Nice cocktail followed, a warm, syrupy and fortifying mixture of peaty Talisker single malt whiskey, Pedro Ximenez sherry and orange bitters.

But back to the bar… what I really liked about it more than anything was that my mobile didn’t work within its basement boundaries. Which means no one to call with unwelcome requests to get on with work… and no calls about that PPI fortune that’s just waiting for you to claim. Instead you can just kick back, sink into a soft, welcoming leather sofa and take a break from the world outside as it rushes by.

Of course, the bar gets busy on occasions, as it should do… In trendy ‘Bankside’, formerly known as Southwark, it’s got everything a hipster would love – including a genuine bar billiards table. So, expect a certain degree of trendy beardiness, creative artistry and media luvviness. But that’s no bad thing, it’s bright young sparks like this that keep the London bar scene going strong. They may feel a little lost without their mobile connection, but there’s always WiFi, so they won’t get withdrawal symptoms while the rest of us enjoy our night of booze, billiards and bonhomie.

HIXTER BANKSIDE is at
16 Great Guildford Street,
SE1 0HS

 www.hixterbankside.co.uk

Tags: bars in london, Bars in SE1, Best Bars London, hixter bankside, mark his, marks bar

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Trailer Happiness has been winning many happy fans ever since it opened its doors in Portobello Road. You can see easily see why. To start with the staff and owners are so friendly and laid back you feel you’ve stepped into a support group rather than a bar. Albeit one with its own unique decor, vibe and supply of rum based beverages.

Because this is a Tiki bar, a perfectly formed example of a phenomena that somehow originated in the post prohibition California of the 1930s. Apparently, as an ever helpful waitress explained, some bars of the time began adopting a Polynesian vibe with bamboo furniture, exotic masks, kitsch pictures, loud shirts and rum based cocktails featuring the flavours of a variety of exotic fruits. Perhaps it was an attempt to brighten the gloom that the recent ban on alcohol had laid over the whole nation. More likely it was intrepid travellers bringing back and integrating the styles and tastes they had discovered during their sojourns in the South Pacific.

Trailer Happiness has resurrected the Tiki bar and taken it to a new level of tasty trendiness that leaves behind your Trader Vic’s of this world (although we can’t help but have a soft spot for Trader’s based solely on a childhood visit to the Hilton Hotel outpost on Park Lane that was so unbelievably different from 70s London it was like being on another planet)

You descend into its subterranean home to find low lighting and low comfortable seating ideal for a little slouching and supping of strong drinks. Trailer happiness, as a good Tiki bar, should, devotes itself to the finest in Rum based cocktails. The kindly barman, wearing a very fetching Hawaiian shirt that belied the cold wet weather, outside recommended a trailer Colada – literally smoking rum concoction, created with the help of a blow torch and served up in hollowed out coconut husk, adorned with a smouldering incense stick. This went down very well with my companion.

After a hard evening’s toil the previous night reviewing bar after bar in Borough I was feeling a little fragile and was kindly pointed in the direction of a Hemingway Daiquiri, which eschewed the traditional cocktail sweetness and replaced it with a little saltiness – apparently the perfect way to counteract the effects of a hangover. I think it worked. After a couple I certainly felt a lot better.

We arrived early and could have stayed very late. As the bar began to fill up we felt more and more at home, unfortunately duty called and more bars beckoned. But to paraphrase Arnold Schwarzenegger, another fan of loud Hawaiian shirts: “We’ll be back”

177 Portobello Rd
London
W11 2DY

www.trailerhappiness.com

Tags: bars in london, Best Bars London, Best Bars Nottinghill, Best Bars W11, Trailer Happiness, Trailer Happiness review

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In that 1980s ode to excess that is Pretty Woman, Richard Gere’s character, before taking prostitute-with-a-heart-of-gold Vivienne to the Opera, spins her some line about people either loving or hating the Opera the first time they see it. Fair enough, you just better hope your first opera isn’t Tosca, an opera of monumental sadness even within a genre that specialises in tragedy.

But one thing I can safely say about the opera is that if you visit the Paul Hamlyn Hall Champagne Bar at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden you will love it forever. It is simply stunning… and what’s more stunning is that so few people actually know that Joe Public doesn’t have to book a ticket to the Opera to enjoy it.

So, why the song and dance about the bar? Well, it’s in an amazing space. An enormous, towering atrium protected and illuminated by a vaulted glass ceiling high overhead. The bar itself sits at one end of this impressive space beneath a vast, optical illusion inducing mirror. Not only does this seem to double the already generous space, but high above, it gives the impression that the pod like amphitheatre bar is suspended in mid air with no discernible means of entry other than a pair of wings.

This is a champagne bar and in this glorious space, within one of London’s cultural powerhouses, that is only appropriate. Fine fizz of all types is available by the glass or bottle. If you have an appetite for food as well as champagne and culture, surrounding the bar on the mezzanine floor is the excellent Amphitheatre Restaurant and Bar.

If you’ve never been, make sure this is on your to-do list. It’s a magical, memorable place for a drink… with or without the opera thrown in. And while you raise a glass, you should also offer a toast in memory of the late publisher Paul Hamlyn, who gifted the Royal Opera House £10 million to refurbish this breathtakingly beautiful space.

Open for special events or book for afternoon tea

The Champagne bar at the Royal Opera House is at

Royal Opera House
Bow Street
Covent Garden
London
WC2E 9DD

 www.roh.org.uk/visit/restaurants-and-bars

Tags: bars in Covent Garden, Bars London, Best Bars London, Paul Hamlyn bar, royal opera house

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St Pancras International Station –

What better way to prepare yourself for a trip to Paris than taking on board a few glasses of champagne? And what better place to do that than the stunningly appointed Searcy’s champagne bar? Occupying a prime position overlooking the grandly refurbished St Pancras International Station this polished establishment proudly boasts the longest bar in Europe at a horizon-busting 98m.

When we visited on a Friday afternoon the bar was surprisingly quiet. We had expected to see a throng of weekend wanderers ready to set off for Paris for romantic assignations… or at least a contingent of French tax exiles making their way back home for a few days to remind themselves what proper cheese tastes like. Perhaps it’s that long bar… anywhere else and the number of people might have constituted a crowd. Here, with its endless bar and the cathedral like glazed roof overhead, the drinkers seemed few and far between.

But hey, I love champagne… And having room to breath while I drink… And somewhere to sit… And an amazing view whichever way you look… And a special offer on decent champagne at £6 a glass. So, even if you’re not travelling it’s well worth a visit. You can always imagine yourself about to set off on an exciting journey into the heart of Europe, even if the only trip beckoning is the one home to Walthamstow on the Victoria Line.

This bar is to all intents and purposes, outside… even though the massive vaulted canopy overhead lulls you into thinking otherwise. So, when the weather gets cold, it won’t just be your champagne that gets chilled. However, the clever people at Searcy’s have thought of this and provide fan heaters and blankets to keep the temperature as warm as the ambience.

Just one word of warning. Large quantities of champagne can alter the fabric of space/time and it can be all too easy to miss your evening train to Paris or the last tube to Pimlico.

Searcys Champagne Bar
Grand Terrace
Upper Concourse
St Pancras International Station
London
N1C 4QL

searcys.co.uk/venues/st-pancras-grand

Tags: Bars in N1, Best Bars London, Champagne Bar, london bars, Searcys champagne Bar, St Pancreas Bars

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Today I was accosted by one of those annoying banner ads that we all suffer in return for the wonder of the Internet. It proclaimed the delights of Royal Caribbean Cruises, and in particular their latest innovation, the robotic barman.

Imagine… your drinks served by a faultless technological marvel. The perfect pour every time, the perfect measure, all in perfect proportion.

Will wonders never start?

Because for me the very idea of a robotic barman, which basically comprises the kind of bionic arm you would normally associate with a car factory, is a nightmare akin to prohibition.

No barman! That means no Moe from The Simpsons, no Sam or Woody from Cheers, no Rick Blaine from Ricks Café American for god’s sake…

A robot… I mean really. Will it know the names of your kids? Will it help you drown your sorrows when you’ve been dumped? Will it tell you when you’ve had enough? Will it know what your usual is? Will it every take a drink as a tip?

Robots arms… great for bomb disposal, lunar explorers, hazardous waste and Steve Austin, the bionic man. For a bar? Forget it.

If you want technology in your bar, you’d be better off pursuing other avenues. Like the clever guys at Lick Me I’m Delicious are doing. Their crazy inventions are really pushing the boundaries of wild and wacky food engineering.

To start with they’ve developed the Edible Mist machine, which looks like something out of a science fiction film… with a neon light shining out from beneath a domed metal ‘head’. You wouldn’t be surprised if it said ‘Take me to your leader’.

It uses ultrasonic vaporization to create a micro-mist infused with the flavour of just about anything you fancy – including gin, whisky, vermouth, rum, brandy and lots more. It’s a really smoking invention… the only drawback being the booze flavours are just that – flavours and don’t actually contain alcohol.

But don’t panic. They have also created the amazing Levitron, which, as the name suggests, levitates tiny droplets of real drinks, such as a gin and tonic, into the air ready for you to pluck out and drink, like a spaceman in zero gravity.

Now’s that’s totally terrific technology. So, move over Martinis made by Metal Mickey, let’s give some love to Lick Me I’m Delicious.

Check out Lickmeimdelicious at

www.lickmeimdelicious.com

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They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But they didn’t take into account the poor souls who haven’t managed to drag themselves up in time for it. And that’s quite a lot of us come the weekend.

So, step forward brunch, the most important meal of the weekend. And possibly the whole week. One that combines the very best comforting food with the opportunity to drink restorative libations.

Which is why we found ourselves late on a Sunday morning at Powder Keg Diplomacy, a well loved local bar and restaurant on St Johns Hill near Clapham Junction. Here they have concocted the perfect recipe for a popular local hangout… warm, welcoming and stylish with just the right dash of Victorian colonial eccentricity. We turned up with kids in tow and were all welcomed in by the fun and friendly staff who were dealing with Sunday in a much more positive frame of mind than we were.

The bar is split into three areas, there’s a comfortable lounging around area at the front, a well stocked bar with booths lining the wall opposite, and then beyond the bar towards the back, a Victorian style conservatory area dotted with period tables and chairs. Seated in a comfortable booth we could see local denizens of all ages arrive for a combination of coffees, cocktails, beers, brunches and lunches.

Crispy bacon rolls wee ordered and devoured quickly. The ever-helpful staff. much to the kids delight, were also able to provide a couple of enormous Yorkshire puddings for them. Whilst they gorged themselves we spent our time perusing the many variations on a Bloody Mary that were on offer. If Bloody Mary’s are not to your taste then a wide selection of restorative cocktails were also on offer. The Espresso Martini, made with rum, coffee liqueur and fresh espresso was irresistibly tempting and suitable stimulating.

Brunch turned to lunch, during which large amount of roast beef disappeared, quickly washed down with craft beer. If the younger members of the party hadn’t needed exercising we may have even stayed longer… perhaps for my new invention which merges lunch with tea and which I have christened ‘Lafternoon’.

We left fully restored with firm intentions to return, not just for brunch, but to enjoy an evening of food, cocktails and colonial extravagance.

The Powder Keg Diplomacy is at 
147 St Johns Hill
SW11 1TQ

www.powderkegdiplomacy.co.uk

Tags: bar reviews, bars in Clapham, bars in st Johns hill, bars in SW11, Bars London, Best Bars London

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What do I think of cocktails that are served in Jam Jars? Well, I think they’re worth preserving.

Boom, boom, thank you, I’ll be here all night…

Actually, I could be here all night, because this is just the kind of bar that ticks all the boxes for me as one of the best bars in London. Small, friendly, decadent, eclectic and interesting. Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick.

Down the metal staircase and through the basement entrance you’ll find seductive, secretive and bookable cavern type booths hidden behind red velvet curtains – while elsewhere you’ll find shabby chic sofas and comfy chairs to sink into.

The bar serves up delicious cocktails, craft beers, and some decent pizzas, bar snacks and sharing boards to help soak it all up. You’ll encounter friendly people both behind and in front of the bar and lots of live music to add to the atmosphere. It’s a real contender for one of the best cool and quirky bars in London. Or one of the best party bars in London. And, if you’re in a booth, romance might get a look in too!

When it’s quiet it’s a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, when it’s busy it’s a great place to be at the centre of that hustle and bustle. The night we visited the human jukebox was about to get going… In the shape of talented musician Tony Bowen, who takes tweets of any song you’d like to hear and serves up his own accomplished interpretations.

And that cocktail in a Jam Jar? It was a tantalisingly tasty concoction of rum, bitters, brown sugar and orange, that spread itself warmly through my body and whetted my appetite for more. Many, many more.

Lucky Pig? Lucky us.

The Lucky Pig is at
5 Clipstone Street,
Fitzrovia
W1W 6BB

www.theluckypig.co.uk

Tags: Bars in Fitzrovia, Bars in W1, Best Bars in Fitzrovia, Best Bars London, london bar, london bars, Lucky Pig, The Lucky Pig

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No whines about Dandelyan at the Mondrian. –

After a thoroughly enjoyable and educational Nikka whiskey club tasting at Vinopolis I decided to wend my slightly wobbly way along the Southbank towards Waterloo. As I passed the newly refurbished Sea Containers House my eyes were drawn to a beautifully stylish bar basking in full view behind floor to ceiling windows.

It was still early, the bar looked enticing and realising that this was the Dandelyan bar of the new Mondrian Hotel I decided to drop in for a stiffener before my journey home.

I was warmly welcomed by the bar staff, took a seat at the sumptuous, green marble bar and perused the cocktail menu. This offers a range of signatures cocktails carefully crafted to make the most of seasonal and herbal ingredients. The menu kindly guides you through cocktails split into cereal, vegetal, mineral and floral categories – and handily recommends which drinks suit which time of the day.

Award winning mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardana, AKA Mr Lyan, was a welcoming figure behind the bar, and along with his very well informed team, gave me chapter and verse on the origins and thinking behind the drinks. It was quite a challenge to choose, so I plumped for the first cocktail on the menu ‘Puffed Grains and Chocolate. This combination of scotch, curaçao, malted grains and pink pepper was at once uplifting, comforting and oddly reminiscent of coco pops.

It was also very moreish, but I resisted the urge to order another and settled for something different for my second drink. After much deliberation and discussion I decided to see if I could lay to rest the memory of two flavours that have not been too kind to me over the years. The first was tequila, the second was pine, which in my experience was associated with cheap retsina and mighty hangovers on backpacking Greek island hopping holidays. To that end I opted for the Elderfir from the vegetal selection, a combination of Douglas fir, Tapatio tequila, Kamm and Sons (a delicious citrusy, bittersweet British aperitif), grapefruit and elderflower.

Served in a small bottle, with the sprig of fir floating in its midst, this was most enjoyable. The tequila undertones were ever present but the influence of the fir was actually quite festive and reminded me that Christmas is coming and this stretch of the Southbank would soon be full of seasonal stalls and sparkly lights.

I would have loved to explore the menu further but the lure of home meant my investigations would have to wait for another day… and there will be another day as the combination of stylish, dark decor, delicious drinks, knowledgeable friendly staff and a great view across the river towards St. Paul’s will surely make Dandelyan a firm favourite for the future.

Dandelyan
The Mondrian Hotel
20 Upper Ground
SE1 9PD

www.morganshotelgroup.com/mondrian/mondrian-london/eat-drink/Dandelyan

Tags: bar reviews, bars in london, Bars in SE1, Bars in the Southbank, Best Bars in London, Best Bars London, dandelyan bar, Mondrian Hotel

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