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If you don’t remember the launch of this restaurant last year, perhaps you were hiding under a rock. It’s certainly got the right kind of name to seduce the tabloids, and it didn’t hurt that the cast of the Mail Online sidebar of shame were seen stopping by in its opening weeks. But the bar here is now getting its moment in the spotlight, with a real push to make it a hangout in its own right. When we passed the (let’s face it, hot) doorman on our Friday night trip, we could hear him trying to coax in two model-esque blondes: ‘We’ve got a DJ, girls. It gets lively soon, swear down.’
After that hype, I was quite surprised to find that the bar was such a compact space, with the comings and goings of restaurant customers at the front desk acting as a bottleneck preventing dedicated drinking. A couple of booths were filled and a few stools at the bar occupied by suits, so we had to stand awkwardly in the tiny gangway.
Drinks will set you back big time, but the menu has plenty of Asian-inspired numbers to tie in with the food menu, and the puns come thick and fast, so at least the bar never takes itself too seriously. I was underwhelmed by a classic mai tai, suffering major drink envy when a rich-looking customer ordered a Duck and Luck, which came with a scratchcard. Of course he won, and the staff packaged up a gift for him; a sweet touch, but one that’s justified by the £16 price tag.
Also on the plus side, the lavish decor is so over the top, it’s a hoot. Particularly the rain-effect window behind the bar. And it’s obviously a great spot for people-watching, although we didn’t stick around long enough to see if that doorman was right.