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The latest in Barrio’s series of colourful cocktail bars is full of the unexpected. There’s a caravan parked on a plinth that’s been turned into a seating area, and lights made out of washing machine drums dangle precariously overhead. It’s all a bit quirky – often unnecessarily so – but it does make the place feel fun.
Equally unexpected is the stuff that comes out of the kitchen. The ceviche was delicate and delicious, spiked with pomegranate and coriander; the pork belly sliders were sensational, each bite beginning with a slick of sweet potato jam before giving way to rich, smoky meat. I could have had another ten of them.
It’s a shame the same can’t be said about the cocktails. The four Ol’ Dirty Bastards we ordered were completely inconsistent in size and taste, and failed to pack the punch you’d expect from a drink containing bourbon, rum and not a lot else. Maybe unexpected isn’t such a good thing after all.