"Malt Supper Club is intended for a mature clientele”. It says so on the door. And if you want to fit in at this ritzy old-house-turned-house-party parlour, dress to impress (there’s a dress code on Fridays and Saturdays) and bring cash: the hefty drink selection is priced accordingly.
As the name suggests, whisk(e)y is Malt’s forte, its collection of blends and single-malts targeted right at the brown spirit fancier’s weak point. On the other side of the ledger is a serious array of vintage and non-vintage champers: for ours, a better way to enjoy bubbles than dull Champagne cocktails that are more fizzer than fizz.
Lacklustre Germain Chandons aside, cocktails mostly hit the mark. Vodka drinker or otherwise, the Bellevue St Sour – it’s a berry and elderflower elixir laced with Patron, lemon and ginger – is spot-on for tasty refreshment. Being served an excellent, deeply complex Smoked Cherry Sazerac with ice cubes in a separate tumbler (all the better to manage your drink’s dilution, my dear) suggests an understanding of booze culture not immediately apparent when being served by, at-times, stiff bar staff.
If only manager Zac Farrow could bottle his engaging demeanour and pass it around his team. Still, wine, cocktail and spirit specials go some way to making amends: they’re a value-packed way to explore Malt’s inventory.
Got them late night munchies? Thai chicken burger triplets ramped up with lemongrass and sticky chicken wings with a dark, gingery dipping sauce are typical of the Asian influences in effect on the food menu.