Approx 7pm - 8pm
Basement Sate
Basement Sate
8 Broadwick Street, London W1F
After visiting Milk and Honey and failing to get in (if you wish to visit there, be sure to book before 6pm on the day), the bouncer advised us that there is 'a cocktail bar on the next street, number 8, with a red door'. I asked what the name was, and he said that it doesn't have a sign - sounds like my kinda sneaky-secret-speakeasy kinda place!
We made our way there, and came across the red door on number 8 Broadwick Street. The door was open, and we went in, down the stairs, and into the dimly lit cocktail bar.
The bar area was very nice - it has the typical wooden theme that is seen so much at the moment, with a wide variety of alcohols on the wall. The bar at this early hour was quite empty, so we had the pick of seats. We chose a Chesterfield style couch with its own table which looked out over pretty much the whole place, and it was very comfortable.
The cocktail menu was good, with a decent range of flavours. The one thing it was missing was the weird and wonderful ingredients that I am so fond of, but there were still plenty of other flavours to experiment with.
We had 4 cocktails between us, and they were all quite nice, if not a bit fruity for my palette. If you are a fan of a mojito, or a daiquiri then these cocktails will be up your alley. My favourite cocktail of the night was the Timeless Crusta, and if you're one for a more unusual tasting drink then this is the one to go for. The list of cocktails we had are:
Don't Acte: Sichuan pepper infused gin, Bubonnet, Lemon Juice (not as spicy as it sounds, but very fruity)
Workinonit: Vodka, Moscato D'Asti syrup, cucumber, Yellow Chartreuse (refreshing)
Shikoku Calling: Gin, Yuzu, Fino Sherry (my second favourite of the evening)
Timeless Crusta: Cognac, Green Chartreuse, Triple Sec, Luxardo Maraschino (Best cocktail of the night - bitter and woody and super tasty!)
If you've been for a meal out and fancy eating dessert elsewhere, this is a good place to go. The dessert menu was extensive, and everything on there sounded delicious. As I lack the sweet tooth I didn't go for one, but my boyfriend couldn't resist the Orangette, which looked a bit like a crumble and consisted of orange and caramel cream, black trumpet crumble, chocolate and lavender foam, and a honey crisp. He loved it, and wants to try the rest of the dessert menu.
Whilst I was sitting there I felt like there was something missing from the whole experience, and after a while it came to me... on the walls there were zero pictures, images, figurines, weird deer heads... anything! It looked quite sparse, and that made it feel a little chain-pub-y. The wallpaper also could have been put up a little better, but a few pics here and there would hide that!
This would be a good place to go with friends, but from what I hear it does get quite busy in the evenings and booking is recommended (booking can only be done by email - the address being on their website).
The service is fast and friendly, and they seemed very willing to help.
I'd definitely go again, and it was a nice place, but I think they need to step up a gear in the cocktail variety and decor department to match up to some of the most established cocktail bars in the London area.
ThymeTip: Save room for pudding!
Food: 7/10
Drink: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Fun-ness: 7/10
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