The Experimental Cocktail Club, Chinatown

The bright lights, the aroma of sizzling duck, the rowdy hordes of hungry tourists - most people visiting Chinatown wouldn't even notice the scruffy black door located inconspicuously at number 13A Gerrard Street. But those "in the know", the elite few, will know that behind that door there is a whole lot of fun to be had, behind the door of 13A is the Experimental Cocktail Club.

The whole experience is just like a scene from Harry Potter and I got a real thrill experiencing this special venue. The speakeasy is the trendiest variety of bar at the moment, they are plentiful in New York, but I have never seen prohibition style done so well in London, until now… the Experimental Cocktail Club is surely the most exhilarating hidden drinking club in London.

After climbing to the top of the stairs we were greeted by a hosting girl, who surreptitiously appeared from a little den, where I’m sure I spied a surveillance screen, perhaps there is a camera in the front door, vetting visitors before they even enter. Inside, the bar is opulent and lavish, dimmed lighting adds to the sense of mystery.

A menu was slipped into my hands and suddenly I was faced with the task of choosing a cocktail from the list of exotic recipes. Behind the bar a small crew of experienced and stylish barmen work their magic, making up unique concoctions, it is a chemistry lab of activity. Luxurious vintage cocktails use top-end spirits resulting in extreme prices of £150-250, for one drink! We opted for the more purse friendly £11 cocktails, using an equally unusual blend of ingredients, and yet managing to not get in the way of drinkability.

Here are the cocktails we tried and our thoughts:

SAINT GERMAIN DES PRES – Plymouth Gin, St Germain liqueur, Lime juice, Belvoir elderflower cordial, egg white, spiced Tincture & Cucumber juice £11.50

A spicy but refreshing drink. The taste begins with a sweet fruity cucumber flavour, then burns with a warm fiery pepperiness. The egg white makes this cocktail frothy and light.

NO NAME DROPPING – Reservas Amontillado Sherry, Kammerlings Ginseng Liqueur, cane syrup, Velvet Falernum & lemon juice £11

A very drinkable cocktail: a delicious hint of sherry mixes with the sweet and tangy lemon juice. The Ginseng hue is a soothing and unfamiliar flavour, but blends perfectly with the dry sherry taste.

OLD CUBAN – Havana 3 year old Rum, lime juice, ginger syrup, simple syrup, mint, Angostura bitters & top up with Billecart – Salmon Champagne £11.50

This was my favourite, not dissimilar to the mojito classic, this minty fresh drink is very yummy and more subtle in flavour than some of the other cocktails. The taste is predominantly sweet thanks to the fizzy champagne and syrup but the Angostura bitters gives the palate a tiny final kick.

The only way to ensure entry is to e-mail in advance, Tues-Sat before 5pm (reservation@chinatownecc.com); phone bookings are no longer taken.

Captivatingly unconventional, I was wowed by the Experimental Cocktail Club - £11 a drink plus service charge seems pricey, but for the experience and excitement I promise you it is so worth it.

Malmaison hotel and Smoak and Ember, Manchester

It was typical that as I stepped off the train at Manchester Piccadilly station, the skies opened and fat menacing raindrops began pelleting down, a miserable welcome but one that I would expect after three rainy years at University here. Luckily my destination, the Malmaison is located only a few minutes walk from the main train station. We were relieved to step inside the warm hotel, appetising culinary scents wafting over from the new Smoak restaurant, tempting us in.

We were greeted by the enthusiastic manager and escorted up to our superior room where we were pleased to find seductive and pretty décor, a massive bed, inviting chaise longue and useful desk; it was fully equipped and more. The bathroom was the real piece de resistance: a smart black and white chequered floor, large mirror and huge bath. Our bathroom was fully stocked with the customary lovely Mal toiletries. I’ve stayed in several Malmaison hotels and am refreshed each time by the new exciting flavour of each destination, reflecting its location.

This building is a converted Victorian warehouse, with a red and black theme and gorgeous hemp cloth blinds, sheltering the downstairs reception, a combination of old and new. It has an indulgent feel, with individually designed boutique bedrooms and downstairs a large sumptuous spa for all your relaxation and pampering needs. We treated ourselves to luxurious aromatherapy back massages on Saturday morning, and had fun in the calming lounge playing with the massage chairs in our fluffy white towelling robes.

The expansive new restaurant, Smoak and the bar, Ember look flashy and chic alongside the hotel reception on the ground floor. This new restaurant hopes to entice non-hotel guests in from the street, and it was amazing to see the place completely full on a wet Friday night. I was disappointed with the service at Smoak, despite only being three months old I expected more. On the floor they were massively understaffed and service was slow and inefficient. Our young waiter was very sweet, but just a bit clueless, not offering any expertise when we asked about the cocktail menu and delivering everything very late in a clumsy way. There was one comical moment when he thought he had brought us the wrong starters so ran back to the kitchen only to discover that in fact it was our food, and returned all flustered with the same plates. My small Caesar salad was very overdressed, the poor leaves wilting under the strain of the thick vinaigrette, my friend tried the Tuna Carpaccio with aniseed cress, soya and lime dressing and left most of it disappointed with the flavour and the excess of soy sauce.

With steaks and the epic grill as their speciality, we both opted for the fillet steaks and these did not disappoint. Wonderfully smoked and rich, good quality hunks of meat arrived, cooked to our exact specifications. There is a big selection of sauces and chip varieties to accompany the meat, I decided on peppercorn sauce with garlic chips and my friend chose béarnaise sauce, and paprika chips.

The retro inspired dessert menu gave us a difficult choice, I couldn't resist my favourite Pannacotta and here served with delicate pieces of pineapple and a red fruits coulis. It was suitably creamy and tasted freshly homemade thanks to real vanilla sprinkled on top. My friend chose the selection of light sorbets, and seemed satisfied with the Mal's homemade passion fruit sorbet, though the texture was more like granita. We retired to bed taking our fresh mint tea with us. I was relieved to snuggle up with the fluffy duvet after a long and tiring day.

I am always amazed by the Mal breakfasts, guests seem to relish the continental selection, and the classic take on the English Breakfast. With the early morning sunshine streaming through the restaurant, it was a very pleasant and open place to enjoy the start of the day - we chose from the lovely fresh fruit and pastries and ordered big mugs of tea and coffee to wake us up.

As always, I left the Malmaison feeling energised and refreshed, ready for the day ahead.

VISIT MALMAISON WEBSITE HERE TO BOOK.

London Cocktail Club, Goodge Street

I have wanted to visit the London Cocktail Club for a while; this cool bar is regularly named as a top ten cocktail joint in London, a reputation I felt I needed to investigate, being the cocktail junkie I am. The LCC doesn’t need to impress with a showy entrance: it is located down a small staircase, very discreet and only to be found by those ‘in the know’. The bar is lined with multicoloured bottles, each holding a unique spirit ready to be magically mixed.

We sat at a small table towards the front of the bar... it was relatively empty but there was still a great vibe helped by the awesome soundtrack of hits humming in the background. I was most surprised, and impressed with the reasonable prices... it costs around £7 for a cocktail, expertly designed by JJ Goodman (mixologist extraordinaire) and artistically concocted by the experienced barmen.

The menu is extensive with numerous outrageous combinations - I was almost persuaded to try the bacon flavoured drink, but eventually decided on the more girly ‘Brixton Riot’: Lychee, Martini, Cranberry & Peach puree are shaken before Wray & Nephew overproof rum is added and ignited to put fire on the dancefloor! The drink was, quite literally on fire, as you can see in the photo... the barmen here certainly like the attention, making the drinks is a performance.

My friends tried the more traditional French Martini, a stunning ruby red cocktail presented with a single bay leaf floating on top. All the drinks were divine, deliciously flavoured and wonderfully inventive. For the second round we ordered the Porn Star Martini’s and I asked for a specially made fresh passion fruit dacquiri, which our waiter was only too happy to concoct for me.

Just before leaving, we were offered tiny complimentary glasses of an exclusive cocktail, a very special shot that the barman refused to reveal the ingredients of! It was strong but tasty, the perfect exit palate refresher. I can’t wait to return to the London Cocktail Club to try out the rest of the exciting menu.

Visit the London Cocktail Club website here.

Pink Runway cocktail, with Pink Pigeon at CIRCUS

LFW has seen a week of celebrations and parties; on Friday I was invited to Circus in Covent Garden to try the extra special LFW Pink Pigeon cocktail. The venue is super exclusive and mimics the speakeasy bars of the prohibition to be found in New York. Initially we walked straight past, there is no sign or obvious entrance just a very inconspicuous brown door. Despite its plain exterior, Circus isn’t afraid of being in the spotlight and is often featured on TV, most recently in The Apprentice, when the winning team were treated to a special performance here.

I was amazed by the interior's glitz and glamour - it is an expansive space decorated luxuriously. Sequins flicker on the walls and silver balls dangle from the ceiling. In the main room a huge banquet table stands at which special guests may dine and for the extravagant acts to perform on, and around. We managed to catch one of the nine shows of the night, a talented and cheeky hula hoop dancer showing off his skills while stripping for the giddy audience.

The cocktail of the moment, named the Pink Runway and priced at £9.50, is made from Pink Pigeon Rum with chilli, grenadine, lime juice, pineapple juice & topped with ginger beer. It has been created specially for the trendy LFW crowd. Ten per cent of sales go directly to the Ethical Fashion Forum, a non profit organisation dedicated to the cause of a sustainable future for fashion. It is certainly a grown up drink with a warm vanilla taste from the sweet infused rum along with a fierce kick from the chilli and ginger beer. The lovely chief mixologist, who created this cocktail himself, came over to chat and talk about the different components and the art of cocktail making. He gave us a taster of the Pink Pigeon neat encouraging us to identify the flavours, which we got all wrong until prompted with the right answer, vanilla! We were also offered a delicious coconut and mango pudding to share while we watched the show.

This trip was a wonderful introductory taste of this lavish venue; I hope to return to Circus soon to report fully on the unique cocktails, exciting food menu and adventurous performing acts... watch this space!

Visit CIRCUS website here.

La Reve at Cafe de Paris, with The Tootsie Rollers

My night at La Reve was spectacular - an evening of delicious food and even more delicious acts. This saucy celebration of cabaret and burlesque is presented every Friday at Cafe de Paris in London; I was invited to attend on 26th August, for a special array of performers including the Tootsie Rollers – vintage girl band extraordinaire.

Cafe de Paris has a lavish interior, decorated to replicate the great, doomed Titantic’s ballroom. I have visited this venue several times and on each trip the circular hall is transformed to suit the event. We were welcomed inside, led downstairs and shown to a place on one of the smartly set tables in the main club area. Our choice of wine and water was promptly brought to our table, before choosing from the three course set menu.

Already the lights were dimmed and glittery jittery girls flickered amongst the tables, all dressed up for the occasion. In a demure but well cut checked shift dress, I was one of the less adventurously attired ladies though I had nipped into Shu Uemura at lunchtime for a glam fake eyelash fix, so at least I sported a little bit of glamour... I was glad to notice my colourfully outrageous lashes turning a few heads.

From the varied selection of dishes I chose the Goats Cheese, Roast Pepper Roulade with garlic toast and beetroot vinaigrette, then the Roast Free Range Chicken Breast with lyonnaise potatoes, baby vegetables and Dijon mustard sauce for main. My companion ordered Boneless Tamworth Pork Rib with truffle mash, sweet potato confetti, and Magret Duck Breast with steamed bok choi, confit duck spring roll and hoisin jus to follow. Considering the vast room of hungry mouths all ordering at the same time, I was hugely impressed with the efficient and no fuss service. Meanwhile Laura London, an eccentric magician came round to stun us with her unique tricks.

The food was delivered quickly, piping hot and wonderfully presented. I devoured my starter: a sensational combination of flavours and textures, light and yummy. The chicken was rather an unnecessarily large portion and I noticed several girls leaving some untouched on their plates. I loved the peppery mustard sauce and the vegetables were a welcome healthy accompaniment. For dessert we shared the Braeburn Apple & Cinnamon Tarte with caramel and vanilla ice cream and the luxurious Chocolate Bavarois, Grand Marnier & orange coulis and caramelised almonds. Both were delicious and fresh tasting, neither too sweet nor too rich.

Our vivacious hostess Ivy Paige trotted down the spiral stairs and the show began, a line up of the most fabulous acts from around the world: acrobats, fire-eaters, transvestite comedians, dancers, singers, and everything in between - it was a feast for the senses, a mini Moulin Rouge. A few of my favourites were the Bees Knees, the finest flapper girls, Pippa the Ripper, a hula-hooping sensation, and Roxy Velvet, a magnificent showgirl. I absolutely adored the Tootsie Rollers, the star attraction of the night after a feature in Stylist magazine. Six of them dressed in cute matching suits, they were a bubbly bunch, introducing the enthusiastic crowd to some of their harmonious vintage tunes. I wished I was up there with them, it all looked so fun... why aren’t there more of these retro bands? They are a hoot!

After two hours of fun and a couple of Lychee Martinis, we dragged ourselves away from the excitement and stepped out onto the rowdy Leicester Square streets - I had to blink, as it felt like the night had all been a thrilling dream...

Visit La Reve website and book here.

Gilbert Scott Restaurant

King’s Cross is still grotty in places, but the new St Pancras Renaissance Hotel is definitely a step in the right direction, and welcomes tourists off the Eurostar in true British style. The glorious neo-gothic palace that has been home to only rats and bats for the last twenty years, opens after a £150 million revamp. It is epic in size and decor, the restorers have done a spectacular job.

Inside the hotel, Marcus Wareing presents his second London restaurant, The Gilbert Scott. This is a great British brasserie, named after the original building's architect, Sir George Gilbert Scott. It is not only the name that pays homage to this great master though; the food celebrates the very best of the UK’s culinary history, adding a modern twist to some delicious traditional dishes.

The restaurant opened on May 5^th, I visited several days after for lunch. I felt very special walking through the grand halls, past an exquisitely decorated bar, to a large sophisticated banqueting hall... the wonderfully high ceilings give the dining room a very fresh and airy feel.

We were brought bread (weird but wonderful fennel flavoured), though with no side plates or butter knife we had to just clumsily munch on it, sprinkling crumbs all over the table. The day prior to our meal I had been emailed with the menu, so I knew what to expect and didn’t take long to choose. The menu is well balanced with a variety that caters for all kinds of foodies – veggies, meat lovers, with fish and lean green dishes for the health freaks. And a long list of sides for those who really like to indulge!

My friend had visited Gilbert Scott with four girlfriends on opening night, so I had a brief review from her, letting me know exactly which food to order and not order. I took her advice and chose Queen Anne’s artichoke tart (globe artichokes and tarragon dressing) to start and then the Queen’s potage (chicken, pistachio, pomegranate, mushrooms) for the main event. A whopping great tart was delivered to me, warm and smelling delicious. My first impression was that it was too lemony, a citrus taste that clouded the delicate flavour of artichoke. The pastry was scrumptious and melted in the mouth, and the tarragon dressing provided a vinegary kick. I couldn’t finish it, and decided as they took my plate away that this recipe would be better as a little canapé. A mouthful would be perfect but ten mouthfuls was too samey and not exciting enough for my palate - an unfortunate example of a vegetarian dish needing to work twice as hard to satisfy. My main was cooked to perfection, tender breast of chicken coated in a wonderfully nutty breadcrumb mixture, and alongside it three very yummy chicken dumplings. The sauce was rather watery though, its opaque appearance rather unappetising. I ordered mash to accompany and this didn’t disappoint, creamy and soft it was a welcome addition.

My companion chose Mushrooms on sippets (red wine sauce, bone marrow) to start and then London Pride battered cod (with mushy pea mayonnaise and chips). He seemed to really enjoy both, and barely uttered a word while making his way through the hefty portion. I tasted the starter and was unimpressed - a very plain dish consisting of mediocre bread and an uninteresting slice of mushroom; the sauce was flavourful but it was definitely not worth £7.

Cocktails were definitely a highlight of our visit, unique concoctions with unusual flavour pairings. The menu provided much entertainment, trying to decide which of the exotic combinations to have. After much deliberation we both opted for short cocktails: 1873 – Bombay sapphire, apple, cranberry, rhubarb, charged with CO2 for me and a Favela Sour – Leblon Cachaca, Velvet Falernum, lime, demerara syrup, egg white, Peychaud for him. Both were divine, inventive and expertly mixed; they also looked beautiful. Mine tasted a little like loveheart sweets, with a fizz which I guess was from the CO2. I was pleased to see that all the cocktails use Bacardi spirits which are definitely superior in mixing.

To finish we shared a dessert, the warm chocolate in a pot with chocolate cornflakes. It arrived piping hot in a terracotta dish, and looked a bit like a helping of soil. It was luxuriously rich, a bitter dark chocolate goo with sweet crispy cornflakes and a dollop of crème fraiche to cut the flavour.

Perhaps not quite Michelin standard food but a wonderful experience nonetheless, with a setting that beats any other.

Book to eat at The Gilbert Scott here.

Giant Robot Restaurant in Clerkenwell

Giant Robot is one of the hip huddle of cafes and restaurants in Clerkenwell. I went the other weekend for an early supper. Through the dark, snow laced streets it is quite tricky to find, but eventually I spotted the bright lettered sign, and was relieved to get inside to try out their food.

Giant Robot is a bar-café-deli-diner. There are few options on the menu, but what they do offer they promise to make well. We had a few pasta dishes: hearty beef meatballs with tomato sauce and spaghetti, and I had roast butternut squash and ricotta tortelloni with walnut, broccoli and pecorino (see image above). The food was lukewarm in temperature, but rich in flavour. Alongside our mains we tried the fried potatoes with bacon and onion, this was disappointingly greasy, and unfortunately there were no side salads available.

I had my eye on the puddings from the start... especially the ice-cream sandwich. Once it came to ordering dessert though, they had run out of the ice-cream sandwich and the indulgent cheesecake, so I sadly went without. To drink I tried one of the robot juices, which was delicious and refreshing – pineapple, orange and apple. I have heard the cocktails are really delicious at the Giant Robot, so next time I will definitely have one of those.

It was surprising to see this diner almost completely empty, especially on a weekend. It is the kind of joint that needs a crowd to create the atmosphere, and I think this lack of hubbub made our visit less exciting than perhaps it could have been.

If Clerkenwell is too far to travel, there is another branch called Tiny Robot located in Westbourne.

The Establishment in Clapham

The Establishment is situated on Battersea Rise, near the open spaces of Clapham Common Smart. It has a stylish open plan lounge and bar and a cosy restaurant area; and in warmer temperatures the alfresco terrace can be nice too. The interior of the venue is relaxed and has a definite focus on comfortable dining and drinking: the ideal place for a catch up with friends.

The Establishment boasts an impressive drinks list, with a selection of exciting sounding cocktails. I must particularly mention the hot cocktails - I tried a Woodford Reserve Bourbon based warm concoction that was fruity and delicious and very soothing after my long cold journey to the Establishment. I would definitely recommend these hot drinks. If cocktails aren’t your thing there is also real British ale, continental lagers and a reasonable wine list on offer.

The menu is made up of contemporary and classic British dishes that are sure to cheer you up on a cold winter’s evening. I chose sirloin steak that arrived with a dollop of garlic butter, and chunky yet crispy chips; it was delicious. Judging from the silence that fell around the table, I think my friends enjoyed their food too. The ingredients tasted extra fresh; I later found out they are all specially delivered by the chef, Scott Tillott.

The service was rather slow, luckily the conversation was good enough to distract my tummy from rumbling too much. The Establishment isn’t cheap, and you might find better value for money elsewhere, but if you want a satisfying yummy meal in a nice environment then it’s a good bet. For pudding I had the chocolate fondant with poached pears and vanilla ice-cream – a lovely combination of flavours and a perfect end to the meal.

Find out more here.