20 Bedford Street,
Covent Garden,
London,
WC2E 9HP
(020) 7924 6055
The ViewLondon Review
With a good reputation for their venues south of the river in the likes of Balham and Battersea, Adventure Bar’s latest offering sees them open a basement bar in the heart of Covent Garden. The result? A party atmosphere fuelled by potent cocktails.
The Venue
Part of a small chain of London cocktail bars, the Covent Garden branch on Bedford Street has a flight of stairs leading down into a basement venue. Inside, the space is a long, narrow brick cavern, with a vaulted ceiling giving the impression of a giant wine cellar. Giant light-bulbs overhang the main bar, giving it a contemporary finish. Exploring further into this Aladdin’s cave, you’ll find a series of leather sofa booths, serviced by a smaller back-bar. These booths can be reserved, with a free bottle of champagne if you bring a group of 10 or more. Audio versions of Fawlty Towers piped into the toilets is a stroke of genius.
The Atmosphere
A young team of cocktail waiters work hard to give the bar a party atmosphere, performing the obligatory cocktail juggling tricks. Staff seem to cater for a tourist-heavy crowd – unsurprising given the location - with a super-friendly attitude, which at times can be a little over-bearing. The bar’s party feel continues with crowd-pleasing tunes - expect classic rock anthems and upbeat pop. There’s plenty of room before 9pm, but expect it to get busy after that.
The Drink
Cocktails are charged at £7-£8.50 and can be enhanced with a premium spirit for an extra £1. Spiced Pear (Morgan’s spiced rum, pear liqueur, pear puree and fresh lime juice) is sweet and mellow, but lacks a kick. You’re better off with the El Diablo (tequila, fresh lime, crème de cassis, topped with ginger ale) which has a great tequila kick complemented by plenty of sharp lime. Momma’s Pie (Green Apple liqueur, Galliano, cinnamon schnapps, mixed berry puree and pressed cloudy apple juice) is apple-pie in a glass, with a delicious cinnamon spice. Cuban Orange (vanilla-infused Havana Club 7-Year rum, Grand Marnier, fresh lime and brown sugar) is a fantastic taste of Cuba, with rum and cognac providing a potent combination.
Adventure’s party piece is the Flaming Zombie (Havana Club Especial rum, dark rum, fresh lemon juice, mango puree, fresh passion fruit and pressed pineapple juice) which is finished by igniting over-proof rum, to create a plume of flame on top of the drink. The tropical fruits make this a refreshing cocktail, but this drink is more spectacular on the eye that it is on the taste buds, and there are better drinks on the menu.
The Last Word
Whether you see the bar as commercial or crowd-pleasing, this is a party venue that goes out of its way to make sure that its clientele have a good time. Tasty cocktails, friendly staff and a well designed bar make Adventure Bar a decent all-round package in this part of town.
Adventure Bar has been reviewed by 48 users