8-10 Northcote Road,
Battersea,
London,
SW11 1NT
0872 148 6581
The ViewLondon Review
Pity the poor promoter, trying to open a new bar these days; from pre-Peristroika USSR to fake pharmacies, and jungle chic to New York loft, it’s hard to come up with a new concept – everything seems to have been done already. And how much harder it must be outside of the West End, where a more local crowd demand consistency and reliability over gimmickry.
What used to be the decidedly average Glaisters in Clapham Junction is now Iniquity, promising ‘lax morals, wanton indulgence and a downward spiral of debauchery, degeneracy and sin’. High concept indeed for the good citizens of SW11.
Needless to say, there’s nothing more vice-ridden going on here than large quantities of cocktails and some sinfully sexy barmen, but next to Northcote Road’s other, blander bars, Iniquity is something different, and may yet prompt the competition to up their game.
The décor relies heavily on red lacquer and black leather, with Sinatra et al on the walls and menus lending a brat-pack theme. There’s a slight dichotomy between the two sides of the bar, with one side more cream and brown retro than black and red sexiness, and a somewhat neglected door to the kitchen; the best place to sit is undoubtedly in the intimate alcove at the back. Watch out, too, for the toilets, which as yet don’t live up to the polish of the rest of the venue.
Seating is fairly regimented which may discourage rowdiness and dancing as the evening progresses (Iniquity promises ‘the devil on the decks with all his best tunes’); that may be no bad thing, as this sophisticated bar is a cut above local competition like The Fine Line and will hopefully grow into a more sophisticated clientele.
An imaginative cocktail menu is priced, in the main, at around a fiver a go, with fewer old stalwarts than you’d expect, and some interesting additions like the Carol Channing (frambois, frambois eau-de-vie and Champagne); these are probably the best drinks in the area with the possible exception of the Common Rooms, and are served with aplomb.
However, Iniquity is a little let down by its food menu, which, surprisingly, offers nothing very different than all its near neighbours: nachos, a fry-up, penne arrabiata, rib-eye steak, thai green curry. It’s a shame; fun could really have been had devising a sinful menu to match Iniquity’s debauched aims, but instead, this opportunity has just been passed by.
It’s good to see somewhere stealing a march on SW11’s rather complacent bar scene; it’s a young and affluent area, but until now its punters have not demanded that their watering-holes do much more than have enough seating and be open. But although it’s not perfect, Iniquity is aiming a little higher, and with any justice the whole locale should benefit from that.
Iniquity has been reviewed by 12 users