An Asian-themed bar with an innovative drinks menu.

The Venue
Jbar is found beneath Sumosan, an exclusive Mayfair sushi bar. Once the door staff (rather stiff in demeanor) greet you and take your coat, you are ushered downstairs into the bar. It's a pleasing enough venue with dark grey raw concrete walls and low bench seating running around the perimeter, which provide seating at low dark-wood tables. A black bar runs down one side with bottles of premium spirits on display.

The Atmosphere
Jbar feels a bit stiff, as if trying a bit too hard to convince you they are hip and trendy here. At 6.30pm on a Friday night, don’t be surprised if there is only one other person there - a business type in their thirties scanning some documents. The servers are polite enough, but there is no real evidence of much personality. There is, however, quite a good soundtrack of chill-out beats.

The Drink
Jbar has a very good drink menu with some innovative choices. Their cocktails show evidence of some creative mixology at work in an effort to create some unusual signature drinks. These include ingredients like Nutella and green tea.

For wine drinkers, they have some unusual wine selections such as a couple of bottles from Lebanon and Argentina. They also feature sake served either warm or chilled. Some of the chilled sakes are infused with fruit juices. For those new to sake, they have a tasting flight that allows you to sample three 35ml sakes for under 10 quid.

The Last Word
The longer you sit in Jbar, the more it grows on you. The drink menu is recommended for exceptional and interesting selections. It’s a private and out of the way spot if you are trying to avoid the paparazzi.

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