Mandarin Bar is everything you might expect from a 5 star Knightsbridge hotel: glamorous, decadent and painfully expensive, but when the drinks are this good, who cares?

The Venue
Located a couple of minute’s walk from Knightsbridge tube station - a stone’s throw from Harrods - lies the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, a lavishly opulent 5 star hotel. With flags flying from its face, the marble pillars beckon you inside with a decadent wave. Through the stunning reception area you’re met with a funkily modern bar that isn’t in keeping with the OTT surroundings of the hotel itself, helping to create the kind of hotel bar you’ll want to spend some serious time in.

A large central bar with a colourful array of bottles behind frosted glass creates an interesting, artistic centrepiece with plenty of room for comfortable tables and chairs surrounding it. The clever use of mirrors makes for a nice feeling of airiness and the colour scheme is neutral without being dull. A large Moet Champagne sculpture made up of Champagne flutes and diamond-encrusted Moet bottles sets the scene as you embark on a pricey but exciting assault on the senses.

The Atmosphere
If you expect the Mandarin Bar to be stuffy you couldn’t be further from the truth. Rammed with the rich and beautiful at the weekends, the atmosphere has a definitive party edge as people chill out and laugh and joke with each other to the loud soundtrack of funky jazz music. Everyone is friendly and the sounds of people letting loose with a cocktail or three is palpable.

The staff are particularly worthy of mention as the service is nothing short of London's finest 5 star hotels. A large workforce makes sure that everyone is attended to at all times - even when the bar is heaving. With genuine smiles and an in depth knowledge of the menu, they offer up suggestions and banter whilst maintaining an air of professionalism.

The Food
Pricey but decent bar snacks are available at Mandarin Bar, all costing £10-£15 a dish and including Tempura soft shell crab, dim sum, wok fried pork with wantan, club sandwiches, and even fish and chips. Particularly tasty are the peking duck spring rolls with hoi sin sauce, which are crispy and light. They may be on the expensive side but the portions aren’t stingy and the quality is high - what else do you expect from such a bar?

The Drink
There’s a large drinks menu available at Mandarin Bar, centred around an impressive selection of cocktails. Slightly cheaper than other hotel bars in the area, Champagne cocktails cost £14.50, classics £14, Mandarin Bar specials are £13.50 and martinis come in at £14, not exactly cheap but worth every hard-earned penny. French 75 (gin, lemon juice, sugar and Champagne) is sweet but not overbearing with a light alcoholic taste cutting through to avoid an overpowering syrupy consistency. If you’re after something with more of a kick then Original Cin (Henessey fine de cognac, cloudy apple juice, raspberry, cinnamon and syrup) has a citrus, spiced apple flavour but the cognac packs quite a kick with its powerful aftertaste. The Elder Gin Phys (physalis, grapefruit juice, gin and elderflower presse) is an interesting and unique cocktail with bits of physalis fruit coming through with every sip, giving a nice, unusual twist to the run-of-the-mill fruit cocktails. A nice touch is the glassware - going the extra mile to present the drinks in as attractive a manner as possible. From opulent-stemmed martini glasses and extravagant, colourful Champagne flutes, you‘ll find yourself enchanted by the cocktails before you take your first sip.

If you prefer your drink straight up then they have a nice Champagne selection ranging from a well-priced Moet et Chandon Brut Imperial for £55 to a more extravagant Dom Ruinart 1990 rose for a pricey £295. Alternatively, white wines include a reasonable £27 Grenache Viognier 2006, increasing to a pricier £56 bottle of Meursault 2005. Reds range from Garnacha Tintanero 2006 for £27 a bottle to Tenuta del terriccio 2004 for £53. There’s also a large selection of spirits to choose from and an especially nice choice of whiskeys with blended and malted variations, including the excellent Johnny Walker Blue Label for £30 a shot. Alternatively, try the cognac, there’s a great selection whether you want a decent Courvoisier for £9 or a more extravagant Hennessey Richard for a whopping £145 a shot.

The Last Word
To experience the taste of the high life in a modern setting with no stuffiness then the Mandarin Bar is a fine choice. Just remember to bring the credit card and be prepared to splash the cash - it’s worth every penny.

venue information venue map view london review user reviews (1) image gallery (3)