Sugar Hut is an exotic bar and restaurant offering a decadent dining and drinking experience in highly sensuous surrounds.

The Venue
Sugar Hut is a sleek and curious venue on Fulham’s busy North End Road. It is easily missed, as there are no signs or flashing lights to mark the entrance to this moody and mysterious tomb-like venue. Instead, the only thing separating it from the rush of traffic outside is a heavy, gothic-style wooden door, which is slung open on it’s oversized, gun metal hinges by a suit-clad host when you ring the doorbell. While it may be discreet from the front, Sugar Hut is anything but restrained inside.

The interior is a luxurious mix of North African colours and textures with Oriental accessories and embellishments. The decor is heady, making Sugar Hut the perfect destination for a night of lavish cocktails and aromatic Thai food to share in plush, palatial surrounds. The bar and restaurant flow into each other, separated only by the soft curves of stone arches. High backed chairs sit like thrones at the dining tables, which are draped in rich velvet and finished with flickering candles.

The Atmosphere
Descend into the cavernous world of Sugar Hut and you’ll feel as if you have been transported into the boudoir of Moroccan royalty. Oversized daybeds are scattered with cushions decorated in sumptuous fabrics, inviting you to lounge with your cocktail. The light is dim and luxurious whilst feature lamps and lanterns create pockets of glowing gold. The ambience is intimate and the surrounds evoke the cosiness of an ancient underground cellar or den. Waiters swish silently between the tables carrying large trays of oversized glasses and plates. The service is hushed and attentive, although on busier nights you could wait longer than you’d like to have your table cleared.

After dinner the lights are dimmed even more and the music is cranked up a notch as the bar and lounge area transforms into a dancefloor. The atmosphere immediately becomes highly-charged – this can be a problem for those eating late or wanting to linger at the table over a glass of wine and dessert as the music is practically impossible to speak over and the flashing lights from the bar strobe into the restaurant. The ambience here is generally seductive and luxurious, and to experience the best of Sugar Hut it it’s best to go during the week when the vibe is chilled and the nightclub atmosphere is not overwhelming.

The Music
The bar is not sectioned off from the restaurant, so during the week, the music is laid back and unobtrusive. Toward the end of the week there is a DJ and later in the night the music takes over the venue making dancing or people-watching your only option. There is also live music on Sunday nights.

The Food
The menu is a plentiful Thai affair. If you’re in the mood to share, the platters of springrolls, wontons, dumplings and tempura are extremely satisfying. The menu covers everything from traditional green and red curries to pots of mussels and baked fish in Thai spices. There are plenty of choices for vegetarians and a few set menus to choose from for parties as small as two. The set menus are excellent value, providing three courses for around £30, whereas ordering a la carte can be a little pricer. Overall the prices are reasonable, but don’t expect anything along the lines of a £3 egg fried rice from your local Chinese takeaway.

The Drink
The venue is a bar in its own right so the drinks menu is executed with as much attention to detail as the food menu. The cocktail list alone goes on for pages and will have you spoilt for choice. Slings are the signature cocktail – choose between such tantalising and refreshing flavours as passionfruit and watermelon. The cocktail prices are more what you’d expect in the West End, although the concoctions are worth their weight in liquor as they are served generously in flamboyant glasses and garnished with exotic fruits for full effect.

The Last Word
The exotic surrounds of Sugar Hut make it more than just a bar or restaurant. It is a place of seduction to indulge in all manner of carnal pleasures.

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