dAt bAr is a chilled out, funky sort of place that is good for a drink or some above-average bar food. My friend and I got a table with no trouble on a Saturday night, and ordered waaaaay too much food to share! Frankly would've been nice if the waitress had pointed this out, but oh well! We shared vegetarian arancini (risotto balls, three in an order), artichoke and cauliflower fritters with aioli, a beetroot lentil goat's cheese pickled onion salad, and a pizza - half Romilly (vegetarian with courgette and red peppers) and half Tallulah Mac (with spicy sausage). Phew! I'm amazed we ate as much as we did!
Cocktails came first, mine was a gin-based one which was very tasty but not strong enough - maybe that's why it was so tasty? I had basically no buzz going after drinking it, which made me sad. They do have loads of fun beers there, which is clearly more of their specialty. I stuck with wine for my next drink. As for the food, the risotto balls were absolutely massive, and very crispy on the outside which I liked, but didn't care too much for them in general. The "fritters" were just fried artichokes and cauliflower, and they were actually pretty delicious in their simplicity. Didn't even need the aioli. Really light, crispy batter. The salad was one of my favorite bits too as it was really fresh. Could use more beets! Lentils were cooked perfectly and the pickled onions added a nice kick. The pizza was okay too, though not the best in town, the cheese was melty and the crust was crispy. I just didn't find it that special. However, everything is made in-house and it shows, because nothing seemed anything less than fresh. Even if you don't like something there, you won't be able to say that they didn't make it from scratch which is really something.
Service was slow, especially for drinks, and the atmosphere was very loud! The light in there is dim and red, giving it a cool punky vibe. I'd definitely come back and try some more food and have some beers! Though I didn't find most of the food super memorable, I appreciate what they're doing and want to explore their menu a bit further. read more