This is going to be one of those "if you like this sort of thing, this is probably something you'd love" reviews - and, in the interest of full disclosure, my first visit to Gogo was for a private event, which had a HUGE number of people attending, so, keep that in mind as you read.
My wife and I are always on the hunt for a great cocktail, so, when I received an invitation to a private event to be held at Gogo, we were really looking forward to the visit. Something new, have a cocktail, mingle, see how it goes.
The venue is beneath Chin Chin, and the best way to get there is to go down the lane way and enter that way - I don't even know if there's a way of getting there from street level and Chin Chin.
Once through the door you enter into a reasonably sized space with several tall tables in the middle, semi-circular seating areas to the right, and towards the back a bit more seating on a sofa-style area.
The bar itself is on the left and seems to have a reasonable selection of the usual spirits you'd expect.
Ok, so, what did we like? Well, I wanted a cocktail that wasn't on the list that the event was providing, and the bartender was happy to have a go making it. It wasn't something he was familiar with, but, that's okay, he was adventurous enough to try, and I respect that.
The cocktail that I did try which was "on the menu" for the event was a gin-based drink which they call the Far East Side. It was actually quite nice, and I really wanted to try another (as well as other drinks) BUT, the venue was so packed that there was simply no way for the staff to keep up. The only drinks I saw wandering by were beers, and it was so crowded that there were two trays of drinks spilled/broken in the first hour of the event -- so trying to wander over to the bar to grab something just wasn't going to happen.
So, yep, points for that cocktail, and would love to have tried another, but, just wasn't on the cards.
My wife started with a glass of bubbles (meh) and then asked for one of her favourites, the El Guapo, to be made -- that's where I chatted with the bartender.
They didn't have all the right ingredients, and, he'd never heard of the drink before, but he had a go and it was actually okay. It was sweeter than my wife would prefer, but, kudos for him having a go. Price was $20, which was a bit steep, but they used good spirits and he did ask my permission first...so all good there.
If you've read this far you're seeing mostly positive comments, so, why only the two stars?
Acoustics and logistics.
It was painfully loud in Gogo, music playing, lots of people, and this was only at around 1900. It would be impossible to have a conversation in there when busy without shouting. I don't like to shout, so, anywhere which is especially loud doesn't work for me.
It also got very, very, very warm in the basement location. So much so that after only hanging around for about 40 minutes, and unable to find a second drink, we attempted to make a bee-line for the door and get out into the fresh air.
But, as I say, logistics - I think that when the place is quiet and empty, it may be lovely, but, when packed, it's very difficult to get from one end of the bar to the other.
We managed, and it did look like the staff was doing their best to keep up - but it wasn't the sort of venue and experience we are most drawn to. read more