Ok... I'll put my hands up and say the last review may have been down to teething problems, I gave them another chance last night and I'm glad I did.
When arranging where myself and Yelper Jon B. were going to meet I had a conundrum. We could only meet for an hour and Jon works in the Colmore Business District, so where to go? I could have opted for one of my faves in the area, but thought it was about time I got back on the horse and gave the Bureau another go.
Firstly, I will admit we didn't have food (which was my main gripe last time). I intend to remedy that soon. So, back to my experience. I was meeting Jon at 5:45 (prime afterwork drinks time) so was a little worried that everywhere might be packed. I was pleasantly surprised to note that whilst the venue wasn't empty, but there was a booth free. I grabbed this, dropped my stuff down and perused the cocktail menu.
Both times I have visited before, I didn't really look at the cocktail menu (as the first visit was a lunch meeting and the second time I just had a hankering for a "Bloody Mary"). The cocktail menu is pretty darn extensive. Covering a good range of alcoholic (and a small range of non alcoholic) cocktails, as well as a large selection of spirits, beer and wine.
For our first drink I decided we would try a signature cocktail for the venue, The Bureau Iced Tea. It's a bit lethal booze-wise, but very tasty and well presented. I was served by a friendly and helpful barman and our drinks were ready within 5 minutes. The venue was a good choice to meet and chat, as it had a nice atmosphere but wasn't too loud and was neat, clean and has an opulent feel.
For our second cocktail, Jon decided we would go for a couple of Mai Tai's. These were the cincher for their second star. Firstly, once ordered, they told us to take a seat and they would bring them over. Secondly, the drink was fresh, sweet, a little sour and you couldn't taste the alcohol. All in all, maybe one of the best Mai Tai's I have EVER had.
Again, I can't say that they've fixed the issues with food - but I have heard good things about their offerings since. I will say head down and try a Mai Tai. See what you think (and let me know!). read more