Behind The Wall Review
With autumn on its way, Behind The Wall in Hackney has updated their new cocktail menu and I was invited along to visit this hidden little gem of a bar. I nearly walked past it because this basement bar is a little hard to spot. Luckily I didn’t because I would have missed out on some gorgeous cocktails and another G&T to add to my top 10 list of G&T’s in London.
The bar itself is dimly lit and very intimate. It was the perfect location to catch up with a friend, I hadn’t seen in a while. Tucked away in our little hidey hole we enjoyed cocktails such as the Redcoat Rickey (Absinthe flambéed maple bourbon cherries, cranberry and lime olive, fennel seed extract, apero, brut nature) and the Vieux over Manhattan (100 proof rye, sweet vermouth, pisco, herbal liqueur, cold apple cedar smoke, orange).
The cocktails aren’t your regular types of cocktails and take a while to create. For example, The Raj Gin Fizz (Saffron gin, triple sec, grapefruit sour, agave, double cream, egg white, bourbon vanilla soda, grapefruit), which is described as ‘a kind of pudding drink’ takes 10 minutes to mix up. The bartenders are true mixologists are they shake, stir and create a bar magic show that’s truly entertaining to watch. The Gin Fizz really does taste like a pudding, so it’s a drink to end your night with before heading on home.
Now I mentioned the G&T that’s now in my top ten. Ike’s G & T (Gin, hopped grapefruit bitters, cardamon tonic, lemon). The Cardamon tonic is something special and made this drink way too easy to drink. I must admit, I couldn’t stop at one.
The food menu is small, but there’s plenty of fresh oysters and Oyster Poké. This is a dish I’ve been hearing a lot about so I was very intrigued to try it. I tried the Clam chowder (oyster with black rice, switchel glaze, lime pickled onions, lemon sea foam, Chesapeake seasoning, toasted pumpkin seeds). It was a very unusual dish and I can’t quite find the words to describe the flavours. It was tasty but the Clam Chowder was a bit overpowering.
Behind The Wall is open Tuesday to Sundays, 5—11 pm so it’s the perfect location if you’re looking for after work drinks in a small intimate setting. The bar was extremely busy the night we were there as there was a mix of both press and regular customers. The bartenders remained in high spirits, however, throughout the constant stream of customers lining up for cocktails. Make sure you go check out their new menu before winter comes and it’s time to change the menu to fit the new season.
Reporter: Tegan LeBon
Instagram and twitter: @toogs1
Basement,
411 Mare Street
London, E8 1HY
Phone: (020) 363-21951
http://www.behindthiswall.com/
https://www.facebook.com/btwldn
https://www.instagram.com/btwldn/
