Food

Peony at Opium Chinatown Review: A Secret Bar Within a Secret Bar

Chinatown. Once famous for its all you can eat buffets and their supermarkets eclectic Asian ingredients now holds a new prestige. Cocktails. If there is a sector in London to find kooky, secret, decadent cocktail bars it’s Chinatown. image5-1

Behind a jade door on 15-16 Gerrard Street lies both a new and old cocktail experience. Opium has been a prominent London dim sum and cocktail bar for a while now, however from one of Chinatown’s most desirable eating spots a new child has been born; Peony.

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Peony has all the charm of Opium with the intimacy of a smaller even more secret bar.

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The walls are lined with a mix of Chinese teapots, which are used to house your choice of cocktail. And the cocktails are second to none. Our expert mixologist whipped up a storm with some tea. Hmm not the sort of ‘builders get you up in the morning’ tea, more a ‘mouthwateringly fresh and subtly alcoholic type that knocks your socks off and you don’t realise until you stand up’ sort of tea. A delicious concoction of vodka, dragon fruit. Sweet yet slightly earthy, and a few more cheeky ingredients that we won’t give away. Lip smacking-ly delish.

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Be sure to team this with a perfect dim sum accompaniment, steaming and fresh from the restaurant below. My favourite was the BBQ dumpling, however Mother Glencross loved the prawn and pork dim sum. We were presented with 3 gorgeous dipping sauces which could have been eaten on their own!

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We sat for a good time, chatting, sipping, chomping in a setting reminiscent of an opium den back in the old orient. Sultry, sexy and oozing with charm.

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Impress a date, wow your friends or just pass on the message. There’s something secret you should know about, and it’s just through the jade door…..

Twitter: @peonychinatown

Reporter: Aspen and Mother Glencross @GollumCrackCorn

Peony at Opium

The Jade Door

15 – 16 Gerrard Street, Chinatown