Cafe Des Amis

Although there also is a well-known restaurant attached, this is a review purely about the basement bar of Cafe des Amis. It's a small but incredibly well stocked gem in the middle of bustling Covent Garden, to which I was introduced by a friend of mine who performed as a tenor in Puccini's 'La Boheme' at the Royal Opera House that is just around the corner. If you come here at around 10:30pm, you will inevitably bump into the stars and starlettes of that day's opera and other performers from theatreland, the stage directors and assistant costume designers, you name it. It's an intriguing crowd with a great somewhat bohemian (not too much so because it's quite pricey...) attitude, who are always up for a laugh and a quick song/imitation and for sharing some extraordinary stories about the crazy world of opera/theatre. Cafe des Amis offers an amazing selection of wines, ports, champagnes to satisfy all tastes and (almost all) wallets and is open late. Definitely a trendy place to go after the theatre/opera is over and muse over the meaning of art, music and life in general in the company of some sophisticated artists and performers.