Latest reviews for Bars & Pubs in Barbican, London, United Kingdom

The Wall - by slim_cop

slim_cop — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:57:05 +0000

Review by slim_cop

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 7588 4845

Website: http://www.thewallbar.co.uk

This is possibly the worst place I have ever been in: we arrived around 2.30pm for a late lunch, the surly staff ushered us over to the far end next to the fire exit, they then proceeded to shift furniture around, opening the fire exit to carry things in and out thus letting in a howling wind. We had to ask them to take our order. The place was infested with barflys. The portions were pitifully small. The salmon was overdone. There was no soap in the toilets, and the pushdown tap stayed on full blast for the best part of two minutes. There was a general air of shambolic decay about the place. If it lasts another week I'll be shocked.This is possibly the worst place I have ever been in: we arrived around 2.30pm for a late lunch, the surly staff ushered us over to the far end next to the fire exit, they then proceeded to shift furniture around, opening the fire exit to carry things in and out thus letting in a howling wind. We had to ask them to take our order. The place was infested with barflys. The portions were pitifully small. The salmon was overdone. There was no soap in the toilets, and the pushdown tap stayed on full blast for the best part of two minutes. There was a general air of shambolic decay about the place. If it lasts another week I'll be shocked.

Old China Hand - Old China Hand by AmberLight

AmberLight — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 13:19:28 +0000

Review by AmberLight

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7278 7678

Website: http://www.oldchinahand.co.uk

Tags: relaxed, food, friendly

I really like this place because the staff are so friendly and welcoming. Its got a lovely calm atmosphere too; so good for catching up with friends away from noisy farringdon crowds and banging bar music. Pretty fairy lights and candles. The new chef I have heard is quite good (Malaysian and Dim Sum) though I have not tried menu recently. They have a good selection of ales. Mixed crowd - worth a look in.I really like this place because the staff are so friendly and welcoming. Its got a lovely calm atmosphere too; so good for catching up with friends away from noisy farringdon crowds and banging bar music. Pretty fairy lights and candles. The new chef I have heard is quite good (Malaysian and Dim Sum) though I have not tried menu recently. They have a good selection of ales. Mixed crowd - worth a look in.

Vertigo 42 - Bubbly Overview by intoxicating

intoxicating — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 13:17:20 +0000

Review by intoxicating

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 7877 7842

Website: http://www.vertigo42.co.uk

Tags: posh, young professionals, friendly

I HAVE attempted some silly things in an effort to triumph a fear of heights. There was the charity skywire from my university library (the only time I entered it, and witness how fast I fled). During my gap year, I leapt out of a manky little contraption which looked like a prop from â¬ÜWacky Racesâ¬". A video somewhere records swearing suitable for 12,000 feet. And when I was still making television programmes, I straddled a microlight / moped with wings to research a location, as did my presenter who accidentally unfastened his seatbelt whilst leaning to look at the speck of his house... I must have developed a relaxed attitude to altitude since, because I was utterly undaunted by a drink at 600ft. Maybe thatâ¬"s dipsomania?

Since living in London, I have been awestruck by Tower 42. A 1970â¬"s stalwart which resembles a razor blade from the ground and the NatWest insignia from the air. It was their H.Q. until the Bishopsgate Bombing of 1993. I have a friend who took in the aftermath from his campus bar. He told me that reams of paper filed through smashed windows like hellish ticker-tape. The chunky stainless steel frames force the eye to travel to the top and simultaneously tone down the windows. We live in a gradually more glassy London. I believe that in two decades we will harbour as much affection for this over-used material as we do today towards 1960â¬"s concrete.

We were booked into â¬ÜVertigo 42â¬" for an hour and a quarter of Champagne and backdrop. The lobby looked like the bridge of the Enterprise and gently hummed. Once through airport style security, we were ushered to the barâ¬"s very own lift, in Silk Cut purple. After an ascent taking half a second per floor, we pinged into a night club lobby with chaise longue, then the mirrored corridor bar.

Our tight ledge looked over Liverpool Street. We went just before sunset and saw a city threatened by night fight back with filaments. Long trails of brake lights looked like a lava flow.

The house fizz is minimally marked-up delivering petite, pleasant lemon-lime bubbles. You could spend £100s, although for less than £50 it was revitalising rather than distracting from the landscape. Earthy ceps which smelt of truffle were loaded on warm brioche with a slightly over-poached egg. A board of charcuterie unpeeled - I imagine - from a packet. was garishly garnished with slippery pickled onions. These clashed with the Champagne â¬ how thoughtless. I expected a menu afloat with sturgeonsâ¬" eggs rather than hearty peasant planks.

Music was vigorous, urging â¬Üvoulez vous coucher avec moi?â¬" I suppose the spike is a great aphrodisiac to escort a date to gaze, giddily at the glazing. There were plenty of city boys too exercising their Coutts cards. Easy to deride them, but if they stop spending, those providing our eating opportunities will be wounded.

I heard someone say that London looked beautiful, but didnâ¬"t agree. -An impressive, vital expanse. But never beautiful.

Soon the tower will be in the shadow of Richard Rogersâ¬" Leadenhall Tower, set to soar 737ft. Then the Heron Tower will extend over 800ft, including a five storey aquarium. The Pinnacle will eclipse them both at nearly 950ft. And providing they resolve the economics, the London Bridge shard, at over 1000ft, will truly scrape the sky.

As my ears popped during the plunge of the little lift, which alleges to fit 13, I realised that the building interests me far more than the bar. If I experienced Vertigo on the ground, I would have found it a little less than ordinaryâ¬¦I HAVE attempted some silly things in an effort to triumph a fear of heights. There was the charity skywire from my university library (the only time I entered it, and witness how fast I fled). During my gap year, I leapt out of a manky little contraption which looked like a prop from â¬ÜWacky Racesâ¬". A video somewhere records swearing suitable for 12,000 feet. And when I was still making television programmes, I straddled a microlight / moped with wings to research a location, as did my presenter who accidentally unfastened his seatbelt whilst leaning to look at the speck of his house... I must have developed a relaxed attitude to altitude since, because I was utterly undaunted by a drink at 600ft. Maybe thatâ¬"s dipsomania?

Since living in London, I have been awestruck by Tower 42. A 1970â¬"s stalwart which resembles a razor blade from the ground and the NatWest insignia from the air. It was their H.Q. until the Bishopsgate Bombing of 1993. I have a friend who took in the aftermath from his campus bar. He told me that reams of paper filed through smashed windows like hellish ticker-tape. The chunky stainless steel frames force the eye to travel to the top and simultaneously tone down the windows. We live in a gradually more glassy London. I believe that in two decades we will harbour as much affection for this over-used material as we do today towards 1960â¬"s concrete.

We were booked into â¬ÜVertigo 42â¬" for an hour and a quarter of Champagne and backdrop. The lobby looked like the bridge of the Enterprise and gently hummed. Once through airport style security, we were ushered to the barâ¬"s very own lift, in Silk Cut purple. After an ascent taking half a second per floor, we pinged into a night club lobby with chaise longue, then the mirrored corridor bar.

Our tight ledge looked over Liverpool Street. We went just before sunset and saw a city threatened by night fight back with filaments. Long trails of brake lights looked like a lava flow.

The house fizz is minimally marked-up delivering petite, pleasant lemon-lime bubbles. You could spend £100s, although for less than £50 it was revitalising rather than distracting from the landscape. Earthy ceps which smelt of truffle were loaded on warm brioche with a slightly over-poached egg. A board of charcuterie unpeeled - I imagine - from a packet. was garishly garnished with slippery pickled onions. These clashed with the Champagne â¬ how thoughtless. I expected a menu afloat with sturgeonsâ¬" eggs rather than hearty peasant planks.

Music was vigorous, urging â¬Üvoulez vous coucher avec moi?â¬" I suppose the spike is a great aphrodisiac to escort a date to gaze, giddily at the glazing. There were plenty of city boys too exercising their Coutts cards. Easy to deride them, but if they stop spending, those providing our eating opportunities will be wounded.

I heard someone say that London looked beautiful, but didnâ¬"t agree. -An impressive, vital expanse. But never beautiful.

Soon the tower will be in the shadow of Richard Rogersâ¬" Leadenhall Tower, set to soar 737ft. Then the Heron Tower will extend over 800ft, including a five storey aquarium. The Pinnacle will eclipse them both at nearly 950ft. And providing they resolve the economics, the London Bridge shard, at over 1000ft, will truly scrape the sky.

As my ears popped during the plunge of the little lift, which alleges to fit 13, I realised that the building interests me far more than the bar. If I experienced Vertigo on the ground, I would have found it a little less than ordinaryâ¬¦

Abacus Bar - Abacus by ocean0201

ocean0201 — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:44:15 +0000

Review by ocean0201

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 7337 6767

Website: http://www.abacusbar.co.uk

Tags: cool, lively, food

A trendy bar near Bank station, Abacus in its new avatar is a good place to hang out. Preferred by city workers, the place is also is a favourite with many of the trendy folks. There are lots of drinks on offer and the food is actually good. There is also a dance floor at the lower levels and it seems to be very popular with the girls.
One piece of warning though. There are few mini-cab drivers and suspicious looking characters outside. I have not heard of any problems but it does feel odd once you step out late in night.
Overall, a trendy joint for those wanting a late night drink.A trendy bar near Bank station, Abacus in its new avatar is a good place to hang out. Preferred by city workers, the place is also is a favourite with many of the trendy folks. There are lots of drinks on offer and the food is actually good. There is also a dance floor at the lower levels and it seems to be very popular with the girls.
One piece of warning though. There are few mini-cab drivers and suspicious looking characters outside. I have not heard of any problems but it does feel odd once you step out late in night.
Overall, a trendy joint for those wanting a late night drink.

Valente's Wine Bar - Valente's but only if you can get upstairs by mazphd

mazphd — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 04:59:51 +0000

Review by mazphd

Rating: 2.00

Phone: 020 7702 1123

Tags: bar, happy hour, seating area

Something really odd about Valente's. Right bang in the middle of the cities financial district this bar is more trendy then any real substance of style.

The bar itself is split over 2 floors. Usually not an issue, but this particular evening I was out with a friend who needed wheelchair access. The key word here being 'access'. So as a relatively 'new' and 'trendy' bar supposition was that this would not be a problem. And Valente's does have disabled facilities - just on the first floor. See where i am going (or rather not) here.

So we envisaged a lift that would whisk up to the 'trendier' bar above. And yes there is a lift - lets face it Valente's would be in grave danger of having a law suit on their hands if they did not provide such 'access'. But there's that word again 'access'. So the lift is in the neighbouring building, that closes after 7pm. And here lies the problem. Essentially no lift, no access, and no offer of any other kind of help. So you can see why i am having a tricky time giving Valente's anything more than 2 stars.

Other info, menu is the usual bar food, nacho's, steak sandwiches etc all straight out the packet and microwave. convenience eating is all about quantity not quality. much like the bar area itself; which is long , glass (a lot of glass) and not much else. The wine menu is limited, which is surprising for a venue so close to the rich list of banking world, and their recommended champagne is poss only recommended by the staff so they can get rid of it. I can only assume that the 'good stuff' is hidden somewhere else, or like their disabled facitilites theyve overlooked to thoroughly invest in this too.

So why 2 stars ? well you know what you are going to get and that is something that we British like to rate! In sum a 'too trendy' bar, that offers bar snacks and somewhere to admire the beautiful people as they walk past (and keep going if they have any sense!). oh and did i mention the glass floor that when you are downstairs means that you can 'admire' the footware of those standing on top you. remember i said trendy not classy.
Something really odd about Valente's. Right bang in the middle of the cities financial district this bar is more trendy then any real substance of style.

The bar itself is split over 2 floors. Usually not an issue, but this particular evening I was out with a friend who needed wheelchair access. The key word here being 'access'. So as a relatively 'new' and 'trendy' bar supposition was that this would not be a problem. And Valente's does have disabled facilities - just on the first floor. See where i am going (or rather not) here.

So we envisaged a lift that would whisk up to the 'trendier' bar above. And yes there is a lift - lets face it Valente's would be in grave danger of having a law suit on their hands if they did not provide such 'access'. But there's that word again 'access'. So the lift is in the neighbouring building, that closes after 7pm. And here lies the problem. Essentially no lift, no access, and no offer of any other kind of help. So you can see why i am having a tricky time giving Valente's anything more than 2 stars.

Other info, menu is the usual bar food, nacho's, steak sandwiches etc all straight out the packet and microwave. convenience eating is all about quantity not quality. much like the bar area itself; which is long , glass (a lot of glass) and not much else. The wine menu is limited, which is surprising for a venue so close to the rich list of banking world, and their recommended champagne is poss only recommended by the staff so they can get rid of it. I can only assume that the 'good stuff' is hidden somewhere else, or like their disabled facitilites theyve overlooked to thoroughly invest in this too.

So why 2 stars ? well you know what you are going to get and that is something that we British like to rate! In sum a 'too trendy' bar, that offers bar snacks and somewhere to admire the beautiful people as they walk past (and keep going if they have any sense!). oh and did i mention the glass floor that when you are downstairs means that you can 'admire' the footware of those standing on top you. remember i said trendy not classy.

Union Tavern - Gastro Pub by walid

walid — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 00:43:27 +0000

Review by walid

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 7278 0111

Tags: food, good value, bruschetta

I'm wondering whether or not the Union Tavern is to be considered as a Gastro Pub or just a pub? I would lean more towards the gastro side for the following reasons. It has a lot of tables with bottles of wine for being just a simple pub. But it's the food that makes it different.

The food has an international slant to it, for example my starter dish was a kind of bruschetta with some chorizo, halloumi, rocket salad and tomatoes (picture). I was very happily surprised both by the quality ingredients used this starter dish but also how well they all mixed. Feeling very happy to the beginning of this experience I looked forward to my lamb steak with fries. As you can see by the picture the large lamb steak does look quite appetizing. Whilst it was pretty well cooked and the fries where tasty and crispy it wasn't enough to set it apart as being very good.

For dessert I had a creme bruler that wasn't quite what I'm used to (I'm French) but wasn't bad. The Union Tavern has a lunch menu for Â£6.95 which includes a starter and a main dish. At that price it's a real bargain even if I had to add an extra Â£4 for the lamb steak. Will be coming back againI'm wondering whether or not the Union Tavern is to be considered as a Gastro Pub or just a pub? I would lean more towards the gastro side for the following reasons. It has a lot of tables with bottles of wine for being just a simple pub. But it's the food that makes it different.

The food has an international slant to it, for example my starter dish was a kind of bruschetta with some chorizo, halloumi, rocket salad and tomatoes (picture). I was very happily surprised both by the quality ingredients used this starter dish but also how well they all mixed. Feeling very happy to the beginning of this experience I looked forward to my lamb steak with fries. As you can see by the picture the large lamb steak does look quite appetizing. Whilst it was pretty well cooked and the fries where tasty and crispy it wasn't enough to set it apart as being very good.

For dessert I had a creme bruler that wasn't quite what I'm used to (I'm French) but wasn't bad. The Union Tavern has a lunch menu for Â£6.95 which includes a starter and a main dish. At that price it's a real bargain even if I had to add an extra Â£4 for the lamb steak. Will be coming back again

Exmouth Arms - by qwghlm

qwghlm — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 15:23:59 +0000

Review by qwghlm

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 7837 5622

Website: http://www.pubsnbars.co.uk

Tags: food, traditional

Reasonable pub - good selection of lagers and wheat beers but nothing stand-out about the place. Perfectly fine for stopping off for a quick drink in, though.Reasonable pub - good selection of lagers and wheat beers but nothing stand-out about the place. Perfectly fine for stopping off for a quick drink in, though.