Thursday 15 July 2010

viajante bar

So the bar at Viajante has only been open for a couple of months but it has a very cool, laid back vibe. Nuno Mendes (chef patron) tagline at Bacchus (the restaurant he used to own on hoxton street) was "fine dining in trainers" and that's exactly the feel in the bar. In fact the one person who was tarted up in shiny six inch stilletos and skin tight dress looked conspiciously out of place.
The bartender, Alex was happy to talk through the extensive cocktail list and make recommendations, I ended up going for the Matcha Fizz and the Breakfast Martini(£7.00). The martini had just the right balance of sweet and sour and the matcha fizz was beautifully refreshing. J got the Green Traveller(£7.50), artfully finished with precise dots of basil essence which apparently was an emulsion rather than an infusion. I had a sip and even these strong flavours worked fabulously without overpowering the rest of the drink.
We also sampled some of the bar menu, I had the lobster and bacon roll (£9) and well, it wasn't quite what I was expecting. I thought I was going to get something like what I had at Pearl in New York, a soft buttery roll filled to bursting with mayo and lobster. What I actually got was a dense, heavy sourdough type bread topped with bacon. I actually don't think this worked, the saltiness of the bacon and the heaviness of the bread overwhelmed the delicate sweetness of the lobster. J got the dry aged burger on a brioche bun with vanilla onions(£8.50) and this was much better. I was worried the vanilla and brioche would make the whole thing too sweet but it just gave the meat extra depth and flavour. I loved this and would definately order it again.

Viajante
Patriot Square
Bethnal Green
London E2 9NF
http://www.viajante.co.uk/
+44 (0) 20 7871 0461

2 comments:

  1. I think I need to go there just for the matcha fizz ;)

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  2. You should that matcha fizz is so your drink!

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