The Gallery (Bar)

Top 10 things you need to know about The Gallery bar:

1) All great artists need a muse: Oscar Wilde and Pablo Picasso had absinthe; Marilyn Monroe had champagne; it’s gin and tonic for JK Rowling; and if yours is whisky, then The Gallery is your workshop. They have 101 whiskies to choose from.

2) Black and white are still in vogue with the fashionistas: black and white menus, black and white photos, even the clientele at The Gallery like to dress in black and white.

3) Added to the familiar colour scheme is an extensive collection of vinyls. This place is heaven for all old school music lovers, especially as they also host live jazz nights.

4) Downstairs it feels the creative hub for the West Hampstead locals: relaxing Chesterfield sofas, vocabulary-enhancing games like Scrabble, and, of course, a whisky bar with endless bottles of whiskies and bourbons.

5) Making sure you get enough of those creative juices, their menu is also heavy on the spirits front: rye-cured salmon, whisky mussels, and bourbon cherry and chocolate clafoutis.

6) Bourbon really does lift life above the mundane. BBQ squid is your standard pub dish, but with the addition of this brown elixir, it's fragrant, it brings out the flavours from the squid and it even tenderises the meat.

7) Desserts aren't always top of everyone's wish list, but add some whisky custard to your classic apple pie and it isn't hard to make extra space. Just listen to Mark Twain: "Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough".

8) If anything, their kitchen staff need more whisky before food service. The presentation of most dishes lacks any artistry. Looks aren't everything, though, as some might say.

9) If you get confused by the overwhelming choice of 101 whiskies, the helpful staff are always on hand to recommend the right muse for you. The smoky whisky sour would be a great choice for most: sultry, frothy and very Marilyn-esque.

10) If libraries were built more like The Gallery, the nation's literacy problems would be solved overnight. God bless all the whisky bars in London....read more