VOC (Bar, Restaurant)

Best for: Rum; pre-train drinks; finding a pirate; passionate bartenders.

Great: Punches; ambience; secret hideaway; quirky drinking vessels.

Dear Mum,

If you're reading this then my message in a bottle has worked.

I'm sorry, I have run away with a rum-swilling pirate. I know this is selfish of me but you always did say that my free spirit would take me far. I just didn't realise it would be as far as this island. The thing is, if you had been in VOC where I met him, you would have probably run away with him too.

I know you won't understand but let me explain, I hope you see my reasons for being here as justified; I certainly do. So, it was just a typical Friday night, I'd finished work and met my lovely friend Orla. We headed out for a few drinks and stumbled upon this bar in King Cross. It looked like some kind of explorer’s mess on a ship with maps, telescopes and port holes. You know I love anything that's a bit different to the other prefabricated bars and pubs around London.

And that's when I met Alessandro, my pirate. Well he's not really a pirate but he's a real rum buff and I imagine he'd look kinda cool wearing an eye patch. I didn't know I loved him, it wasn't love at first sight. It was more love at first sip. If this guy could make such incredible potions to drink I couldn't imagine spending a day without him.

He's so passionate mum, you'd love him. At VOC he had barrels of rum suspended from the ceiling and they weren't just any old rum, he’d blended them himself. All crafted by his own beautiful hands - he puts rum and other ingredients in a barrel and lets it mature - making for the most beautiful drinks.

He made me a Bergamot Grog with one of the rums that had been blended with Earl Grey tea, palm sugar, galangal and fresh tobacco leaf. Don't worry, I wasn't smoking. It was so cool, it came in a miniature tankard. I wasn't the only one with a novel drinking apparatus as Orla had a Raspberry Shrub; a mixture of rum, lemon juice, sugar and fresh raspberries. You would have thought that it would be mouldy after maturing in there for a week but it was sweet and refreshing.

I had an arm wrestle with Orla to decide who would run away with Alessandro. I think you know who won 'cause this letter isn't coming from her. She didn't get a pirate but at least her mum still loves her.

We probably didn't need to set sail for rum-induced lazy days in the sun, all of this isn't needed. You're probably thinking, well, if VOC was so good, why didn't we stay there? There was a problem, I didn't like the toilets. To use them there’s a door which leads to a weird chinese buffet restaurant. VOC shares it facilities with them. After a few more of those punches I imagine the appeal of greasy chow mein would be heightened though.

Also, you can't get a tan in VOC.

So I think I've got you up to speed. In conclusion, I went to a bar, fell in drinking love and now I believe my blood has turned to rum. It might not have been what you had planned for me mum but I'm really happy here with my pirate.

Should you ever care to come and visit, please can you stop by VOC and bring us some more barrels? If not I'll be back when our rum supplies have depleted.

I love you
Becs

p.s. Sorry for not making my bed before I left....read more