Callooh Callay (Bar)

Top 10 things I discovered about Callooh Callay bar when I visited:        
 
1) The name Callooh Callay is from a nonsense poem “Jabberwocky” written by Lewis Carroll. It’s like an exclamation of joy and happiness.

2) Joy is definitely what you get here. I walked in and the staff at the bar were wearing “I love JP” T-shirts. JP is Jeremy Precelton, the General Manager of Callooh Callay. The staff here are as whimsical as some of the characters in Lewis Carroll’s books.

3) Where else would you find a cocktail menu in the form of a college yearbook with a photo of all the staff in college poses next to matching cocktails?

4) I had a Swizzle dee, Swizzle dum, a rather fruitilicious gin based cocktail. Olga, who looked after me, was matched with the cocktail, Le Penca and the brain. It’s meant to taste smoky and Moorish, it’s so Olga.

5) If you are feeling peckish, their bar menu is filled with hearty starters: mini-burgers, beer battered chips and alike. The lamb satay and crispy pork ribs I ate was more of a main portion than starter portion.

6) Ultimately, this is a cocktail bar. There are only four types of white wine, four types of red wine and two types of beer. They didn’t win the title of World’s Best Cocktail Menu last year by focusing on wine and beer! They specialise in putting twists on old classic cocktails like their peachy Colada.

7) The décor is quirky if a little haphazard; like walking into Mad Hatter’s lair. One corner has a barber’s pole; another has a gramophone; and I sat next to a tree lamp.

8) Those Appleton estate copper mugs used to hold the food menu, napkins and cutlery must be a collector’s item. I wonder how many disappear over the course of a weekend.

9) You got to love a venue, when the staff walk around pouring tap water for customers as a matter of fact, instead of pushing over-priced bottled water.

10) You know you’ve made it in the world of imbibing when drinks companies are falling over themselves to sponsor your secret pop-up room. Last month it was Hennessy and this month, they have Johnny Walker sponsoring the upstairs bar....read more