Cabin 164 Dessert & Shisha Lounge

I’m so glad that I read the review for this place, and ergo discovered its existence. I’m pretty nostalgic, and very fond of the old days when I used to visit Kadas and Hookah for shisha and a coffee, with friends, so discovering this place was a real boon –all I needed was an excuse to visit, and someone who also enjoys a good shisha to partake of this avec moi. Luck would have it that last Friday, there was such an occasion.
It’s literally opposite the Grove Café, which is great if you fancy grabbing a decent bite before a coffee and a shisha. As you enter, there’s a general ‘bar’ area to sit, catch up with friends, and grab one of their varied soft drinks– they’ve a number of different coffees, teas, juices and so on, so you’re rather spoiled for choice. I opted for one of their more interesting teas, which I forget the name of, but I believe had honey in and it was lovely! You can also take your pick from a variety of delicious looking desserts.
As for the shisha, if you’re a fan, get involved. There’s a little store room, where it’s all kept, and amusingly when the door’s open you can see in –it looks a little like some kind of science experiment, with tons of red stained boxes from all the fruit. Shishas start from £8 and there are many different varieties that you can try– all different fruit types, and some special Cabin 164 mixes, that I’m sure would be lovely. I think we went for an apple, cherry and mint in the end, and needless to say it was lovely. Also, seemingly endless as in the many hours spent, it never ran out!
The back room boasts two awesome boudoir style booths, for which you’re required to remove your shoes, since they’re carpeted, padded and fully cushioned for an extended and most langourous stay. I believe I reclined there for at least four hours, inbetween coffees and such, and it was truly delightful –and a fabulous alternative to spending the night boozing away. The hot coal guys were amazing, and kept us topped up, checking that everything was dandy, which is always a boon. I was mildly amused by the music choice, which ranged from hip hop to some absolute 90s dance classics, to more Eastern music, but it wasn’t invasive enough to cause an issue. Would have loved it to perhaps be a touch more chilled, but as I said, it didn’t spoil the experience and added nostalgia!
All in all, I’m a big fan of the venue, and it’s for these reasons:
— It’s a lovely, relaxed way to socialise away from the pub
— The staff, throughout, were delightful and friendly
— The décor, and setting, is completely chilled
— The prices are really reasonable, and we weren’t hassled once in the 4 hours to top up on either drinks or shisha, which I thought was fabulous. (And made me more inclined to coffee up!)
All in all, a brilliant spot for those who enjoy a bit of fruit tobacco, a decent natter, and a lovely non-​alcoholic drink.

One night me and some friends got bored sitting round doing the same old thing and thought we’d venture across the road to Cabin 164, and it was pretty good!
You can see the mixture being freshly prepared by staff behind the counter and the smell is notable before you even enter the door.
There is quite a lot of seating however securing these places is quite difficult as its always quite busy; i always want to go into the booths which look really good but they are always reserved!
Alas, a seat is a seat! We were served by a number of staff as its fairly segmented which suits the procedure of ordering going through to the seating then getting the hookah and getting fresh coals and they were all lovely, especially the hot coals man. I went for ‘Brainstorm’, one because i love Arctic Monkeys and also lemon, blackcurrant and blueberry in my mind is a pretty sweet combo! My companions got watermelon and i cant remember the other one honestly. They all tasted amazing, especially mine but then again im pretty biased. The guy who appeared to own the place gave us free drinks, which is always a brucey bonus ans we were never short of hot coals from my new best buddy the coal man!
One thing i didnt appreciate was the fight that spontaneously started in the middle of the smoking area… what can one fight over in a hookah bar? Surely if someone was hogging the hookah fighting around red hot coals wouldnt be the answer. And i think that is the reason i cant give Cabin 164 a 4 star, really kills my mood when people fight and i think it was the same for others there too!
One tip