Red Door

Popped in here as a final stop off at the end of a chilled night with a few friends. I wasn’t even aware it had opened and was thrilled to hear the building that used to be the old Black Horse & Rainbow pub and Lemon Lounge club was in use again.
The place itself looks amazing; the designers have gone with a style that works really well with the building. The high walls have been beautifully tiled with gorgeous murals incorporated into it and the lighting really makes the most of the internal archways and enormous windows. It’s described as a ‘neighbourhood bar’ but in my opinion it feels a lot cooler and more elegant than what I would consider a neighbourhood bar.
I have to say that the service was a wee bit hit and miss — we were under the impression that it was table service but we waited so long for a member of staff to come over to us that we nearly ended up going to the bar ourselves. However when a waiter eventually came over he was very charming and helpful where drinks choosing was concerned.
The drinks menu looked great and I was genuinely torn over whether to just have a glass of white wine or to go for something a bit more adventurous. My friend decided on a rather exciting (and high alcohol volume!) gin so I thought it would be rude not to join her. She went for a double of something called Death’s Door Gin (47%) and I chose the Portobello Gin (a paltry 42%) — double of course! My other two friends chose a Woodford Reserve straight up and a JD on the rocks with four ice cubes and a splash of water (because that’s how Frank Sinatra drank it apparently).
My gin friend and I asked for ‘tonic on the side’ and we were both a bit disappointed when the tonic arrived in two small tumblers with ice rather than in a bottle! It was clearly from the mixer tap as well as it was quite sweet — it seemed strange to use such cheap tonic on such beautiful gins! Also my other friend’s Woodford arrived with ice so got sent back… rather an expensive and silly mistake on the waiter’s part! However, we all enjoyed our drinks but the best thing was the music — a great mix of cool soul and 80s and 90s hits. I nearly jumped off my stool when Roachford’s Cuddly Toy came on! Amazing!
All in all I think Red Door deserves a second chance… the music and ambience alone have made me want to go back. Plus there are several other gins to sample!