Where there is tiki, there is me. A statement, simply put but true. As a lover of rum cocktails, I love the drinks culture and the accompanying 'party vibe' doesn't go amiss either. So when The Beachcomber opened up recently in Paddington, with food by the fabulous Creole Kitchen, I was there in a flash to get my tiki awnnnnn.
It's a quaint little spot underground off of Queensway, done it up in true tiki fashion. You'd never know what it was from the outside so it's a good place to take people to if you want to be all smug and impress. A gem, I think the technical term is.
The drinks list is large, mostly centered around rum and priced around £8-9 per cocktail. We tried a wide selection including the Route 666 – a heady blend of jagermeister, coconut and beetroot – and the killer Zombie, blended from four different rums and served in a glass skull. The ultimate Friday night drink.
Food is by Creole Kitchen and its founder Vanessa Bolosier was there to take us through the menu of Caribbean small plates. Plantain crisps with a fiery avocado feroce sauce are a steal at £2.5 and her coconut coleslaw (£3) is famous – rightly so, it's cracking. My favourite dish on the entire menu though came in her saltfish fritters (£5). These were dreamy little puffs of salty moist fish in a crisp batter shell. I ate a disgraceful amount of them and still remember them weeks later – the hallmark of a remarkable dish.
So….the verdict? It's spot on for afterwork drinks or a casual spot to sit with a group of friends, snacking and sipping. Get along and try it for yourselves.
86 Queensway, London W2 3RR
020 7221 2455
https://www.facebook.com/TheBeachcomberBar/
