#188 Experimental Cocktail Club
Behind an unmarked black door in the heart of China Town lies the Experimental Cocktail Club, heralded as a 5 star place to be by Time Out, which not unsurprisingly we felt obliged to check out (mainly though due to the word cocktail in the title of the place…). Although this is not a well sign posted place- the stream of incongruous looking white couples bartering with the doorman to get in, certainly helped us find our way.
Mr Brown's photo of the Experimental Cocktail Club. Such as it is...
Once inside, we loved the setting, set across two floors – with dark lighting, cosy seating areas and beautiful oriental walls and ceilings, which we assumed came from past incarnations of the place. And although the booking and strict entrance requirements were frustrating – once inside we certainly appreciated the space and lack of overcrowding. But overall – we were probably slightly underwhelmed. The service was slow, staff attitude lofty and incredibly disapproving when they refused to make a standard non-experimental cocktail (only ordered in the desperation to get a drink – and the lack of menus from which to order). And while Mr B thoroughly enjoyed his Havana cigar infused whiskey concoction, myself – I found the cocktails a little too experimental (or perhaps grown up), nothing pink or fizzy enough to entice me to battle the entry policy on a regular basis. Although a nice find if you book, go early and are feeling alcoholically adventurous…
Mr and Mrs Brown 
I’m curious, what was the entry policy?
You have to book, really. I phoned them up in the afternoon to book, they said there was no need (I don’t think they had the space, so they should probably just have said we couldn’t come in); so I turned up and got past the doorman by telling me what they’d said; Mrs Brown got in by saying I was in there. And a friend who turned up later couldn’t get in at all! So we all left.