Places To Eat In London: Baileys Chocolat Luxe Bar Chocolat Pop Up Bar & Restaurant, September 11th – 16th

Believe it or not, because as regular readers will have realised by now I simply adore eating out, up until now I’ve never actually eaten in a pop up restaurant. It is not that I have not wanted to, but my schedule usually just does not allow for it. However, I’m at a loose end for a few days in London before I go back to Kent for a week while I move into my new London flat, so when the lovely team running the PR for Baileys invited me along to the preview of Bar Chocolat, a new pop up restaurant designed around their new Baileys Chocolat Luxe drink I decided it would be a good time to take the plunge and try a different eating experience for once. 

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As ‘Places To Eat In London‘ posts with a difference seem to be in Vogue this month on this blog, I’m not going to fully review everything I experienced at Bar Chocolat on Wednesday afternoon, because I think that would be giving the game away for those of you who decide to visit. Instead, I’m going to share a few details of the meal that I particularly enjoyed and I think are worth visiting for, but then keep some surprises back so you can still have the full experience either if you book for lunch, dinner or just visit the bar. 

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Before you reach the bar you’re met with a chocolate and chocolate flavoured exhibition space where you can taste cubes of different chocolate flavour combinations from chocolatier Amelia Rope and stylist Petra Storrs. I’d look out for the ginger flavour, and the rose. I have a pile of them on my best that is rapidly depleting. In the next two rooms you’ll meet two rather different food meets science and food meets 17th century Dutch Art installations by Bompas & Parr and Tabitha Denholm respectively. 

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You’ll note that I did not really describe the pictures I’ve posted above of the main course and the dessert; I think they are things you have to experience for yourself. There was nothing wrong with the food; it was all perfectly executed and I have one or two flavour ideas I’ve taken away from the meal (there are pickled radishes somewhere in my future), but there was nothing that blew me away about it. It was simply just well executed in the kitchen, and it was the experience I’d really recommend Bar Chocolat for, and I don’t want to give the game away. But I promise you, I was at a foodie event the day after and I was describing the food theatre to them all, and I was asked several times where to get tickets.

Finally, just a little note on the Baileys. I’ve never been much of a fan of drinking Baileys straight, but the beautiful chocolate flavour really made it the perfect sweet to finish the meal off with. I’d call it the perfect chocoholic after dinner drink. Alternatively, if you are like me and you really like the taste, but you’re not really big on the idea of drinking a glass of it straight, serve a shot or two of it over (preferably homemade) vanilla ice cream for an indulgent dessert. 

Bar Chocolat is open at Mercer Street Studios just off of Long Acre in Covent Garden until 16th September (though it is closed on the 15th) and you can visit the bar for free (though you still need to get a ticket online), lunch (£17.50) or dinner (£25.00). Baileys Chocolat Luxe, which I really enjoyed and I would recommend to Bailey’s fans is available in Harvey Nichols now, and most other places Baileys is sold in October. 

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