Reunion, Grosvenor Hotel London
Venue: Reunion Bar, Grosvenor Hotel, London Recipe: No.3, Noilly Prat, Stirred, olives Price: £12 WBM score: 72/100
This is a very pleasant room in the Grosvenor Hotel, built into the fabric of Victoria Station. There are views over the concourse of Victoria, so a great place to meet friends arriving by train.
The bar has a pretty good range of gins, and the house special is the rather excellent No.3 Gin by Berry Bros. Legend has it that the head of the famous wine shop was in the mood for a decent G&T, only to discover that the gins that they had in stock weren’t up to his standards – so he decided that they should produce their own. And so No.3 – named after the shop at St. James’ – was born.
The downside of the Reunion is the quality of bar staff. On a busy night it can take an age to get served, despite the number of staff apparently floating about studiously avoiding eye contact. Once attracted, they are in general slow, unhelpful, and poor at mixology. The only exception is the bar manager who, once he realises that you are a professional drinker, will be extremely attentive and helpful. It’s a pity that his staff are not as well trained or enthusiastic.
The house special is a No.3, as mentioned, and the bar manager will ask how you like it. We got the standard extra dry, stirred, with olives. Everything is well chilled before starting, measures are generous, and after a quick double check with us, the dryness was just right. We also tried the house style with a twist, which was nicely done.
It’s such a pity that the service lets the place down so badly – this has the potential to be a favourite.
