the shrub & shutter

the vibe

every so often a venue will come along that simply blows your socks off. the shrub and shutter has done just that and i’d even go so far as to crown it my best new bar of 2014. tea lights flicker invitingly ushering you in from the early evening darkness and an unassuming shop front belies the wondrousness of what lies within. part botanical workshop, part bookish hipster cafe, chris edwards and dave tregenza have furnished this place expertly with a keen eye for detail that doesn’t go unappreciated and the result is akin to the danish concept of ‘hygge’, roughly translating as ‘cosy’ meaning you feel welcome to spend hours here. perfect place to bring a date then.

the order

food and drink geeks, behold! there is a new altar in town. the shrub and shutter offer so much variety, weekly changing specials and just about a tonne of passion. for him, try the ‘deer hunter’ cocktail (tincup bourbon, orange, sote smoking pipe bitters, capovilla tabacco amarone and birch sap), it comesservedwith a mouthful of venison. for her, how about the ‘harler vin’ (tito’s handmade vodka, the crusher pinot noir, fresh lemon, vanilla sugar and plum bitters)servedwith frozen grapes. both are perfection, much like everything we tried on the menu. the ‘owl and the pussycat’ comesservedwith a teeny tiny cheeseboard which is delectable and the perfect accompaniment. there is also a great list of bar snacks including a sumptuous chicken liver parfaitservedwith sauternes jelly and toast.

the game

brixton is the perfect date location given its eclecticism and bold personality. the shrub and shutter is the newest addition to the scene but may find itself featuring in any number of future brixton date permutations. you could visit the latest exhibition at the black cultural archives and afterwards head down coldharbour lane for a sneaky cocktail and some exceedingly delicious bar snackettes. or, why not make early evening reservations and have supper and a few cocktails before catching a movie at the ritzy cinema for some romantic back row action, popcorn-stuck-to-your-top notwithstanding. alternatively, dine elsewhere, maybe in market row or brixton village, but bring your date to shrub to impress them with the cocktail of their lives. a nice time to visit would be an evening midweek or even a saturday afternoon, when you are likely to have the bar all to yourselves, and the friendly staff can really lavish their attention on you. it’s a great spot and you will certainly win all kind of cool points for bringing your date here so what are you waiting for?

the faults

all i will say is good things come in small packages.

sex factor.

4.

first look at the soft opening: 

we were warmly welcomed with a nuclear daiquiri of sorts (with an apple sour ice cube / sweet at the bottom) and an impressive plate of snacks, a hint of small plates to come once fully open.

after a quick skim of the menu, we ordered our first round.

bandage of brothers (snow queen vodka, poppy liqueur, wolfschmidt kummel, sherbert, sweetener, gunpowder) came with a little army man attached via a plaster, and a banger to throw on the floor at any time - the element of surprise and all that. all good fun, though i'm not entirely sure how the super sweet drink connects to the title.

the shrub & shutter intrigued luke with blowtorched fennel & chlorophyll bitters garnishing a glass of gin, green chartreuse, maraschino, cucumber shrub and toasted fennel sugar.

lauren opted for a no stone left unturned - effectively a sour with a choice of spirits and rotating flavour based on the stone fruit of the day (cherry in this case).

however, i feel i made the best choice with does a bear shit in the woods? - st george's terroir gin (made with pine), akvavit (distilled scandinavian spirit), pine bitters and mancino ambrato vermouthservedwith smoked salmon on the side. i can't resist a "spirits-focused" drink and this scandi gin martini twist was right up my street, and the salmon (working well with the pine) was an added bonus.
for round two, caroline ordered pudding in the form of wonka bar - gin, vanilla ice cream, chocolate soil, truffle, gold leaf and truffle bitters. the finer ingredients seemed to get lost in the mix but it was a very drinkable boozy milkshake.

luke's little miss sunshine was one of the more conventional drinks on the menu - an attractive sunny bloody mary with beluga vodka, isle of wight yellow tomato, tomato water, roasted balsamic shrub, celery, spice & seasoning - very tasty at all times of the day.

vegetarians should steer clear of the deer hunter - woodford bourbon, orange, romeo y julieta bitters and birch sap, with a hunk of venison on the side for good measure. boozy and delicious.

dare i say it, i think i won round two as well. you can't handle chartreuse arrived in a wonderful bath-shaped glass (don't go stealing them now!), with chilled gummy bears and neat squares of green chartreuse jelly on top. if only bathtime always involved portobello road gin, del maguey mezcal, yellow chartreuse, pineapple, lemon & elderflower.
all the while we were serenaded by a jazz trio who squeezed themselves into the corner of the relatively small back room. live music will be a regular occurrence, think ragtime / blues piano.

only half the cocktails were available on our visit, so i'm sure they have plenty more surprises up their sleeves, including some wacky sharing cocktails. a return visit is in order for more research, but on this showing shrub & shutter will be a popular addition to the brixton bar scene. well done lads.