I love this place!
Cheekytiki led our merry gang there on my Night of London Tiki in mid-July, which began at Trader Vic’s. Stop #2, South London Pacific, was closed (darn!), so we made our way to Portobello Road.
Decor:
The street level is only a display window, much like a clothing store (complete with hula-clothed mannequin). You immediately descend the narrow stairs to a swank, non-cluttered, bachelor pad environment. The current TiPSY factor is very low, as there are none save the wall of Munktiki shot glasses, all awaiting the return of their owners who have exclusive rights to their usage. Cheekytiki has been asked to carve for the place, and I cross my fingers that they follow through with their commission. But I can’t say that it horribly lacks tiki, either, as it’s not going for tiki/beachcomber ambiance (e.g., it has little steel flying saucers on one wall). An L-shaped room, the bar is in one part, along with couches and cushions (not chairs) for cozy seating. In the other “wing,” GIANT Tretchikoffs are painted on the walls. I mean GIANT. Like, look-like-they’re-projected-on-the-wall giant. Oneofthesedays, I’ll learn how to post photos.....
See the bottom of p.2 for Trader Woody's photo:
https://tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=2715&forum=5&start=15
Food and Drink:
The drinks were WONderful – fresh, fruity, and just strong enough, not too strong. We ordered a slew of appetizers, mostly with yummy dipping sauces, which were all tasty and went quickly. We all coveted the volcano bowl (Tiki farm?) which came with a bright red lava flow spilling out of the inner volcano portion. I mean, I want that bowl. True to Angus’ word regarding free first drinks to TC members, our bill had far fewer drinks on it than we actually consumed – Thank you!
Service:
Terrific bartenders, willing to listen to what you’re in the mood for, let you take little tastes of something they just made to see if you want one of those (hygienically, via a straw dipped in and then tossed after your single use), and able to improvise and make their own versions of standard drinks. These are the kind of bartenders you want at your neighborhood bar.
Website:
http://www.trailerhappiness.com
Here's a re-post of Trader Woody's link above(which isn't working), worth the read:
https://tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=6226&forum=1
TIKI: Now, more than ever
[ Edited by: Formikahini on 2004-08-08 10:44 ]
[ Edited by: Formikahini on 2005-02-24 15:36 ]
