Cocktails at Gordon Ramsay's London House

Restaurants and bars are opening all the time in a city like London, but when Gordon Ramsay opens up shop here in Battersea, it gets a bit more interesting. Especially so when I was invited to for a sneak preview of the cocktail lounge at London House on Battersea Square, before opening night last weekend.

I have to admit I was rather excited at the prospect of a night of rubbing shoulders with Gordon and his friends. So my friends and I got all dolled up and got on our way. However when we got there, there was no loud music coming from the restaurant, the place actually looked a bit empty and most disappointingly, we were greeted by a friendly hostess instead of Gordon Ramsay.


But our slight disappointment soon disappeared, when we were seated in the lounge area where we got comfy on the blue, velvety armchairs and the glowing open fire. The decor of the room was simple yet warm and homey.

We were handed the sample drinks menu which was anything but simple. We could choose from some very creative sounding cocktails, beers and wines. We decided to sample the three cocktails. I started with an All the King's Men which was a malt based mix with pineapple crush and sparkling wine. It came with a very unusual straw, which after a lot of squeezing, smelling and chewing, turned out to be a vanilla pod.

My second cocktail was called Hundred Year's Fizz. It was a powerful mixture of Dutch Ketel 1 gin, buckthorn juice, ginger, honey and sparkling wine. The last one was El Legado which consisted of Bacardi rum, sugar, lime and absinthe and was sprinkled with nutmeg. During our cocktail tasting session we were treated to dainty nibbles ranging from cheese puffs to mini chocolate tarts.

The tasty cocktails, friendly service and the laid-back setting all made for a lovely night out. And one I would certainly like to repeat. Even if we didn't get to meet Gordon Ramsay.