The Anthologist ***

Nestled in the midst of London's financial district a stone's throw away from Lloyds Banking Group and the Bank of England is a bar cum restaurant that is hip, sassy and reminiscent of a bar that epitomises coolness. This is the kind of place one could picture the Sex in City ladies drinking at and is definitely well worth a visit - this is The Anthologist.

Essentially divided in two, one side of the Anthologist is the bar where the cocktails are the specialty and the other side is the restaurant area. The cocktails on offer are fresh, fruity and quite breathtaking. The menu also lists their calorie count of each drink suggesting that this is a place which is health conscious and catered towards a certain crowd. This place gets quite busy with office workers from the area from 5pm onwards so expect to see a crowd of suit clad bankers spilling out onto Gresham as you approach the bar. After 7pm or so the crowd is mixed and diverse and the charm of the venue really starts to take effect.

The food is continental and British and each dish is prepared to a very high standard and presented in a similarly excellent manner. Whilst waiting for your food you are encouraged to visit the restaurant's own bar where you can have a cocktail tutorial and find a cocktail tailored to your specific tastes. This was a hugely entertaining part of the evening and was an interesting way of engaging diners in a sociable way and also filling the time before the food arrived. Suffice to say that once our food had arrived we had discovered our 'perfect drink' and went back to our table having learned something - I learned how to make a mojito and also that my favourite drink is the Vesper (James Bond's drink).

The decor was similarly cool and in keeping with the restaurant and bar's sassiness and the huge shelves of wine and spirits added to the idea that the restaurant was a living breathing anthology of alcohol. The meal was priced at approximately £40 per head including service and some of the drinks however the experience and the entertainment made it a hugely enjoyable visit. I would recommend this bar very highly although it lacks the charm factor so I have rated this 3 out of 5.

http://www.theanthologistbar.co.uk/