Londoners now have another reason to visit Flour & Grape, Bermondsey's casual Italian restaurant serving fresh handmade pasta. A new subterranean bar has just opened beneath the dining room.
The Cellar Club is a dive bar-inspired spot that Flour & Grape’s owner Nick Crispini hopes will inject a boost of late-night energy into the neighbourhood. Rather than calling it a speakeasy (“that movement is in the past,” he says), Crispini describes it as a “subterranean little heaven”, that he hopes will become a neighbourhood fixture.
The result is an intimate, playful bar that Crispini hopes will cater to Flour & Grape diners in search of a nightcap or a destination in its own right. Plus, those hoping to nab a prized walk-in table at Flour & Grape can head down to The Cellar Club instead of waiting outside. And here, they can choose from a selection of cocktails – starting from just £6.
Among the playful £6 “chaser cocktails” is the Southeast Side: a blend of Portobello gin, agave syrup and lime juice; and the Tro-Pickle, a twist on the pickleback which Crispini is particularly proud of. “We make a pineapple shrub and blend it with pickle juice,” explains Crispini. “Delicious on its own but sipped with a shot of [Maker’s Mark] bourbon, it’s a match made in heaven.”
For £10, guests can take their pick from the signature cocktail menu, with more adventurous options like the savoury Pimento Martini, with blends Portobello gin with roasted red pepper dry vermouth; and the Brazilian-inspired Brazuka, with cachaça, blackberry and basil syrup, lime and Chartreuse.
Plans for DJs on the weekends are already in the works. There’ll also be the odd World Cup screening on a concealed television – though, Crispini adds, “this is not a sports bar”.
The Cellar Club is now open at Flour & Grape, 214 Bermondsey Street, SE1 3TQ.
