Megaro, King’s Cross – Review

King`s Cross has to be one of the most vibrant, exciting and `happening` places in London at the moment. There is a real resurgence in great, top end eating and drinking venues to which the capital is really benefiting.

Newly opened Megaro is certainly one of those cocktails bars which has the potential to add a significant amount of buzz to the area. Sat below the Megaro hotel and its restaurant Karpo, it is comprised of two elements – The Dark Room and The Picture Room.

The Dark Room is a deeply atmospheric setting which takes its decorative influences from the roots of photography. The seductive décor is comprised of classic black and white photos hung from pegs – you begin to feel that you really are hidden in a photographer’s studio. To further this celebration of photography, we were impressed to see that the menus where in fact antique photo developing slides and this added a classy touch, in our opinion.

Megaro`s signature drink – Chinese Waiting Room

A rather unique offering, this drink combines chrysanthemum cordial and Beefeater gin, for an ultra-delicate taste, with a hint of sweetness that works perfectly well with the Beefeater gin. This drink is emblematic of the inventiveness on show at Megaro; it should be said that there isn`t a huge amount of house cocktails, but the ones on offer are pretty special. To be honest, we found the selection of cocktails on offer here to be of a super high standard, therefore making the lack of choice a minimal issue.

According to Megaro `The chrysanthemum is symbolic in many cultures, and is also one of the Four Gentlemen of China. Consisting of the orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum and plum blossom, they represent the unfolding of the four seasons through the year. Its significance as a Chinese symbol of patience and clarity resonated deeply as he was reminded again of his elderly host in Hong Kong. And thus, the Chinese Waiting Room was created.`

You can expect to pay around £8.50 for a house cocktail, or £9.50 for a classic cocktail of your choice. I would recommend the Long Island Ice Tea at Megaro; it’s a great example of how a vintage cocktail should be. Another stand out for me personally was the `Dolma Sour`, a gorgeous blend of grapgvine infused cachaca, lime, sugar and Pernod absinthe, which proved to be highly refreshing.

Megaro also offers a concise selection of `Chef`s Plates` to compliment the food perfectly here. For example, `Cured` a scallop ceviche, finger lime and fresh almond (£7.50) is not overpowering in flavour, but packs just enough punch to stand out against the drinks. My personal favourite was `Charred` Rump carpaccio, Black Sesame and Soy (£6). This was presented beautiful and had oodles of great flavours coursing through it. These dishes are certainly big enough to keep the tastes buds tingling, but beware that the bill will soon soar if you are more than peckish.

We were also lucky enough to try some of the food from the Hotel`s restaurant Karpo – which we aim to be reviewing in the very near future, so keep an eye out!

http://megarobar.co.uk/