Volupte Burlesque Bar, London – Review

My colleague and I walked from Chancery Lane tube to the Volupté Lounge with a sense of anticipation and some trepidation. Neither of us knew what to expect from a `burlesque themed tea`, something we had not had the pleasure of before.

Following a warm greeting from the door staff, we were shown into the cocktail lounge, where a smooth talking barman was holding court. Refreshingly, gender stereotypes were turned on their head as we were the only two male clientele. We happily chatted to the other customers, keen to discover what attracted people to such an unusual afternoon tea experience. One answer is the fantastic cocktails – My colleague opted for a fruity and refreshing Chilean cocktail called `Passion Fruit Pisco Sour`. I opted for a hearty `Blood and Sand`, whipped up from a mixture of Black Grouse, Cherry Heering, sweet vermouth and orange juice. Both cost a fairly typical London cocktail price of £9 each.

Just before the performance was due to start we were escorted down a dark staircase into a cosy subterranean lounge. Our table for two placed us precariously close to the action, so the proffered glass of champagne was particularly welcome as the pianist and drummer opened proceedings with some light, uplifting jazz. During the music we were brought a fine selection of finger sandwiches.

The music was quickly followed by a range of quick-fire cabaret entertainment. We witnessed magic, comedy, dancing, singing and stripping. It was all served with a sexy, suggestive laced-up flavour with plenty of laughs and audience participation. During this, the refreshments kept coming, all served on fine bone china. Delicious warm scones were served with clotted cream and jam on the same sweet tray as the homemade cakes.

The culinary highlight for me was the alcoholic hot drinks served in teapots, prohibition style! Our first pot was the `Hot Toddy`, made from scotch, cinnamon, cloves, orange and honey. So enjoyable was this we tried another, this time a pot of the lush `La Choco Noisette`, hot chocolate, Di Saronno, hazelnut liqueur, vanilla syrup and double cream. Absolutely perfect for a cold February`s afternoon, though to be fair we were slightly hot under the collar by then, having watched attractive young ladies in basques dance provocatively a few feet in front of us.

It was interesting that the majority of the audience were female; women keen to unwind making Volupté the first stop on a fun day out. It is not exclusive to either gender. This is a relaxing fun way to spend a few hours at the weekend, whether you are male, female, young, old, gay or straight. Take your boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, friends or colleagues, leave your inhibitions at the door and allow yourself to be entertained, or should that be pleasured?

For more information visit www.volupte-lounge.com