Popping up at Lights of Soho for eight weeks this summer, Fiz Bar is a fantastic addition to central London’s drinking scene. I was fortunate enough to be invited to visit last weekend, and I was thoroughly impressed by everything from the quality and price of the food and drink to the passion and knowledge of the team.
Friends Barnaby Lewis, Max Bigland and Jordan Nadian created the concept, bringing together their experience in the hospitality and food industries. Barnaby grew up in the hotel industry and trained as a chef, Jordan previously worked as a sustainability consultant and Max is a trained chef and owner of catering company Maximum Taste, which has previously catered for companies such as Spotify. Combining their knowledge, the talented trio have successfully produced an exciting drinking and eating experience that commits to using local and seasonal produce.
The pop-up bar takes inspiration from Barcelona’s drinking scene and aims to provide the chance to enjoy a glass, or many, of bubbles without the snobbery that usually goes with it. Guests can enjoy the house fizz, which is a dry, easing drinking cava, for just £4.50 a glass or £22 a bottle. That’s unbelievable value for London in general, let alone in the heart of Soho. Further familiar options include a choice of Italian prosecco, Spanish cava or a selection of still wines. For the more adventurous, there’s an Austrian pet nat, which is fermented within the bottle and has a fruity grape flavour, and even sparkling red – ignore your preconceptions and enjoy.
Food wise, the team have created a menu of dishes that perfectly complement the wines and are designed to be shared and eaten with hands – another aspect inspired by Spain. The dishes draw on quality British ingredients, with sharing boards, an indulgent three-cheese grilled sandwich and a choice of three mini brioche buns among the options. For me, the standout brioche was the pastrami that’s filled with sauerkraut, red Leicester, dill pickles and the team’s homemade pastrami. The sharing boards, meanwhile, were the perfect way to kick off the evening with an exciting combination of meat and cheese such as Cornish gouda, goat’s cheese, pork collar and serrano ham, served with a light charcoal crostini. Once again, the prices are very reasonable with three brioche buns for £11 and the sharing plates ranging from £4.50 to £9.50. With brunch served at the weekend, it’s also the perfect spot to embrace the current trend of bottomless brunch.
Successfully partnering a casual drinking and eating experience with a hip, unpretentious art gallery, Fiz Bar is a must-visit and the place to be this summer.
Details:
Address: Lights of Soho, 35 Brewer Street, London W1F 0RX
Dates: 20th June – 13th August
Opening times: Mon-Thurs 10am-11.30pm, Fri & Sat 10am-12am, Sun 12pm-4pm
Website: www.fizbar.com
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