Match Bar

"Relaxed modern bar serving perfect mojitos.."

Added Fri 08 Aug 2008 by KimT

This was the winner of the Evening Standard bar of the year – back in 1999. Anyway, I went to meet a friend there last night at his suggestion. I went via Farringdon station and it was about a 5 minute walk along the main road (past what looked like a great tapas bar – Anexo). With the doors and windows open, the traffic noise competed with the music inside but it wasn’t loud enough to irritate.

It was a warm evening and the few tables outside were already taken by business types. On entering the bar it was rather dark – but not ominous – and, with memories of the 80s, you go down a few steps to a lower area where you find the bar. However, the staff politely told me that they would take my order at a table. Being mid week and summer, it was surprisingly quiet so there were lots of places to choose from.

I settled into a large black leather sofa (facing a large low table and another identical sofa) although the other seating options were tempting – large open booths and ordinary wood and metal chairs against small tables. And a good number of them. The décor is dark wood polished floors and the walls are painted a sort of earthy red and have some fetching graffiti-like designs in black, grey and white. I am sure my 16 year old son would feel well at home here – and the background music (not too loud) was an eclectic mix with a bias towards new metal.

It took me a while to read through the extensive cocktail menu. Loved the humming bird design on the front and the statement “Feel free to steal me” on the back cover (so I did!). I started with a mojito (one of their Matchnificent Seven) – and it was perfect. Lots of very fresh mint and just the right amount of sugar. A mountain of ice. The cost was £6.75. My friend arrived and he too ordered a mojito so all was well.

It didn’t get much busier. There were a few couples and one or two groups of people there – plenty of space for others. It was a shame as it is a nice, relaxed environment and the staff (I think they were American) couldn’t do enough for us – but without being intrusive.

For the next cocktail I tried a Cosmopolitan (£6.50) – but it was a touch too sweet and didn’t quite hit the mark. My friend tried a Match Original 45/47 – Havana rum with strawberries and fresh pineapple, lime juice and a hint of cracked black pepper. It was a bit like drinking strawberry sherbert. We returned to the mojitos. Other cocktail themes were champagne cocktails (mostly £7 each), classics (e.g. martini, pink lady, margarita), Dale DeGroff’s original recipes (green tea highball, Strawberry Nirvana), the run collection and better for you (mostly juices with alcohol). I liked that there was a little diagram showing you the glass each drink would be served in – it meant you could pace yourself. You could spend a long time, and a lot of money, trying all these cocktails. And I’m sure you wouldn’t remember the experience…

We decided to get some bar snacks. The two chicken skewers with peanut sauce (£7) were large and good, the Hush puppies (£4 - sweet corn and butternut squash fritters) were like onion bhajis without the onion and the excellent chips (£3.50) came in a small metal bucket. Cocktails and comfort food – excellent! If we had been hungrier we would have sampled the sharing blocks – a mezza for £13 and a Spanish charcuterie for £15. There were also some main dishes – including shepherd’s pie, jerk chicken sandwich and sausages and mash.

Anyway. This is a relaxed modern bar and I would have no hesitation in using it for a meeting place for a group of friends – and I suspect that if it was a bit busier we might just stay a little longer than planned.

PRETENTIOUS AND OVERPRICED. STAFF AND MANAGEMENT RUDE, DO NOT GO THERE