The Vaults

Fine dining with a hint of exhibitionism at POPDown ...

Running for a limited time (until January 2016), POPDown is an interactive supper club housed in the Vaults at Waterloo. Hosted by Cuisson, a gourmet catering crew of talented chefs with experience at the likes of La Gavroche and the Fat Duck, this is laid back haute cuisine.

Now, if you’re us – the type who likes nothing more than finding a quiet corner in a restaurant – then the word ‘interactive’ might set alarm bells ringing. But, the level to which you indulge your sense of adventure at POPDown is up to you. Stay seated or get involved. Starting the evening with an apple pie cocktail in the basement bar, we are then summoned to the mezzanine, emerging from the relaxed, dimly lit space to arrive up a staircase into a bright, immaculate dining area.

Served over four courses, the food is the main event here. Think slow-cooked brisket with ‘tea gravy’, pickled/fermented vegetables and delicate mackerel plated up with a range of garnishes by your own hand. We recommend that you try the interactive element because there is nowhere else that you can get this close to chefs of this quality at work. Removing the stuffiness of fine dining and placing it in a supper club environment means that even though the food is refined, there is a relaxed and entertaining aspect to the evening that you don’t often find. Seated in between strangers, served four courses with flowing wine; it’s just like being at someone’s wedding – only without the speeches.

Reviewed by T.A.O anonymously
Published on Nov 24, 2015

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The POPDown experience is a bit like being at a wedding... without the boring bits

Running for a limited time, POPDown is an interactive supper club housed in the Vaults at Waterloo. Hosted by Cuisson, a gourmet catering crew of talented chefs with experience at the likes of La Gavroche and the Fat Duck, this is laid back haute cuisine.

Now, if you’re us – the type who likes nothing more than finding a quiet corner in a restaurant – then the word ‘interactive’ might set alarm bells ringing. But, the level to which you indulge your sense of adventure at POPDown is up to you. Stay seated or get involved. Starting the evening with an apple pie cocktail in the basement bar, we are then summoned to the mezzanine, emerging from the relaxed, dimly lit space to arrive up a staircase into a bright, immaculate dining area.

Served over four courses, the food is the main event here. Think slow-cooked brisket with ‘tea gravy’, pickled/fermented vegetables and delicate mackerel plated up with a range of garnishes by your own hand. We recommend that you try the interactive element because there is nowhere else that you can get this close to chefs of this quality at work. Removing the stuffiness of fine dining and placing it in a supper club environment means that even though the food is refined, there is a relaxed and entertaining aspect to the evening that you don’t often find. Seated in between strangers, served four courses with flowing wine; it’s just like being at someone’s wedding – only without the speeches.

Reviewed by T.A.O
Published on Nov 17, 2015

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