The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Show reviews
  • Music
    • Live music
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureFood & DrinksRestaurant & bar reviews

Kwānt in Mayfair: Enchanting like Aladdin’s cave

Kwānt in Mayfair: Enchanting like Aladdin’s cave | Bar review
22 November 2019
Cristiana Ferrauti
Avatar
Shot by Filippo L'Astorina
Avatar
Cristiana Ferrauti Shot by Filippo L'Astorina
22 November 2019

Food

Cristiana Ferrauti4

Kwānt

BarQuick & easyCasual foodFine dining
QUICKCASUALFINE DINING

Concept

Highlights

La Capilla, Coffee Negroni

Drinks ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Service ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Links

InstagramFacebookTwitterWebsiteMap

An alley off the always-busy Regent Street, Heddon Street looks like a local avenue. Tables pour out from restaurants on both sides, with Gordon Ramsay’s brasserie catching visitors’ eyes first. Down the road, Moroccan cuisine has found its home in Momo. Below that, hidden and secret like the genie’s lamp, is Kwānt. The bar (its name is pronounced “Quaint”), one of the few in London to be in this year’s 50 Best list, is at basement level, reached through a small stone corridor. The doors open on a warm and lush environment, fitting the definition of its name – “unusual or old-fashioned”.

The first solo venture of ex-American Bar head Erik Lorincz, the place offers both delicate and powerful concoctions, to go with snacks from the restaurant upstairs. Inspired by his travels and cultural experiences, Lorincz brims with ideas and flavours which are mixed and perfected by the in-house team. We begin the tasting with an elaborate tipple, simply garnished with floregano. The Monkey Punch is a slow drink, with silky texture and a nice cherry kick. The milk is moleculised and added as a very filtered solution.

For a sour option, we couldn’t be more in favour of the Paloma twist La Capilla. The black diamond salt on the rim of the glass creates an immediate savoury contrast with the Don Julio Blanco Tequila and yuzu agave nectar that form its base. A pink grapefruit soda from Greece pleasantly finishes the whole with citrus notes.

Alongside the many pages of the drinks menu there is a tasty selection of food. The seasonal hummus is traditional and flavoursome. But it is the grilled octopus that most seduces our mouths: perfectly crispy on the outside, the tender meat is impeccably married to the saffron aïoli. 

We didn’t leave it to chance to understand why the Coffee Negroni is one of the most requested cocktails. The Tanqueray No Ten gin powerfully blends with the Italian vermouth Cocchi Torino, enveloped in the aroma of Brazilian coffee, which is sifted and aeropressed to be added at the height of its flavour.

Nuttier sips come from the Michael and Peter. Michter’s Bourbon whiskey is paired with chestnut and splashes of Angostura bitters. The pecan nut adds the final touch. A soft wafer made from the remains of the chestnut reduction tops the ice.

Instead of the usual pre-recorded playlist, Kwānt offers live piano music (of different genres) to be enjoyed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, leaving the rest of the week for quiet evenings. It is almost impossible to believe such an intimate atmosphere is hidden within buzzy central London. Like Aladdin’s cave, Kwānt elegantly enchants.

★★★★★

Drinks ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Service ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Cristiana Ferrauti
Photos: Filippo L’Astorina

To book a table at Kwānt, 23-25 Heddon Street London W1B 4BH, contact them via their Facebook page here.

Related Itemsreview

More in Food & Drinks

Top chefs with 51 Michelin stars between them celebrate the World Edition of Reach for the Stars at Vila Vita Parc in Portugal

Food Desk
Read More

The Lanesborough Grill in Knightsbridge: “Classic dishes, artisanal producers and shimmering crystal chandeliers”

Cristiana Ferrauti
Read More

Gastronomika returns for 2022 focusing on the UK: United Kulinary and life beyond London

The editorial unit
Read More

Geranium in Copenhagen takes World’s Best Restaurant for 2022 as Italy and Spain rise in the rankings

Food Desk
Read More

World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022: The new 51-100 list mapped out

Food Desk
Read More

Parisian bar Little Red Door to take over Adam Handling’s Eve Bar on 7 July

Food Desk
Read More

50 Next: London chef Santiago Lastra recognised in Bilbao as one of the 50 young people shaping the future of gastronomy

Food Desk
Read More

Taste of London 2022 at Regent’s Park: Creativity in gastronomy is alive and kicking

Ashiana Pradhan
Read More

Adam Handling’s Eve Bar launches new cocktail menu

Food Desk
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Food

Cristiana Ferrauti4

Kwānt

BarQuick & easyCasual foodFine dining
QUICKCASUALFINE DINING

Concept

Highlights

La Capilla, Coffee Negroni

Drinks ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Service ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Links

InstagramFacebookTwitterWebsiteMap

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Ed Fringe 2022: Hungry
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Kasabian – The Alchemist’s Euphoria
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Tips for creating a peaceful home
    Feature of the week
  • Royal Ballet School students return to the stage for post-Covid performances
    Theatre
  • “Even people who’ve been through adversity might say ‘Well, I wouldn’t change anything because I wouldn’t be who I am'”: Eva Noblezada and Flula Borg on Luck
    Cinema & Tv
  • Kasabian – The Alchemist’s Euphoria
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Rita at Charing Cross Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Ed Fringe 2022: Hungry
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • “Even people who’ve been through adversity might say ‘Well, I wouldn’t change anything because I wouldn’t be who I am'”: Eva Noblezada and Flula Borg on Luck
    Cinema & Tv
  • “Film offers a way of looking at the past, the present and the future simultaneously. That’s its wonder”: Sarah Beddington on Fadia’s Tree
    Cinema & Tv
  • Kasabian – The Alchemist’s Euphoria
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Rita at Charing Cross Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • “Even people who’ve been through adversity might say ‘Well, I wouldn’t change anything because I wouldn’t be who I am'”: Eva Noblezada and Flula Borg on Luck
    Cinema & Tv
  • South Facing Festival: Richard Ashcroft and his band were on impressive form from start to finish
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Nope
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why
With the support from:
International driving license

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Henry VI at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse | Theatre review
Richard III at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse | Theatre review