Opium Cocktail & Dim Sum Parlour (Chinatown)

• The presence of Opium is marked only by a lantern
• Otherwise this is all you will see from this hidden cocktail bar
• Where cocktail are mixed for you from 'traditional Chinese remedies' bottles
• While the third floor is more of a lounge area where to sink in a leather armchair and sip you drink
• The cocktail menu is innovative and interesting
• With Chinese inspired cocktails mixing western liqueurs with eastern herbs and flavours
• Each cocktail is presented in its own peculiar way and all taste great
• Classic cocktails are available upon request
• I heard of 'Opium' when I was reading a book about 'opium dens' run by a Chinese man in Bombay
• What followed upstairs was not what I had imagined
• Amongst all the usual Chinese restaurants which cater for the tourist crowd is hidden this absolute gem of a place
• From street level all there is to see is a jade green door and a plaque on the wall stating 'Opium'
• Thankfully we'd made reservations so were ushered into the dark
• The decor resembles a Chinese teahouse with a twist as the furniture is straight from the 70's and the moody candlelight continues in true speakeasy style
• As it was Halloween all the staff who are very helpful and courteous were in full on fancy dress and had clearly gone to a lot of effort including very realistic make up effects
• The Halloween theme continued with special 'ghoulish' cocktails including Release the Hellhounds
• Cocktails are what Opium Cocktail & Dim Sum Parlour (Chinatown) is about and they offer a varied assortment but if the drink you want isn't on the menu they will happily mix it up for you
• I've had some pretty ropey experiences with dim sum in the past but these are top notch
• The prawn dumplings are stuffed with huge king prawns
• The prawn toast made with actual prawns and the pork buns were sweet and savoury and perfectly balanced
• I actually came back the very next evening with another friend and if anything the dim sum was even better
• Came here to sample Baijiu cocktails but think we were a day too early unfortunately
• My favourites were the mushroom and truffle dumpling and crab samphire dumplings
• Normally I'd associate dim sum with more of a lunch rather than dinner but works well as an evening snack too
• In the nineteenth Century Chinatown was beloved by louche characters seeking the kind of insalubrious oblivion proffered by its many opium dens
• Here at Opium this promise is taken very seriously and while you may not get your smoke on
• Chinese vases jostle with retro bric and brac
• The cocktails are perfectly primed to ward off that perennial scourge of the first date
• S no need to struggle for polite chitchat when the drinks are pure theatre
• The Opium cocktail No 1 billows with dry ice and is accompanied by a tiny bottle of ginseng
• The Way of the Dragon is a heady concoction of Four Roses bourbon
• The bartenders really know their stuff and are happy to concoct something unique
• Ll happily transform it with an oriental twist
• Truffled mushroom are the stars of the show
• As each table is adorned with bubble bottles and firecrackers
• The dumplings are delicious but not enough to soak up the booze
• I knew Opium was tricky to find
• Standing on the corner near where we were sure it must be
• A word in his mike and a response from his earpiece and the door was swung open and we were told to head to the second floor where we were greeted and lead up a further storey
• Feeling smug that the people walking by had no idea we were up here or what lay behind that innocuous door
• Around us on the shelves were title upon title of books pertaining to the art of alcohol and behind us was what would be described as the "
• The first one I went for was the Royal Plums
• It had a tequila base with chinese plum wine
• It was served with a sprig of rosemary as a garnish sooo aromatic to drink
• The top had a thin sheen of broken ice and there were specks of the black plum in it
• This was quite a spectacular cocktail that came with a side of theatre
• The receptacle was placed and the ginseng poured into the capsule
• With it's little metal pipe sticking out we were of course reminded of the cocktail bar's namesake (not that we have any experience of smoking opium ourselves)
• My favourite of the night by far with a completely unexpected taste to what I imagined from the ingredients
• A champagne base with parnsip puree
• It was lifted by the champagne and malt I suppose and was incredibly refreshing
• It did taste of parsnip but in a way that made you think parsnip in a drink was completely normal
• Both were tasty but my favourite was the lobster toast which was really plump and juicy and the spicy tomatoey dipping sauce went well with them
• The scallop was slightly masked by the pea flavour
• Very picky I would say that maybe the dough was a little thick at least at the top where it was pinched together
• We spent a couple of hours there which was enough to lighten our wallets considerably and also fill our stomachs satisfactorily
• My absolute favorite is the unique top floor and its open bar concept
• It basically feels like as if you were sitting in someone's kitchen
• It was hard for me to distinguish who is working there and who is a client because there is no separation between bar and customers
• Get some dim sum with your cocktails
• This new restaurant is definitely worth a try and its elegant decor is a nice change from some of the more Asian "
• Big round of applause for the freshness of the ingredients which are not always the case with Chinese food around here
• Wonderful and Tasty Cantonese barbecue pork with lots of little extra ingredients
• The decoration is definitely a success
• The atmosphere is very cozy and quite romantic
• The dim sum is at a high standard
• The choices avaliable are very tasty
• The drinks are well over ten pounds each
• The atmosphere is mysterious
• You feel like you have travelled in time and you are in some tavern of the ancient Orient
• With seats around the bar to allow discussion with the friendly
• They are delicious and amongst the best you'll find in London
• The bartenders were friendly and attentive
• His late night drinking den is found (where else
• Or the Golden Lotus with its Remy Martin
• Rye whisky and banana but we continued our love affair with Kummel and ordered first a Silver Bullet
• Speakeasy ish atmosphere with a twist of secrecy
• Finding the door was half the fun
• A great late night spot for drinks with friends or intimate enough to be a lovely date spot as well
• The dumplings on offer are certainly a level above typical drunken food and served until 2
• The miniscule door occulted by a large doorman sets the stage for a meal that was more an experience that a proper
• Opium looks like a clandestine parlour when the pleasures of spirits and women were frown upon by the law
• The dim sums were very savoury and the mix "
• Various rooms with different decor
• It was in the middle of Chinatown and there was fierce looking guard standing by the stairs
• Lots of bottles with Chinese characters
• Or maybe it was just by chance that there was none at that point of time when I visited
• The place however was too dark and dim for it to be a 5 star in my opinion
• M sure there are those who will like such an ambience

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