Opium is a hidden gem amongst the back to back bustling restaurants of Gerrard Street.
At street level you are presented with a door with a simple wall plaque on which the establishment’s names is emblazoned. Three windy flights of creaky wooden stairs up through a haze of burning incense and you reach a cosy den of nooks and hidey holes in which to sit and enjoy a quirky cocktail or two and perhaps some king prawn dumplings to wash them down. The food (albeit a limited bar snack menu) is outstanding and is available late into the evening/night, perfect for the munchies that tend to kick in at about the 11pm mark. Depending on what night you go they may also open the Apothecary Bar and Cocktail Kitchen. This bar is definitely worth a visit or two.
Visit Tips
We love how the drinks are presented in a ‘First Course’, ‘Second Course’, ‘Mains’ format in their menu.
The cocktail range is vast and out of the ordinary.
You cannot go wrong ordering their dim sum platter!
www.opiumchinatown.com
This cocktail is pure indulgence in a glass. In fact it is so scrummy and filling that it could easily be a desert. If you like your cocktails thick, creamy and chocolaty then a frozen mudslide is definitely a winner!
It’s a classic that has caused a zillion number of smirks, giggles or outright fits of laughter when ordered at any bar on the planet and if you don’t find it vaguely amusing then you must be lacking a sense of humour! It is a simple enough cocktail consisting of just 2 spirits and a bit of juice but sometimes simplicity is needed in life and indulging in good old sex on the beach is what’s required! Tee. Hee. Hee.
Warming heat of vodka plus silky smooth chocolate equals heavenly, boozy simplicity in a glass.
Pure boozy, chocolaty indulgence; these chocolate martin's should be sipped not gulped, especially seeing as they are both alcohol, alcohol mixed with alcohol!
This flirtatious cocktail adds a bubbly, pineapple twist to a Cosmopolitan. If you are feeling frugal switch the champagne for a Prosecco (arguably a more palatable fizz at a fraction of the cost).
Who doesn’t take great pleasure in requesting “One Screaming Orgasm please!” tee he, he?! This is a cocktail that tastes sweet and harmless but the combination of spirit plus spirit with a mixer of spirit is a lethal one!
Lab Soho is a lively, friendly cocktail bar with an edge of sticky about the place like it needs a good clean. You could argue that this adds to the character and appeal depending on what you look for in a bar. The cocktail range is vast and they taste fairly decent too but be prepared to wait if it’s busy and potentially then be faced with a glass full of crushed ice.
Vodka is a neutral spirit that tends not to have a distinctive flavour or taste in its untampered form. Vodka is generally not aged and can be made using a range of accessible materials and ingredients such as potatoes, grains, sugars, fruit and most things that are capable of being fermented. This makes it a spirit that is easy to produce in a relatively short space of time.
Russian Standard is clean, perfectly clear and smooth. Although a premium brand it can often be found on the supermarket shelf with an offer sticker, making it all the more appealing!
Opium is a hidden gem amongst the back to back bustling restaurants of Gerrard Street.