Turning Fables

It felt like forever since I had seen Jack, Gemma and Fi. We're usually joined at the hip when possible but since we've all had so much on recently it's been more and more difficult to find a slot to meet up. So a catch up was long overdue when I suggested we meet at one of Central London's newest offering, The Fable. And never ones to turn down the chance to critique a new haunt, or a good catch up over an even better cocktails, we agreed to give it a whirl.

However this began with problems. The bar, on the corner of Farringdon road, is a three floor maze, with an entrance on both the ground and top floor, a fact unbeknown to Gemma and I. So after an accidental game of hide and seek up and down the bar, Gemma and I finally found each other and sat down, each floor more and more packed with suits enjoying a good post work moan.

But that has to be the only complaint I have. And if the worst thing about a bar is its confusing navigation, a girl really can't have any complaints. The whole place is decked out like something from your favourite fantasy storybook, with influences from tales from around the world, and even a themed menu. Which the gang and I wasted no time exploring.

We settled on a 'rub a dub shrub', a sharing cocktail with a watermelon and champagne base, although I could quite easily have gone for the majority of the options on the menu. Each was an original twist on a classic, or just a total original, and each was enriched in a story of fun and fantasy. And when we saw it being served in a mini bathtub (yours to take away for £20) we were looking forward to it even more. The added attention to detail and the fact that we had to carry a bathtub through the bar to our seats, was both impressive and giggle-worthy, and we wasted no time tucking into our teacups of cocktail. 

Any apprehension that the taste wouldn't measure up to the presentation was dispelled in the first mouthful, and we tucked in as the conversation began to flow over the news from the last few weeks.

And not content with sampling only one of the extensive offerings, we were all eager to order again, with Gemma's arriving with a whole plum inside and my gin based cocktail arrived in a sandwich bag. Complete with edible lily pads and a goldfish made out of orange peel. A first for us all.

If it's great cocktails in a great atmosphere you're looking for, then its pretty obvious there are a hundred haunts across London that will tingle your tastebuds. But this gem comes with an even rarer stone. While it may take its cocktails seriously, everything else comes with a little pinch of humour. And that is something you can't find everywhere. 

www.thefablebar.co.uk