Seymour’s Parlour, Zetter Townhouse, London W1: hotel bar review
Try aromatic spritzes, watermelon bourbon and pickled oysters at this acclaimed Marylebone hotel bar
Looking for bars in Marylebone? Read our review of Seymour's Parlour, or check out our guide here.
Seymour's Parlour in a nutshell:
Zetter’s award-winning cocktail bars have relaunched with new menus courtesy of London drinks duo Matt Whiley and Rich Woods. The brains behind acclaimed bars such as Peg & Patriot and Worship Street Whistling Shop (Whiley), and the drinks offering at SUSHISAMBA and Duck & Waffle (Woods), together they run much-feted Hackney bar Scout.
Whiley and Woods have created separate menus for Zetter Townhouse’s two locations – Potions and Punches for Seymour’s Parlour in Marylebone and Cures & Curiousities at the ZTH Cocktail Lounge in Clerkenwell.
Where is it? Marylebone – a four-minute walk from Marble Arch underground station.
What’s the vibe?
Eccentric Edwardian sitting room – this is a cosy, luxurious drinking den, with earthy red walls, richly patterned rugs on wooden floors, a profusion of gilt-framed pictures and portraits, velvet sofas, carved wooden chairs and oriental vases.
What’s the drinks menu like?
The new menus focus on 10 ingredients, from St John’s wort to vetiver, with an emphasis on clever, imaginative infusions and cordials that will be familiar to anyone who’s visited Scout. There’s also a roster of classic cocktails, beers and ciders, and a pithy wine list.
Which cocktails to order at Seymour's Parlour?
The Wishful Negroni was a fruitily autumnal take on the classic cocktail, with petit grain, blackberry Campari and 'elf oil' (a secret blend of ingredients including pine essence) adding woody, herbaceous notes.
The Aphrodisiac Spritz – sandalwood vodka, pisco, raspberry brandy, clarified lemon and champagne – displayed a deft touch with bold flavours. The use of sandalwood could have been cloyingly perfumed but it was instead seductively aromatic (we were reminded of men’s cologne) with the champagne adding faintly biscuity dryness. Poker Face is another masterclass in balance, with sweet, almost floral watermelon bourbon matched with cat nip-distilled sweet vermouth and savoury amontillado sherry.
Is there any food?
Zetter’s head chef Ben Boeynams has created some pretty sharing plates and snacks. We tried a pillowy char siu pork bao bun; tiny, light-as-air pomme soufflé with smoked herring’s roe and crème fraîche; and pickled Porthilly oyster with dill and buttermilk.
Where to go nearby for dinner: It’s an 11-minute walk to Roganic, Simon Rogan’s forage-focussed modern British outfit.
Price: From £12 for a cocktail.
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