The Vibe Bar, Shoreditch

The worst service I've experienced in a long time.
Round 1:
Ordered a glass of wine and asked if there was a cocktail list.
The sullen barmaid didn't reply, went and poured the wine and then shook her head.
"Ok," I said, "make that 2 glasses of wine."
"A glass of Kronenbourg?" she said.
No, I said.

Round 2:
No-one else waiting at the bar. Avoided the first barmaid and prayed that I'd just been unlucky the first time. While I was waiting, I discovered the cocktail and drinks list propped up on the bar. The house cocktail of a Yellow Brick Lane sounded worth trying. And I'm sure it would have been if the barmaid had been qualified to mix a cocktail. "Oh no", she said, "I can't mix cocktails", as if this was the most bizarre request she'd ever heard. "this guy can (pointed to barman, who shows no enthusiasm for making a cocktail), and I made a long-island iced tea once, but we don't have the ingredients anyway..."
Wine it is then, I sighed.
"Good job I'm not writing a bar review of this place,"I said, and chuckled...

Shame about the service, as it's a relaxed place for some summer evening drinking.

22 Jun 2005 15:56