Crooked Well
16 Grove Lane, SE5 8SY Tel: 020 72771846 / 020 7252 7798
http://thecrookedwell.com/
On the site previously inhabited by the Dark Horse and Le Petit Parisien, The Crooked Well, opened in June 2011, has made a wise decision to do some serious renovations to differentiate itself. The bar is now bright and welcoming, with some warm wallpaper, and a slightly European farmhouse vibe from tiles on the wall behind the bar and the floor in front of it. Like its predecessors, the bar area is to the left and the dining area to the right, but there's a more casual feel to it which seems to be working, and an array of different seating options. The decor is fairly cosy, with quirky features, such as cool prints on scatter cushions. In the daytime, the place is sunny and bright. In the evening, the lighting is almost right - great lampshades, only slightly undermined by the overbright spotlights that accompany them and should really be turned off.
But to the drink! First, we must note a very pleasant winelist, beautifully topped by a superlative house white - the best we've possibly ever had - at an extremely reasonable £2.80/glass. And the spirits, oh the spirits. The Crooked Well has a beautiful sight to behold behind the bar. We counted 21 types of whisky and - our particular favourite - an impressive array of gin. They also have a nice classic list of cocktails which will beckon us next time - they seem particularly proud of their martinis. We approve - too many bars try to invent cocktails which turn out to be less than pleasant. We dived into a tasting session of G&Ts (though the sweet barman warned us off the expensive one!), accompanied by cheese chosen from a really very well thought out and rather delicious cheese selection that could hold its own in fancier restaurants. We're still dreaming of one of them... The Crooked Well has a full dining menu which we must try at some other point, and they do boast an occasional interesting-sounding vegetarian option (eg polenta with red salsa) amongst the steaks and such, which seem to be their specialty.
And so to the service. The bar staff are cheery, friendly, and knowledgeable, and happy to chat about menu choices. They forgot to charge us for our gin, and were pleased when we returned the next day to pay (and sample more - still intimidated by the expensive one though). The clientele was very mixed, with quite a few gay folk in evidence. It felt gay-friendly, and when one of us was chatted up by a tipsy French boy, we were smoothly rescued by the bartender. The Crooked Well looks like it's shaping up to be a really nice Camberwell option. And we look forward to trying out the food...
Service 5
Ambience 4
Gay friendliness 4
But to the drink! First, we must note a very pleasant winelist, beautifully topped by a superlative house white - the best we've possibly ever had - at an extremely reasonable £2.80/glass. And the spirits, oh the spirits. The Crooked Well has a beautiful sight to behold behind the bar. We counted 21 types of whisky and - our particular favourite - an impressive array of gin. They also have a nice classic list of cocktails which will beckon us next time - they seem particularly proud of their martinis. We approve - too many bars try to invent cocktails which turn out to be less than pleasant. We dived into a tasting session of G&Ts (though the sweet barman warned us off the expensive one!), accompanied by cheese chosen from a really very well thought out and rather delicious cheese selection that could hold its own in fancier restaurants. We're still dreaming of one of them... The Crooked Well has a full dining menu which we must try at some other point, and they do boast an occasional interesting-sounding vegetarian option (eg polenta with red salsa) amongst the steaks and such, which seem to be their specialty.
And so to the service. The bar staff are cheery, friendly, and knowledgeable, and happy to chat about menu choices. They forgot to charge us for our gin, and were pleased when we returned the next day to pay (and sample more - still intimidated by the expensive one though). The clientele was very mixed, with quite a few gay folk in evidence. It felt gay-friendly, and when one of us was chatted up by a tipsy French boy, we were smoothly rescued by the bartender. The Crooked Well looks like it's shaping up to be a really nice Camberwell option. And we look forward to trying out the food...
Service 5
Ambience 4
Gay friendliness 4
