If you are looking for a no-attitude, friendly, laid-back neighbourhood bar, Coin Laundry at Exmouth Market must be high on your must-visit list. In the age, when cocktails are served in exotic receptacles and food has to involve the most unusual ingredients imaginable; it is heartening to find a bar that is proud of serving proper comfort food and revival cocktails from the 70s era.
The decor is disarmingly charming with quirky artwork on the walls, trendy neon light signs as well as school chairs and distressed tables. There are pinball tables and classic boards games; which are becoming increasingly rare in this digital age of ipads and internet.
The bar snacks we tried are not for the diet-conscious but more for those seeking a hangover cure, something more substantial and greasy to soak up the alcohol in your system. The cheeseburger has a sturdy patty and a gently grilled bun with melted cheese. The ham fritters has an intense savoury taste from the ham and vegetables make a rare appearance on the menu in the form of mushy peas. The mini chicken kievs has that explosion of rich, garlicky juiciness as you bite into the meat. Thankfully, they provide their own-branded chewing gums for those hoping for more than just dining activities later on in the evening.
Their cocktails are not avant-garde or inventive; their selling point is nostalgia, they are classics from the 70s, other bars think they are too cool to sell anymore. There are classics such as the coin laundry americano, which is simply vermouth and campari soda to cocktails with more ingredients like 70s Porn Star, which has vodka, mango, lemon, passion fruit, vanilla syrup and babycham.
The menu is helpfully divided into bitter, sweet, bubbles and revival to help you choose the right cocktails for you. Even though many of the cocktails are not difficult to make, they do taste heavenly such as white chocolate and raspberry bellini, which is a must for all drinkers with a sweet tooth.
The most modern of their cocktails is probably the pisco inferno, which is frothy and has interesting flavours from the pink pepper, pineapple shrub and lime along with the pisco.
They run many exciting events on a regular basis including book clubs and music nights as well as a very popular bottomless brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.
baldwin@townfish.com