14-15 LANGHAM PLACE, LONDON W1.
020 3988 4271. TREEHOUSEHOTELS.COMTreehouse London’s
Carmine Bee Eater
cocktail, tomato and
mozzarella salad and
rooftop bar The NestGQ TASTETaken to tascas: three prime Portuguese placesVolta Do Mar
13-15 Tavistock Street
London WC2
020 3034 0028
voltadomar.co.ukBar Douro
Flat Iron Square
London SE1
020 7378 0524
bardouro.co.ukCasa Do Frango
2 King John Court
London EC2
020 7654 3020
casadofrango.co.ukThe RoundupConcept is king at Marylebone’s
Treehouse London and nowhere
is this more obvious than at
its rooftop bar, The Nest. Perched
atop the 16th floor, it’s a beautifully
designed haven, with 360-degree
panoramic views of London – from
Regent’s Park to Canary Wharf – and
a luxurious bird-box vibe.
First, guests must burrow through
a timber-lined corridor before
emerging into the glass- and wood-
panelled den, complete with hanging
greenery and wicker light shades.
There, you’ll find down-home, Soho
Farmhouse-style furnishings and an
epic wraparound terrace, plus the DJ
playing from a raised “fort”.
Cocktails are, of course, on-theme,
with the rum-based Snow Owl one
of the most popular and the Carmine
Bee Eater – made from locally sourced
ingredients – the most delicious. Our
tip? Make sure you arrive well before
8pm, the point at which it becomes
reserved for hotel guests and their
friends only. Kathleen JohnstonThe setup: Simon Mullins
(cofounder of the Salt Yard Group)
and his wife, Isabel Almeida Da
Silva (of Mirabelle and Delaunay),
have revamped a Georgian
townhouse in London’s Covent
Garden. Volta Do Mar celebrates
Portugal’s regional cuisines and
dishes from the former Portuguese
empire, such as Mozambique,
Brazil, Goa and Macau.
Eat this: The menu changes
regularly, but expect sharing
plates such as choriço naan with
fresh cheese (£7.50) and arroz
marisco rice (£20).
Drink this: The succinct
Portuguese wine list is sourced
from small producers and includes
rare finds from the Azores. Fans
of pinot noir should try the Azores
Wine Company Tinto (£54).The setup: Max Graham of the
Churchill’s Port family created
Bar Douro as a love song to
Portuguese wine and food.
Here, under the railway arches,
in a room decorated with
ornate azulejos tiles, you’ll dine
from bar stools at curved marble
counters. A second branch
opened in the City Of London’s
1 Finsbury Avenue development
in January.
Eat this: Small-plate scene stealers
include a curl of charred octopus
on sweet potato puree (£13).
Drink this: Wines by the glass
start at £4.50, or explore the
cellar list for imports from indie
Portuguese winemakers such
as Wine & Soul. The Pintas 2015
is £130.The setup: Casa Do Frango’s
original restaurant, in an airy
19th-century warehouse near
London Bridge, serves a grown-up
take on piri-piri chicken alongside
colourful Algarvian sides. Last
December it launched a second
site in London’s Shoreditch –
and this time it’s added both a
petiscos bar for “tapas” and a
pastelaria bakery.
Eat this: The albóndigas – beef
meatballs with thyme in a tomato
sauce (£7) – are new. You’ll still
have half a piri-piri chicken (£10)
too, obviously.
Drink this: There’s a cockle-
warmer of a cocktail: the Port
Old Fashioned (£9) mixes Bulleit
bourbon and Sandeman 10 Year
Old Tawny Port with chocolate
and orange. Jennifer BradlyThis is a spectacular wine that’s not just for high
summer. The blend of pinot noir, chardonnay and
pinot meunier all grown in the Garden Of England
is reflective of the multifaceted experience it
provides, with freshness, red fruits and a creamy
finish somehow working together without
clashing. Yes, there’s a wealth of summer flavours
(cherries being the least subtle) from Kent’s
Appledore vineyard that come to life on long, hot
afternoons, but it also has the quality and clean
hit you need for any celebration. George ChestertonThe BottleGusbourne Rosé Brut 2015£49. GUSBOURNE.COMThe Nest atTreehouse,LondonThe Bar04-20TasteTreehouse_3359642.indd 103 24/01/2020 15:57
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