Bars that come complete with punning names are often not out the top drawer (in my opinion, the only places that get away with such things are hairdressers and fish and chip shops), but as soon as you walk into the grandly luxurious Hithe + Seek, situated on the third floor of the Westin hotel in the City, all ideas of bad (or good) puns fall away immediately.
The stunning floor to ceiling windows offer a panoramic Thames view, and if you obtain one of the coveted seats by the front, you’ll have uninterrupted views of Tate Modern and the Globe, as well as the seemingly omnipresent Thames clippers beetling up and down the river. There can be few better or more awe-inspiring places to take a drink in London.
If these drinks weren’t top notch then it would be a case of ‘great view, shame about the refreshments’, but they very much are. The menu divides itself neatly into ‘classic cocktails’ and ‘signature cocktails’. Yet don’t think for a second that the classic options are wearyingly conventional. An Oaxaca Old Fashioned has a rocket fuel punch (in a good way) thanks to the tequila and mescal in it, and a lemon drop martini has all the tart astringency of citrus muddled together with a martini kick.
Meanwhile, moving onto the ‘signature’ cocktails, the almost outrageously named 1666 – the manager unblushingly tells us that it was designed to summon up memories of the Great Fire of London – mixes Laphroaig whisky and Amaretto to pleasing effect, while an aptly entitled ‘Reviver’ is a short sharp blend of sloe gin, Drambuie and an absinthe rinse. That will, most certainly, wake you up.
Hithe + Seek is a bar, rather than a restaurant, but the selection of small plates that we try are all completely on point, whether it’s excellent pork belly bao buns, a cleverly done Scotch egg with lamb shish and tzatziki, a moreish lobster roll or some beautifully prepared tuna tartare tacos. The highlight, and the manager’s personal favourite, are some superb steak sandwiches, served in charcoal buns; a morsel rather than a full meal in and of itself.
Yet by the time we’d shared an excellent dessert of pao de mel chocolate cake with perfect dulche de leche, we were in no doubt that Hithe + Seek is the real deal, not just a pretty view. When you find this particular spot, you won’t be remotely disappointed.
Hithe + Seek, The Westin London City, 60 Upper Thames Street, London, EC4V 3AD. For more information, and for bookings, please visit www.hitheandseek.com.
