Brown Sugar London Review
If you’re looking for somewhere to wind down after another day of 9 to 5, without flittering away your hard-earned cash on inflated city prices, then head to Brown Sugar. Set at the top end of High Holborn away from the hustle and bustle of the underground and traffic jam central, this friendly bar is a great place to catch up with friends or a loved one. On warmer eves, you can sit at one of the tables outside, or lounge in a welcoming leather sofa by the window – which folds out to the pavement, fusing the two spaces to create the illusion of a much bigger space.
A recent refurb lends to the clean, well maintained décor of white painted wood, bold wallpaper and dark furniture, with an added quirk from the row of multi-coloured, tasselled velvet lamps that hang beautifully from the ceiling.
My friend and I sat in to a curved seat in a corner by the bar so we could people watch. Lots of straight-from-work suits, in small and large groups, all clearly enjoying their surroundings and adding to the buzz.
A funky mix of old and new music livened up the atmosphere of the Thursday night – Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean, Vanilla Ice, Deee-lite’s Groove is in the Heart - drawing people to the dance floor. Choosing instead to rest our weary legs, we sampled some of the very reasonably priced Thai food on offer.
We kicked off our feast with a generous bowl of mixed prawn crackers and sweet chilli sauce to accompany our drinks – a crisp, sweet and sour Southern Belle mocktail for me, the designated driver, and a beer for my friend.
Our attentive waitress checked on us before bringing out our Thai Fish Cakes and Chilled Glass Noodle with King Prawns starters; great big, well presented portions which go down without any complaints. My chilli-loving friend is especially pleased with the sweat-inducing heat of his noodle dish.
After a ten-minute break and another mocktail - this time a pineapple and raspberry puree Virgin French Martini - we’re on to our mains. Black Bream steamed to melt-in-the-mouth perfection and complemented beautifully with spring onion, ginger, garlic and chilli: delicious. I could have happily skipped the steamed rice, as although very nice, I was defeated by the large portions. Bearing in mind I had already tucked into quite a few of those moreish prawn crackers. My friend enthusiastically devoured his duck Pad Tha Khar, an even hotter stir-fried dish with chilli and lemongrass; juicy tender duck with a pleasing crunch from the lovely al dente green beans.
I enquired about the projector and rolled up screen behind my seat and was pleased to find out that it’s part of the plans to introduce Wednesday film nights – involving retro classics and buckets of popcorn – a great mid-week idea. In fact, other than on Saturdays, when it’s closed for private functions, there’s something here to draw in the crowds most nights, including weekday happy hour prices and cheap Salsa Sundays. All in all, a nice un-pretentious, and fairly cheap, central London haunt that ticks all the right boxes.
Gabrielle Sander (04 10 2009)
Brown Sugar London Description
Enjoy the relaxed surroundings of the newly refurbished Brown Sugar Bar, Holborn and sample the mouth wateringly good authentic Thai food for lunch or early dinner.
The night evolves into a funky bar with the lamp shades dimmed and the mood set for a night where being your self is not so important!
Every Thursday and Friday night from 6pm to late our resident funky dj’s create a mood of good vibes that ensure people start moving together.
Starts early for the after work relief and builds into a night of delight!!
Customer Reviews for Brown Sugar
The following customer reviews are not endorsed by Fluid London and are simply those of users who wish to publish their independent experiences of Brown Sugar.
“as a group of 3 had a brilliant time, dj on the friday 16th july was top notch...mixing was amazing. impromptu outing to celebrate a birthday couldn't have asked for a better time :)”
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harlee armitage, ipswich (1 months 9 days ago)
“Not sure how I feel about this place. It's really cheap and the food's pretty good, but it was a bit too rowdy for my liking. I'd definitely recommend for after work drinks, but not for a quietish dinner with friends/partner.”
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Sally, Camden (10 months 26 days ago)
“Just a brief update on the very comprehensive review already posted. Bar Mosko now has a resident DJ every Friday night playing the very best mix of US and UK funky house with a smattering of the top old skool classics.
If you want a truly excellent place to hold your office party - or just somewhere for you and few friends to chill after a heavy week in front of the PC - give BAR MOSKO a try. Once you have experienced the real club feel of this bar, I know you will return and become regulars....
Just tell them BigDave sent you!”
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BigDave, [ Unknown ] (6 years 2 months 2 days ago)
Complete!
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