Anakana Chai Bar Overview
Chai Way to Heaven?
The Anakana Chai Bar might sound like an ornate style of dance but is in fact a restaurant cum bar cum tea room. Though in all honesty it doesn't look like many people come here for tea and crumpets.
Popping by for some midday grub we went to the restaurant; a really nice, chic, modern space with beautiful polished black marble (or granite) surfaces and what look like teak coffee tables for seats.
Small cylindrical lampshades (think brushed steel bog rolls) and large white candles in glass wind containers light up the place. The guy who took our order and sensibly took our coats to be hung up (teak coffee tables as seats are all very nice but it means there's no place to put your jacket) was politeness itself.
A cup of chai with cinnamon (£1.90) was a creamy, aromatic and not overly rich cuppa. While a Dal Dosa Sambal, a roti served with a five pulse curry (comes with three accompaniments) was a beautifully light bread presented in a up-turned cone hiding a bowl of scrummy curry underneath. Playful, delightful and well priced at £6.50. Less of a bargain were utterly piddly poppadoms, so give them a miss.
The restaurant is non-smoking but the bar is only separated from it using some well-placed columns. Closest to the huge floor to ceiling windows, the bar has some pretty cool ergonomic chairs (the ones that look like a slack-spined 'Z') upholstered in white and red, so you can people watch and enjoy perhaps a bottle of Asahi or a small glass of wine (both come in at £3 each) in comfort.
Located at the less trendy bit of Old Street (near the station instead of Hoxton Square), Anakana was doing a quiet trade at lunch with a few suits and some scruffy, cold-ridden media types (us). Lordy knows what the crowd is like in the evening though.
Anakana is a beautiful, smart space which serves decent eats. (Updated 15/04/2006)
Additional Info: Food, Non-Smoking Area, Late License
Nearby Venues:
- Tabernacle Bar & Grill, Modern European (0.09km)
- Liquid Lab, [Other/Unclassified] (0.23km)
- Prophet (The), [Other/Unclassified] (0.24km)
- L'Abat Jour, [Other/Unclassified] (0.25km)
- CJ's Wine Bar, [Other/Unclassified] (0.25km)
- Firehouse (The), [Other/Unclassified] (0.26km)
- Princess (The), Gastro (0.26km)
- Eyre Brothers, Modern Eclectic (0.27km)
- Worship (The), French (0.28km)
- Master Gunner (The), British (0.29km)
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