“We’re here to see the doctor……”
Breakfast Club’s cocktail bar in the Wharf allows banking cocktail fans to get their après-skis on
Review by Rupert Watkins Photography by Andy Barnham
“We’re here to see the doctor……” will become a Thursday evening rallying cry for the thirsty denizens of the trading floors, after the Breakfast Club opened up under the arches of Crossrail. Walking through the anaemic corridor to gain entry, you are then confronted by the Austrian feel chalet bar, Dr Kluger’s Olde Town Tavern. Dark, snug and panelled, it’s the perfect escape from the stresses of Excel. In true Breakfast Club style, it has some zany touches, such as the stuffed chicken and cat that act as bar mascots and who oversee the bacchanalian fun going on beneath them – the tables have been specially designed to take the weight of the dancing hordes……
Chatting with the enthusiastic and knowledgeable bar manager, Tommy, I remarked on the small core cocktail menu opening at a damn reasonable £6.50. Despite the small printed selection, Tommy stressed the focus of the bar and its staff is in mixing anything a customer asks for. A number of cocktails are pre-mixed on site, for example the “Bloody Good Time” made up from vodka, lemongrass and violet soda which is excellent. Once these pre-mixed are gone, they’re gone and you can start testing the bar staff or move sideways to the wine list. Tommy has looked to stock a core, quality range of interesting wine here – there’s a drinkable Argentinean Malbec and Whispering Angel rosé (apparently Jeremy Clarkson’s tipple du jour). He stocks the excellent dry prosecco Col Vetoraz and for those who’ve had a truly cracking day’s trading Bollinger champagne.
The Breakfast Club also supports small, sustainable drinks manufacturers such as the Camden Town Brewery and looks to build long term relationships with their suppliers. In honour of their patron Dr Kluger, the bar has developed The Kluger Bomb – the Breakfast bar take on the Jaeagerbomb. Made up of rum, lime, cherry and coco lopez and bombed in prosecco, it will help forget a bad day at the office – and perhaps even the following one if taken in quantity. It’s a small team of eight behind the bar, Tommy was given carte blanche to ensure the quality of the staff and the right ambience were in place from the word go.
From the theatrical element of the antiseptic corridor to the dark panelled room and courteous and fun bartenders this place will make Thursday nights at the Wharf….well… something!! Riddle has already heard excellent reports of the opening weekend and hopes they simply mark a line in the sand for fun below which the Breakfast Club CW will not fall. As Tommy summed it up, they hope to draw in the thirty masses with a bar of “panache and quality”. Head to it and ask for the doctor… 
Enquiries: The Breakfast Club, Unit CR30, Level Zero, 1 Crossrail Place/ 0207 8719 986/ [email protected]/ www.thebreakfastclubcafes.com/locations/canary-wharf/