Curiouser and Curiouser!
Head down into the rabbit hole at the Waterloo Vaults and you will find yourself at the Wonderland Bar ready for a very un- birthday like evening. An Alice in Wonderland pop up bar, guests are invited to quaff cocktails from Bourne & Hollingsworth and indulge themselves on pies from Pieminster. Riddle offers two opinions:
Eat Me
The walk to the bar immediately immerses the guest into the world of Alice; large playing cards flank the passageway and huge fluorescent flamingos adorn the walls and look on you as you order your drinks at the Wonderland Bar. Crossing the bartender’s palm with local currency, in this case small corks, resulted in a Mead Feast cocktail (mead, fresh lemon juice and quince jelly churned over ice with honey and basil) which was lovely and fresh and appealed to my sweet tooth.
Whilst I admire the flamingoes and wonder why there’s a large hoop hanging from the ceiling a Dodo walks past, followed in due course by a Dormouse. And then shortly afterwards a trumpeter and a saxophonist appear and as the live music starts up, they join in, walking past me and aiming for the stage at the far end of the bar, stopping for the odd group selfie along the way. Given the location somehow this doesn’t come as a surprise and seems oddly normal. Once complete on stage the band, The Town of Cats, hits full swing and the cavern is filled with hip hop ska with the Dodo and Dormouse leading the way on the dance floor.
If you’re bored of another drink in another bar, go down the rabbit hole and check out The Wonderland Bar. Dancing to ska with characters from the novel as your dance floor buddies may not be to everyone’s taste, but it is certainly memorable.
Drink Me
Walking to the bar and I’m struck by the similarities between the location and my old student union. A smoke machine has been busy at work at some stage during the evening and whilst no smoke is visible, I can smell that faint and unmistakable odour. The corridor mercifully ends and I’m in a cavern with large, ominously evil looking flamingoes. They stare down on me mercilessly and I’m honestly uncomfortable as I walk to the bar with these large birds bearing down and watching my every move.
I hand over two little corks in exchange for a Royal Rose (gin, fresh lemon and rosehip syrup, shaken with ice and topped with fizz) which is surprisingly good; thank god for bubbles and their medicinal values. Just as I start to feel the restorative qualities of the cocktail a loud blast from what turns out to be a saxophone erupts by my ear and my warm sense of self is abruptly interrupted. Ska has never been my music of choice and I’m now wishing they left the playlist on.
Needless to say this evening is not going my way; the longer I stay, the more I’m reminded of my student days and my presence at the Wonderland Bar lasts as long as my drink. 
Until end of August 2015, free entry, Tues- Weds; 7.30pm until 11pm, Thurs- Sat; 7.30pm until 2am
Enquiries; Alice’s Adventures Underground, Launcelot St, London SE1 7AD/ [email protected]/ www.alice-underground.com