When is a Snickers not a Snickers? When it's a bona fide, fine dining dessert. Just like the ones being served at Warwick Street Social.
'Now, where is Warwick Street Social?' I hear your stomachs cry. Well, 'what is Warwick Street Social?' might be the better question. Because according to the new owners, Warwick Street Social is not a pub at all.
It's not even a gastro pub. No, since it re-opened nine months ago, this hipster slice of Hoxton nestled right in the heart of the Golden Triangle is in fact an 'Urban Meeting Place'.
And what a place.
Perched high where Dover Street forks into Warwick Street, the erstwhile home of The Mad Moose is an impressive building – inside and out.
The sleek grey and black façade reeks of cool, the immaculate Kathryn Mazure-Hudson designed interiors even more so, but make no mistake – the welcome at the Warwick is most definitely warm.
The vibe is aspirational and in the wrong hands a venue like this could come across as pretentious. But Greg Adjemian and Daniel Smith, the local lads also behind The Wildebeest and The Ingham Swan, appear to be getting the balance just right.
They promise a place that is a relaxed social hub, day or night; week or weekend. As comfortable offering real ale and a roast on a Sunday as serving high-end cocktails on a Friday night.
Even early on a Monday afternoon, when we visited, Warwick Street Social was alive with the hum of happy chatter. There were as many mums pulled up with their pushchairs for a latte as there were punters hungry to meet, great and eat their way through the 50% Off Monday-lunch menu. And it is that menu that will keep pulling people in.
Put together by Mr Smith – fresh from his latest star turn on the BBC's Great British Menu - it features an inviting array of inventive dishes. From Crab Rarebit and 'Modern Fish & Chips' to the sumptuous, gorgeous home-made peanut butter ice-cream, choccy mousse and salted caramel combo they casually pass off as a 'WSS Snickers'. Seriously, nobody should be enjoying that on a Monday lunchtime.
The Great Norfolk Pub Guide is in association with Lacons.
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