Bakara Lounge
61, Rue Jean Pierre Timbaud
75011 Paris
Tel : 01 48 07 17 04
The closest you’ll get to a real martini from the Bakara Lounge is their website, which features a
prominent photo of a martini complete with appropriate glass and olive. However, their bartender now knows how to make one. Sort of. After explaining to the unconvinced barman what I wanted, I got this with 4 parts gin and one part Martini vermouth.
Definitely in the lower rungs of my martini tests, but regardless ofthe stateof my first round, I always manage to have a good time on Wednesdays.
Bakara Lounge is a large restaurant & bar full of red tones and friendly staff. The many tables and chairs were convenient as we had more people than usual for this week’s taste testing and it’s a place where it’s easy to pack in a slightly larger group. We’ve been trying to track down some decent happy hour cocktails lately, so I wanted to give their 4.50 Euros/cocktail happy hour (from 5 to 8pm) a try.
Their cocktail menu offers a range of so-so cocktails (Sea Breeze, White Russians, Bloody Mary’s, etc) at 6 Euros for non Happy Hour prices. Red Bull fans might enjoy one of their five specialty Red Bull cocktails such as the Bad Bull (Vodka, Amaretto, Pineapple juice & Red Bull). However, one of our group tried to order one of these featured cocktails and they were out of enough of the key ingredient to make it. Perhaps since the legalization of Red Bull in France a year or so ago, there’s been on a run on this hyper-caffeinated beverage making it scarce? They suggested substituting Perrier, which – presumably – does not “give you wings”, so our friend passed.
Following first orders, most of the group stuck with the mojitos which were of decent quality. Little dishes of peanuts eventually arrived on the table. And, although I didn’t try one myself, another member of last night’s group is a big fan of caipirinhas and passed a pretty mediocre judgement on those that were served here. We spent a couple of fun hours here chatting and sipping. However, there’s just not a lot that would get me back to Bakara anytime soon. The drinks were average to below average and the general quality level pretty typical for Paris. But, in the bar-laden Oberkampf area there are just too many places to choose from and you’d have to have a serious draw to get the crowds away from the multitude of other choices.
your blog is very good……
That green one looks awful. Your having to explain how to make a martini reminds me of my first time in Paris. My first night out I tried to explain it to a waiter at the restaurant and I think the first attempt was a glass of sweet vermouth. Luckily the Canadian couple next to me spoke French and English and was able to help me. It was hysterical.
So manners question for bloggers – are you supposed to reply to people’s comments in your own blog? I usually just post on their blogs unless they ask a specific question.
Someone posted about this on her blog and got a lot of contradictory answers (and posted something about not tipping which also pissed a lot of people off) and then she seemed to leave in a huff and shut her blog down. Coincidental timing? Who knows.
yep, that’s pretty much what you get when you ask for martini in paris. Which is fine in it’s own way, but not what I’m looking for when I want a ‘real’ martini!
On the comments…I don’t know, really. I know there’s blogger etiquette, but not really sure on all the ‘rules’. I try to reply to peoples’ comments on my page if I have something to say back re: their comment. I usually leave that all on my own blog because readers like to follow the comments and might not read both blogs.
Otherwise, I figure if they really want a full blown discussion with me, they’ll email me through the page….what do you think? (or anyone else checking the comments?)
I like that approach. Keep all the back and forth for one post with the post.