Are they taking over the streets of E11 and E10? Well. kind of. This week it caught our attention that pub giants Antic London – the folk behind both the Red Lion and Technical in Leyton – are now bringing their “diffusion cocktail bar” brand to High Road Leytonstone.
What does that mean? Well, it’s all very “neighbourhood”, so you can expect plenty of exposed brick, an inevitable bare bulb or two, some polished boards (or flagstones), reclaimed furniture and a no-doubt slim room with Negronis and Manhattans being rattled behind the counter by bearded mixologists.
Ekcovision has branches in Tooting, Brixton (currently closed) and most recently, Walthamstow – which you could check out on Hoe Street if you’re that side of the area.
Down in Tooting, the most recent opening, the brand talks of its “speakeasy decor and a Gatsby feel”. In marketing speak it’s (wait for it) “enticingly elegant with a touch of cool, perfect for post-work drinks, weekend relaxing with friends or a celebratory affair.”
LOCAL ADVERTISING
Er, right. On the menu? “Twelve expertly crafted cocktails designed using homemade ingredients, exciting infusions and gorgeous garnishes expertly finished by Ekcovision’s trained mixologists”.
So far, so familiar. Why then are Antic being so coy about its E11 location? We put the question to Twitter last week and a slew of readers responded with some intelligent suggestions. Will it be the former Bumblebee florists? Next door to the Red Lion in the old newsagents? The empty unit next to the former Shoeworld/fledglingEat17?
“Maybe, maybe not,” an Antic rep tweeted, before attempting to quieten readers with pleas of “Silence! Silence!”
Okay, okay: we get it. But if you do know where the bar will be, whisper it in our collective ears below.
