THE LIVING ROOM, RESTAURANT OURS

Cocktails and canapes on an autumn evening in a beautiful setting sounds like the dream, right?! Restaurant Ours is Tom Sellers (of Restaurant Story) not-so-new-but-I-still-hadn't-been-there spot in South Kensington. We visited one evening last week to check out The Living Room at Restaurant Ours, which is the mezzanine level bar and lounge area. It's a gorgeous spot, full of velvet furniture, a bar serving excellent cocktails and live plants in every corner, nook and cranny. 

There were three of The Living Room's signature cocktails to try, so I started with Straight Outta Brompton - a delicious concoction of gin, campari, lemon and triple sec, and I'm guessing some egg white too from the frothy top of the drink. It was a lovely cocktail, with the perfect balance for me of sharp, sweet and fruity. 

Like any good gathering there was food too. The Living Room offers a selection of snacks to go with their cocktails, which I love the idea of. It's always nice to have something to nibble on even if you don't want a sit down dinner. Or you could start your evening with a few canapes in The Living Room before heading down to your table in the restaurant proper. 

We had halloumi with wood smoked avocado; scallop gremolata; tuna, green onion and rice cracker; game terrine; buttermilk chicken; incredible Iberico ham croquettes and lots of other very tasty bites. 

We had a slightly amended snacks menu, but if you head for snacks then you'll find things like chips, pecorino and foie gras (£7 - and yum!), shrimp and yuzu toastie, steak sandwiches and lobster brioche rolls, alongside much of the above that we tried.

Next to The Living Room is a gorgeous room for private hire where you can enjoy the snacks and main menu with cocktails, wine and all the drinks you want, overlooking the stunning main restaurant.

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We rounded off our evening in The Living Room by sampling the other two cocktails on offer. Below is the Blood on the Leaves - blanco tequila, Kamm & Sonns, sage and beetroot, which was good, but my favourite of the evening, which I failed to get a photo of, but was a light green cocktail served in a gimlet, called the Dolce Gabbana Hello. Made with vodka, coriander, basil and elderflower it was the perfect sharpness for me, and a really unusual but great flavour combination that I haven't had in a cocktail before. 

I really like The Living Room at Restaurant Ours, and am now keen to try the food in the main restaurant too, preceded of course by cocktails and snacks upstairs!