Buddha Bar

My friend P. is on a mission to visit all the Buddha Bars around the world. In April, she dragged us all to the Little Buddha in Vienna, which I liked. It was quiet, with great decor and good sushi. This weekend, P. was visiting me in London and of course Buddha Bar was on the menu. I had absolutely no expectations, knowing that the reviews for this place are pretty bad. Most Londoners think it's an overpriced, overrated tourist trap. Well then, to be diplomatic, let me say I am glad that I went and saw it, but probably won't be coming again. The decor is nice enough, the coctails were okay (with a selection of Asian-style coctails, which I like), the food was tasty but portions were definitely on the smallish side. (At least in my book, it's really a strech to call a quarter of a cut-up tomato "a salad".)

Now for the main flaws: the place was absolutely dead on a Friday night. Nobody there. And they played super-loud music, so you could not hear a word, even when talking to the person right next to you. (Just as well, because the guy I got stuck next to was a dumbass.) But there's no dance floor anywhere, so I couldn't quite see the logic. But here is my theory: this is a place for models and the men who buy them salad. OK, I stole that line from SATC, but really, this is a great place for super-rich bankers (yes, it definitely is overpriced) to take their supermodel dates. Now, not only those poor supermodels won't have to worry about being fed excessive quantities of food, there will also be no need for them to fire up their three braincells to try and hold a conversation, since no one can hear anything anyway. Genius!
Moral of the story: Our lovely city offers something for everyone. But for the rest of us, a more pleasant coctails & Asian food lounge experience can be found at Cocoon or Kingly Club.