While great bars like Swift started in Soho before branching out to Shoreditch and Borough, the likes of Three Sheets in Dalston and Coupette in Bethnal Green seem to be doing the reverse and opening their new ventures in the West End. Obviously this has its risks. Soho is already saturated with the full gamut of hostelries, including the sublime, the suboptimal and the subterranean (some of which should remain underground). It can be difficult to stand out though I can usually tell whether somewhere new will be a keeper based on its service alone. Alas, Flute at The Broadwick is not one such place: no doubt it’s an entirely different experience if you’re a resident or a celebrity, but walk-ins seem to get second class treatment. Told that there is a minimum spend of £50 (WTAF), that the seats on the terrace are for VIPs only and that they would need my phone number just to sit at the bar (the reason for this tracking wasn’t explained, raising data protection eyebrows), it had a whiff of superficiality about it. After I necked their pre-made Negroni (extortionate at £24), I nearly drifted into Swift or ever-reliable Termini to rescue the evening, but for a change swerved right onto Moor Street. This was the perfect opportunity to road test Coupette’s Soho ‘workshop’, Atelier Coupette.
It’s almost like tapas in liquid form
Atelier Coupette opened in October 2023 and is the more experimental version of the Bethnal Green original. I went without any particular expectations but a couple of things immediately impressed me. First, the warm welcome – no contact details demanded or restrictive terms explained, just ushered to an egalitarian counter. Secondly, the deliberately smaller measures (and consequently lower prices) which give greater scope for sampling without getting sloshed; it’s almost like tapas in liquid form, in many cases moving with the seasons (such as the ‘Mushroom Punch’) or with low ABV options (such as the unfathomably lovely ‘Turbo Carrot Spritz’, which is based on their home-made carrot wine).
Like many bars that are moving away from purely ‘wet’ offerings, the small plates here are probably as important as the drinks (and the free bruschetta on arrival already made up for Flute’s lack of generosity). Being the sister venue of Coupette it’s not surprising that they lean towards French cuisine and you can easily have a full meal here, choosing, say, confit de canard with puy lentils for £14, or just snack on heritage carrots with dukkah for £8 (they do seem to love carrots here). It was also pleasing to see such a balanced menu where meat, fish, vegetarian and vegan dishes are given equal weight (three dishes each). The ‘Salted Caramel Martini’ would probably complement the desserts too, though this twist on a classic seemed a bridge too far for me.
I very much enjoyed the drinks I did try though. The ‘Black Truffle Negroni’ sounded questionable on paper: the list of ingredients starts with a tried-and-tested combination of Roku gin, sweet vermouth and Campari, but then with a pungent, musky interloper. The umami notes of the truffle really worked though – especially with the remains of the bruschetta drizzled in balsamic vinegar. This was as eye-opening as it was delicious.
Turbo Carrot Spritz
Black Truffle Negroni and bruschetta
Midnight Gimlet
The ‘Midnight Gimlet’, comprising rosehip Bombay Sapphire, blackcurrant, blackberry, Dubonnet and Douglas Fir was described to me as an “adult Ribena.” The bartender was substantially correct here; a bit too sweet for my liking, and probably more for the late Queen Elizabeth II’s palate, but certainly quaffable.
Describing themselves as “alchemists” on their website is slightly cringeworthy but there was no hubris on display on this visit, no nauseating wizardry, just decent hospitality. Oh, and they passed the classic cocktail test (just): after consulting a recipe and double checking they had the ingredients, one bartender (not alchemist, please) made an excellent Aviation. Of course this isn’t their specialism but it’s always good to know a bar can turn their hand to something off-menu.
Atelier Coupette now joins my roster of recommended Soho bars alongside Henson’s, Swift, Termini and The Thin White Duke – illustrious company indeed, and together would make one hell of a crawl, though it’s probably not the wisest idea to combine them in one session. At least the smaller measures, lower prices and well-executed snacks at Atelier Coupette should stave off hospitalisation or bankruptcy.
Ground Floor
9 Moor Street
London
W1D 5ND
August 2024
