The buzz: As if there aren’t already enough reasons to make the trek to Duxton Hill, newcomer The Vintage Room (occupying the former digs of sister establishment Le Petit Cancale) joins in the fun.
The décor: The bar retains some of Le Petit Cancale’s Old World charm, but has bumped up the quirkiness factor with mismatched furniture, fuzzy Persian rugs, throw pillows, antique curios and vintage posters. “Eclectic” is a bit of an understatement. If this bar were a movie trope, it’d be a manic pixie dream girl— and with stark, masculine interiors being done to death in the bar scene, that’s not at all a bad thing.
The drinks: Leave any machismo at the door, please. You’ll find a drinks list dominated by Champagnes, bellinis, mimosas, mojitos in no less than five flavors, plus cocktails like the Carribean Rose, a rosy, coconutty concoction (from $14).
The food: About as French as you can get, with escargots ($14 for 6), croque monsieurs ($18), rillettes, pates and terrines served with good crusty Poilane bread (from $14). Oh, and do yourself a favor by saving space for the mousse au chocolate ($12). Très délicieux.
The music: It’s pretty quiet, which makes it the perfect place for a good gab.
The crowd: People here seem much more laidback, quieter and less eager to impress than the usual Duxton crowd. Also, despite the obvious girliness of the décor and drinks, we found quite a number of male regulars freely indulging their daintier sides.
Why you’ll be back: The whole Duxton Hill and Club Street scene can get kind of hectic at times, so this is a nice place to escape and wind down. It’s also the bar to take that one friend who can’t stand booze to, just to watch her get happily buttered without her realizing it.
