Looking into Whiskey & Seaweed
What is Whiskey & Seaweed?
It's the standalone bar at Core by Clare Smyth, one of London's few three-Michelin-starred restaurants. The restaurant has always had a separate bar, but late last year they decided to give it its own identity, along with a complete redesign, naming it after one of the most popular drinks there.
Most importantly, you can come for a drink and try the bar food (which all comes from the main kitchen) at Whiskey & Seaweed without eating at the main restaurant. So if you've struggled getting a table at Core, or just wanted to try it out without committing to a full meal then this is a perfect first step.
So where is it?
If you haven't yet been to Core, you'll find it slightly away from the main drag on Kensington Park Road, about a five to ten-minute stroll from Notting Hill Gate station. Once you enter the restaurant, Whiskey & Seaweed will be the first thing you see.
The bar sits roughly 18-20 people and you can prop yourself up at the bar if you want to get closer to the creation of the cocktails.
The shelves packed full of whiskies, just beside the bar.
Let's start with the drinks - what can we expect?
The name should give you something of a clue, there's a big focus on whisky here, no more so than the huge cupboard taking over most of one of the walls by the bar. Despite that rather prominent "e" in the bar's name, a large part of the whisky on offer is sourced from Scotland and the islands around it (just over half of the 45-page whisky menu). Given Clare Smyth's Northern Irish heritage, you'll also find a fair few Irish whiskies here too, as well as a generous smattering from America, Japan and Australia.
If you're looking to try some new whisky, this is the perfect place. It's also well worth taking a look at the whisky menu itself, with lots of tasting notes about the different regions.
A Sydney and London team-up at the bar.
And cocktails too?
Yes, while the whiskies are a big thing, the cocktails are more prominent in general, and probably what you're going to come here for. The cocktails take the same principle as the main restaurant, focusing on the produce of the British Isles. Leading the bar here is Vincenzo Ciaccio, who's been with the restaurant since the opening, and head bartender, Uriel Sasson. Despite the name, the cocktails aren't primarily whisky-based, although they do have a short list of classic whisky cocktails.
In addition, during our visit, there were one-off special cocktails from Roean Patawaran, bar manager of the Sydney sibling restaurant Oncore by Clare Smyth. We tried some from both menus, with the following being the standouts:
Beef and Bourbon - Highland wagyu beef fat washed bourbon, sweet vermouth, alone solution, truffle oil, cracked pepper (£23). The beef fat came from the restaurant's off-cuts making this drink super sustainable as well as frankly amazing tasting.
Whiskey and Seaweed - This is the restaurant's most popular cocktail which is why it eventually lent its name to the bar. It uses the ingredients from Core's signature potato and roe dish in a cocktail, featuring butter-washed Irish whiskey, kelp, sea lettuce and black cardamon (£21)
One of the newer additions to the menu, this is the Lucy in the Sky, with Two Drifters White rum, Del Maguey Vida, Aqua Bianca, honey, heather, lavender, clarified goats’ milk and sparkling wine (£21).
What about non-alcoholic options?
There are five specific non-alcoholic cocktails on the menu, including a no-alcohol version of the Lucy in the Sky above, and Lucky Saint is available as well as some sparking teas.
And there are bar snacks?
Hidden away at the back of the cocktail menu, you'll find a somewhat unassuming page of bar snacks. However, the simple one-line listings hide what is the bar's secret weapon - bar food supplied by the three-Michelin-starred kitchen, run by Head Chef Jonny Bone, with some of the snacks representing mini versions of the main restaurant's key signature dishes.
As we mentioned earlier if you're looking to see just what Core earned those stars for, the bar is an excellent place to start. Everything on the snacks menu is amazing, and if budget allows, trying pretty much everything on the list is at least worth a try.
Here's a selection of what's on there (note that all prices are per snack):
Roast Chicken (£4.50) - truly a Willy Wonker option that left us slightly speechless as it managed to convey the flavour of an entire roast chicken dinner in a tiny taco. Phenomenal.
Lobster roll (£6.75) - many of the snacks have a theatrical flourish, like this one, delivered under a smoke-filled dome.
Core fried chicken & caviar (£5.75) - Seemingly a must-have bar snack on many London menus, this is a great version.
Core caesar salad (£5.75) - this felt like it had literally been grown in that pot of edible sand which gets dug up and sprinkled over.
Caviar sandwich (£6.75) - the teeniest, tiniest bar snack imaginable that comprises every element you'd find in a traditional serving of blinis and caviar.
Potato & roe with dulse beurre blanc, herring and trout roe (£20) - this is a miniaturised version of one of the dishes the restaurant is best known. It comes with bread that you'll need to mop up every last drop of that beurre blanc.
The other carrot (£9.25)
Core apple (£9.50) - another signature dessert from the main menu that you can have in the bar.
And anything else to finish up?
There's just one thing - and even if you've been having lunch or dinner in the main restaurant, we'd recommend coming back to the bar for this. Their Irish coffee, made tableside, is absolutely not to be missed. You're given the choice of three whiskies, a flavouring and the type of topping you want and it's all created in front of you leading to one of the best Irish coffees we've ever had (and at the absolute perfect temperature too). If you're a fan of Irish coffee, you can't leave without ordering one of these.
Bar Manager Vincenzo Ciaccio making the Irish coffee
The perfect Irish coffee (£20)
Overall thoughts
One of the best restaurants in London turns out to also have one of the best bars. It probably shouldn't come as a surprise, but everything's running perfectly at Whiskey & Seaweed, from the great cocktails through to amazing snacks and an Irish Coffee that's not to be missed. As an opportunity to try Core by Clare Smyth without going for a full-on tasting menu, a visit here is highly recommended but even looking at its merits as a standalone bar, it's really something pretty special.
More about Whiskey & Seaweed
Where is it? 92 Kensington Park Road, London W11 2PN
How to book: Book online
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @whiskeyandseaweed.
Hot Dinners were guests of Whiskey & Seaweed. Prices are correct at the time of writing.
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