If you fancy a sophisticated night with good food and drink, or want to be entertained by flamboyant cocktail makers, then head to The Living Room.

The Venue
Situated on the corner of Grey Street, The Living Room is ideally situated for easy access to the Quayside and is within easy walking distance of the Theatre Royal making it a great location for any occasion. It sits next to the Grey Street Hotel, so if you've had too much of a good time you can bunk down here.

Living Room is a UK wide chain, but instead of the formulaic furniture that clutters up other chain bars (Wetherspoons, Ha Ha, Slug and Lettuce) it feels like a bit of thought has gone into the design, and it looks more like an upmarket bar than a cheap booze palace.

As you enter the building, you are faced with two choices - either go into the bar and sample one of their extensive cocktails, beers or any spirit you can imagine or enter the restaurant.

The People
The busy bar area is open to people who aren’t using the restaurant. The clientele are slightly older (thirty and above) than some of the other city centre bars. The cocktail waiters are entertaining to watch as they fling glasses and spin bottles in true Cocktail style.

The music isn’t too loud but there's definitely a buzz about the place. In contrast, the restaurant's atmosphere is much more sedate. A piano player gently tinkles the ivories in the corner and the lighting is low, with candles burning on each table creating a very romantic atmosphere. The whole restaurant is tastefully fitted and feels a little special.

The Food
The food is good with plenty of variety. Starter highlights include Thai fish cakes with cucumber, lime and sweet chilli sauce, and Portobello mushrooms on toast with garlic, herbs and hollandaise sauce. Both are delicious (the fishcakes are particularly worth a mention) and the mix of tastes are superbly balanced. At £5.75 and £4.85 respectively, the value is pretty good.

For main course, the lamb with creamed potatoes and rosemary and the Thai red chicken curry with steamed rice are tantalising choices. The lamb is nice and is served pink. The curry is good with a nice mix of flavours and the rice is cooked perfectly. At £14.95 and £11.95 respectively, the value isn’t bad for this sort of restaurant.

The Drink
A fantastic cocktail list, great range of wines, spirits and beers, and an extensive range of Champagnes means that you are spoilt for choice. A glass of Chenin Blanc at £4.50 and a Champagne cocktail at £7.25 is pretty good value. Finishing with a hot chocolate with Baileys is an absolute must at £3.95.

The Last Word
The Living Room is stylish without a doubt. The food is good but the wine and cocktail list stand out as being exceptional.

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