Beats, Eats and Good Times.
Block Bar on St James’ Street has recently undergone a witty rebrand. Now known as ‘Coq Block’, the venue has joined forces with The Bok Shop serving up a stupendous chicken menu, cocktails and of course, a large side of house music as always.
The tagline, Eats, Beats and Good Times still stands and there are deals to be had to facilitate this with a happier bank balance. Customers can enjoy unlimited chicken wings on a Wednesday (1.5 hours) Thursday from 5pm you can grab a pint for a pound (T&Cs apply) Friday’s after work you can procure a classic Coq Burger and fries for a tenner (3pm – 6pm) and Sunday there are chicken platters for two with two cocktails for just £32.
I was invited along by manager Jezebel to check out the newly refurbished venue and try the food and cocktails. The space has lost its trademark Miami pink vibes and replaced that with darker tones with music slogans and art emblazoned on the walls. The overall effect is much sleeker and dare I say it, even cooler than before. A huge selling point of Coq Block is the garden which is covered during winter months and can comfortably seat at least 100 people. On the evening of my visit rain came, so we opted for a window seat inside.
A mango margarita and an old fashioned were promptly ordered and delivered by the delightful Alan, who as it turns out is a wizard mixologist disguised as a man. For me the perfect cocktail doesn’t taste alcoholic and the margarita certainly delivered. Complemented by a spicy rim, it was well balanced and an absolute winner for me and at only £7 you really can’t go wrong.
We ordered two lots of chicken tenders Goku and Buffalo, Captain Super Fries (I must admit I ordered simply because of the brilliant name) and the Jennifer Buffalopez burger. Chicken is just chicken, right? Wrong – the tenders lived up to their name and were indeed incredibly tender. Each soft bite of chicken was coated in generous amounts of sauce and you get at least four huge strips. The Goku was sweet and tangy, coated in sesame seeds and spring onions and the Buffalo had hints of honey and ginger with a perfect kick of chilli. A soft burger bun held its own against the sauce laden fried chicken piece, which was huge and I loved the fries covered in two different types of melted cheese, BBQ sauce, crispy onions and pickles.
My advice is go and take advantage of the amazing food deals and incredible cocktails, they cost £7 but they taste like £15. The vibes are immaculate and the chicken and tunes are banging.
