Mr Fogg's Society of Exploration — Restaurant in London

Normally, I would give a bar like this more of an average 3-star review, but I feel like a few things actually set it apart for me from what my partner felt was a rather dull experience.

Door staff, fun with good banter. No problems with our reso and we were brought down immediately. We were seated at a decent spot, and it seemed fairly busy for a Monday or Tuesday night (I can't recall). Unfortunately, it seems understaffed. It took ages to receive the menus, and we had to repeatedly attempt to flag down a server to make an order. Drinks took a bit of time, but our vantage point allowed us to see the bar and those boys were BUSY. They didn't stop, so it was not the bars fault. We did see drinks sitting for a while on the pass however. Again, seems like there aren't enough servers on the floor -- but that is a generally post-COVID problem across the industry.

The menu is massive. I loved the attention to detail and storytelling, and this devotion to a theme is basically any Mr. Fogg's calling card. The menu is actually fun to read. Some like this can be tedious, others too try hard, but this had a good balance. The way it was organised was also very intuitive. (Other similar London bars could learn something about menu layout from this place.)

Not looking for sweet or long drinks, I settled on Umi's Mist as it seemed to have all the notes I like. It was a solid cocktail. Sure, this place loves to use all the latest cocktail trends like foams and "air" (aka bubbles), but despite the rather kitschy vibes of the whole place, the cocktail worked. It wasn't too sweet, or too weak. My partner wasn't so pleased but she's very picky, and it does appear like there are a lot of offerings that lean sweet. I believe she ordered Li-Li's but found it far too dependent on the liqueur, to the point it overwhelmed all the delicate tea flavours.

We ordered a few more options, and I have to say, I very much appreciated our server being honest. When she saw me eying one of the (expensive) offerings on the limited edition rum menu, she warned me off it, saying that if I don't want sweet, that's not a great choice. She suggested a better cocktail instead. Many servers would let a guest order an expensive cocktail and suffer. So, kudos to her for caring about our experience over the total on our bill. The cocktails themselves are basically what you would expect for a theme bar. Nothing crazy or too challenging or complex.

Another positive was I had forgotten that I mentioned it was a birthday celebration in our booking, as both me and my partner had our birthdays that week and this was our celebration. We were served complimentary shots and a cute take-home card with birthday wishes. I know these are not personalised, but still, it was a very nice touch and I wasn't expecting anything, to be honest. And certainly not the attention to detail provided.

Also, there is one incredibly talented bartender I was watching. (Long hair and beard). His style is super, and he's fast and fun to watch. His pours are very stylish.

A negative is the way they automatically add a charity donation to LandAid. Like, if I want to donate to a charity, I will do it myself after vetting it. I found that very underhanded. I fully support LandAid, but I should be given a choice, not see later it was included in my bill without any notification. And if the establishment cares so much, they should be the ones putting in the donations, not shifting the responsibility to their customers (and then depending on tax laws, they could claim a charity write-off for their business). Underhanded. I cannot even guarantee they are giving that money to a charity at all.

The decor is great, staff (when they were present) were great, and it was just a pleasant experience. Not sure I would come back, but I may try another...

Extremely disappointed.

I use to loved this place. The first time I had been there was enough to make me want to bring any person who came to visit me in London and unfortunately, this time was a terrible experience, just because of the mood of the security at the door.

My friend (a rewarded bartender) came to London for the first time (this weekend), and the first place I thought to bring him to experience the cocktail in London was Mr. Fogg. He wanted to go to Bubala (btw a great restaurant), so I booked Bubala on Saturday; there was just availability from 10 pm until 11:30 pm, so I thought to do a nice walk after dinner toward Mr Fogg, which I had booked for 00:15.

At the restaurant, we shared ONE bottle of white wine; trust me, it was not enough to start getting drunk, even because that wasn’t our intention. However, when we got to the bar, there was a group behind us (a little bit louder), and they were not allowed to go in the bar, but we weren’t with them and just stayed there for the reception to confirm our reservation, which they did. Suddenly, the security turned up to us and said we were not allowed to go in. I asked why, and he said he could see that we were drunk. SHOCKED.

I was impressed (in a very negative way) with his behaviour (so rude, unpolite and very angry person) who came to us and said that he would not allow us to come in – with no reason, not even one reason. I said that we had just one bottle of wine to share, and I would like him to explain what made him think we could be drunk as we were standing there waiting to go in in a very passive and waiting way.

After that, we went to the gin bar (which was the same brand). The guy was very kind, but they were closing, so he suggested we go to Mr Fogg, and I explained the situation, which also surprised him.

Anyway, I felt very disappointed, and my friend probably more than I, so I really expect that the management will care more about the people they put at the door, as this will be the image you will be selling of your brand/place. And that guy definitely does not give you a good impression or good experience. Sadly, he was rude and negative just for the sake of being. Sad.

I totally agree with the policy about not having drunk people inside (extremely important), but using that as an excuse to say no to sober people is not acceptable. Rude and unnecessary lousy experience.

Feel sorry for the responsibility for the bar's success, as they could lose the excellent impression/name because of their untrained/rude staff who do not care for the company and can damage their image very easily. Consider who you are hiring to be in the front of your business, as this could be the image your consumer will build in their minds and perceptions.

Now, my family is visiting me, and I do not feel safe to book this place...

I have actually never met someone who doesn’t like a Mr Fogg’s Bar and I can certainly understand why. Hailing from the successful Inception Group (who also look after the amazing Cahoots) have opened a fifth Mr Fogg’s bar in Charing Cross.

Mr Fogg’s Society of Exploration is all about celebrating exploration and adventure! The location right near Charing Cross where he started his adventure is certainly apt. The bar will take customers on a thrilling journey around the world complete with train carriage, map room and hidden wonders.

The venue is adorned with portraits of Mr Fogg’s fellow fearless pioneers with maps, travel books and clocks surroundings the bar. As you arrive the journey begins with a ball being rolled down the shoot directing you downstairs through the elegant lobby.

As expected from the creative Mr Fogg’s, the cocktail menu is no typical menu. It takes the form of an explorer’s menu across nine areas of the world. Each chapter focuses on one location, ranging from ancient man-made creations to wonders of the natural world.

The thought and presentation that goes into the cocktails is clear. We started off with the Valley of Silence inspired by Mount Everest. With Bombay Sapphire gin, sake, milk and vanilla mirin, lime and egg white, the cocktail was served on a cushion with a large ice cube with Mr Fogg’s stamped on it (£12) Moving on to the Grand Canyon we tried the Native Lands cocktail (£14). It was served with Hendrick’s Obrium gin, pruni liquer, herbal liquer and apertif wine in a weaved basket which looked so adorable.

The Old Savannah was served with Bacardi Carta Oro rum, Mancino Chinato vermouth, apricot & fig ketchup, cinnamon and paprika salt (£12) with the apricot and fig really shining through. The Palette of Life from the Amazon Rainforest came with Oxley gin, Rinomato aperitif, pale ale beer, malt syrup and citric solution (£13). As expected, these cocktails did not disappoint and were so beautifully presented.

I don’t normally expect much from nibbles at a bar but I was actually blown away by the quality of the food we had here! The Spicy Asian Pork Balls with lemon, garlic & parsley, served with a honey and ginger sauce (£7) were absolutely delicious. The balls were so flavoursome with the sauce and with 6 in a portion, £7 is an absolute steal! The Marinated Tempura Chicken Pieces served with a Peruvian green chilli dip (£8) were similarly tasty. The batter was light and the dip was so moreish. Other dishes include charcuterie and cheese boards and scotch eggs!

The new Mr Fogg’s Bar certainly does not disappoint. It has a fantastic theme with a fun and lively atmosphere, delicious nibbles and stunning cocktails. They are definitely some of the best...