314 In Progress

Shall we be frank? No one is really going to miss Escobar, are they? Where it was once a big fish in a small, uninspiring, weird pond (sorry, Wakefield — I did love you, but you were weird), it became a nothing in an awesome city. It was bound to be done with, and I’m surprised it took as long as it did. And so, let’s welcome 314 in its stead! I believe that this drinking den is affiliated with Almost Famous and it’s pretty new on the scene.
First things first: the space is difficult to make happen. I see what they’ve done, but it’s never going to be the best — doors open in the middle of the dance floor/​bar area and it’s basically one long corridor with a small amount of seating around the edges. There’s something about it that’s difficult to get flowing. I dig the new graffiti and the neon lights — anything neon gets me. I think it looks great.
How about the drinks? A lot of love has gone into this menu, and be assured — it seems clear from a glance that it’s about the cocktails. Of course, they cater to most other whims, but it seems that cocktails are the specialty. It’s hard for a bar to tempt me away from the classics (they’re classics for a reason) so I went with a daiquiri. In the same way that I use a straight up cheeseburger to test out a place’s patties, a straight up daiquiri is how I get the measure of a cocktail place.
314 kicked ass when it came to a daiquiri. Your man asked me what rum I preferred, and I was delighted to have him pick me out something — Appleton VX it was. A sure thing — and perfectly balanced, as well it should be. Full marks there. My friend tried out their Sex Panther from the menu, and sadly wasn’t as happy — the use of a proper single malt was lost on us as it tasted a little bit like watered down whisky with chocolate in it. (Plus the glassware meant ice cubes kept getting in the way of drinking.) However, this is judgement from but one of their homemade creations.
All told? It was the atmosphere that puts me off going straight back — it’s not found its feet yet, I think. Clientele were mixed, seemingly, between old Esco crowd and folks unsure if they were able to boogie there or not. However, that daiquiri was pretty fine and this was based on one visit, so I’ll have to make an update at some point soon. Watch this space.