Tasos Gaitanos and Alex Large, founders of Brother Marcus, London’s much-loved restaurant brand famed for relaxed weekend brunches, bold fresh flavours, and East-Med generosity, has announced they will open Kamara – a high end cocktail bar in the heart of Soho this Autumn. Housed in the former home of acclaimed bar The Blind Pig on Poland Street, the 83-cover space will take its place amongst London’s most exciting cocktail bar offerings, with the concept developed by Angelos Bafas (Kioku Sake Bar, Nipperkin, Soma) alongside co-founders Tas and Alex to encapsulate the ethos and hospitality of the region.
Expect cocktails based on in-house macerated spirits and homemade ferments drawing on both Angelos and co-founder Tas’ Greek heritage, a design-led space with pottery sourced from independent Cretan artisan potters heavily featured throughout, and a tight mezze style small plates menu. More than decorative, the pottery is used to impact on the flavour of macerations through primitive aging techniques. A strong emphasis is placed on the provenance of suppliers, a standout being Wild Room – a network of certified foragers that provide Kamara with the freshest wild produce found in the UK.
Flavours are drawn from the various regions of the Eastern Mediterranean – signature cocktails include the ‘Tuvunu Highball’ – KAMARA fig brandy, Metaxa 12*, Greek mountain tea, fermented figs in honey, fresh lemon, 3 Cents fig leaf soda; ‘Coffee and Honey Old Fashioned’ – Michter’s bourbon whiskey, Cretan aged eau de vie, coffee & cacao distillate, British burnt butter, Exmoor honey, aromatic bitters, and ‘Smoked Pepper Daisy’ – Los Siete Misterios Doba-Yej mezcal, single variety tsipouro, smoked boukovo, KAMARA hay smoked tomato spirit, crushed black pepper, basil leaf oil. Perhaps most representative of Kamara’s ethos is the Mahleb, a gimlet made with Axia mastiha and Tsipouro, macerated with Essex grown Cardamom leaf. Kamara will also offer a focused wine list centred around producers from Greece, Georgia, and Lebanon.
Mezze dishes on the bar food menu will mirror the drinks philosophy, centering around a bold and refined take on East-Med cuisine. A tight menu of mezze dishes will include ‘Cod’s roe taramasalata with sumac onion’; ‘Crispy calamari, zhoug aioli, burnt lime & Aleppo chilli’; ‘Greek Feta Sausage, aubergine bayildi, labneh, zhoug’; and ‘Fried chicken, muhammara, Greek graviera’.
Designed by Finch Studio, the space draws on the rugged textures and warm tones of the Eastern Mediterranean, expect earthy palettes, Cretan pottery, bronze detailing, hi-spec features throughout and a cave-like ceiling that adds a uniquely atmospheric feel to the space.
Since 2016, Tas and Alex’s restaurant Brother Marcus has won plaudits for their dedication to creating an atmosphere centred around life’s simple pleasures of food, wine and laughter. From textures, to materials, to ingredients, and flavour profile, Kamara is set to bring their spirit of East-Med hospitality to the bar scene for the first time.
