If this bar is the dog house, the proud pup owner is probably a pedigree. It’s a handsome room filled with stylish, rich-looking drinkers who settle into plush velvet chairs like it’s their second, no, third home. The decor is a bit ‘Dolce Vita’, since The Dog House resides beneath chic Italian restaurant Bernardi’s in Marylebone. High ceilings, black walls with gold embellishments and rich plum and mauve furnishings make this a striking space, with futurist artwork, vintage Italian posters and an impressively backlit bar all making the room pop that bit more. Candlelight and fresh blooms make it prettier. A narrow patio to the side has a few cast iron chairs for smokers, presumably on the menthol Vogues.
A menu of negronis has been tailor-made to complete the fashionable feel. They’re a little dear at £10.50 each, but the quality can’t be questioned, with wide combinations of gin, vermouth and variable bitters. Each one comes made with quality Italian ingredients and your options include everything from a sloe gin version and a beer-topped twist. Try sipping slowly on the Rose Negroni – this thirst-quenching combo of rose vermouth, amaro and rose wine dressed with a pretty pansy on top didn’t stick around for long after it arrived at my table. There’s an equally impressive list of Italian-styled spritzes and martinis to dip into, if bitter isn’t your taste.
We had to hound staff a few times to put in our drink order and chase them down on the whereabouts of the bar cicheti we’d asked for (although the frittata of the day was worth the wait). Hopefully staff can step up their approach here. Because being spoiled with drinks of this quality felt a little like rolling over and having my tummy tickled. Turns out that being in the dog house is no bad thing at all.