Pacific Oriental (bar)

After-work partying is big at Pacific Oriental, where the high ceilings & soaring columns of a former banking hall create a dramatic backdrop for some boisterous carousing. Drinks take their cue from the pan-Asian themes prevailing in the adjoining restaurant, so pull a chair up at the bar or relax on the low leather seating, peruse the cocktail list & ponder which way to go – west towards pink gins, sidecars & Manhattans, or east for quirky Japan-esque cocktails such as the wasabi Mary, made with Russian Standard platinum vodka, tomato juice & soy. Bottled beers give a nod to the orient with Asahi, Tsingtao & Kirin, while draughts stay with occidental names such as Leffe, Hoegaarden & Beck’s Vier.