Dusk Bar

Valentina and Priya, MyVillage   06-10-2008

Battersea may not be the ideal location for Saturday shenanigans, but au contraire dear revellers, Dusk a newly refurbished bar/club sets to dampen such beliefs. Just a brisk walk away from Battersea Park station lies the nouvelle find.Basked with hostess service, punters are allocated to their seating. Echoing the chic glam d�cor of Westend�s lavish bars, Dusk combines a genuine oriental feel glazed with dark wooden surfaces and airy VIP areas. Gleaming towards a minimalist approach, Dusk paves its way for a cultural dip too, with its Moroccan-themed outdoor bar. As the night slips away, Dusk is soon packed to the rim - bar sippers and clubbers alike shakedown to every vibrant beat. With no designated dance floor to be found, the venue becomes a fairground of dancing limbs... and a sore eyeful of inebriated moves. Uplifting to see a roomful of zesty punters, we, on the other hand, lie back on our plumped sofas and indulge in an array of cocktails. Vanilla Sky a melange of vanilla infused with lycee liquor mixed with cranberry and fresh lime kicks off a vigorous night. The recommended Glamourama, with its blend of vodka, apple juice, passion fruit has a tangy spark, followed by the enlightening Spiced Cuban a collision of spiced rum, fresh apples mixed with lime and mint.Toppling with alcohol, we decide to dabble into their bar menu, ordering a bowlful of Edamame � soya beans soaked in sea salt, the delectable King Prawn Rolls, Dim Sum and the alluring Bread and Dips combo, accompanied with the interesting Margarita Hummus and Bloody Mary dip. All dishes were ideal in portion and fulfilling in flavour and taste. With revellers so friendly, service so prompt and dance moves so, err, eye-catching it is no wonder there�s no rest after sunset at Dusk.

Anthony   29-09-2008

The bar is a complete scam. 3 drinks came to �19.50 (2 spirits, 1 bottle of beer). When I asked for the receipt there was a 12.5% service charge included. The barman then argued with me when I said I didn't want to pay it but begrudgingly agreed to give it back to me. The service was rubbish anyway. Bar wasn't busy and it still took 15mins to get served. What cheek. MAKE SURE YOU DON'T PAY THE SERVICE CHARGE or better still just avoid the place.

Nick M   10-06-2007

The first time I visited Dusk about 4 years ago I was so impressed. We hired the backroom for a party and the atmosphere, d�cor and service were excellent. It was winter and there was a fire, low ambient lighting and a great space for drinks party conversation, followed by dancing as the music got everybody going. After such a civilised and fun night out I returned for many more memorable evenings.However, Saturday night, 9 June was not such a great experience. The place has changed in so many ways. The Italian barman at the back area was rude and angry, smashing glasses and putting neat lime juice into our vodka tonics, despite our protests. My round of 2 Cobra beers and 3 vodka tonics cost an extortionate �28.50. Later, when I bought 1 Cobra and V&T for just �9.50, I discovered that we were being hit with a service charge for rounds over �10, penalising anyone buying drinks in quantity. It would have been cheaper if we�d all bought drinks separately, but this would have saturated the already congested bar area and made the painfully slow service (10 minutes+ waiting) grind to a halt. The service charge makes expensive drinks even more over-priced and they should really make this additional tax on customer purchases more obvious and explicit.The redesigned layout has eliminated the feeling of space, turning the rear into a narrow corridor of crowded, little rooms. The place was jammed with people. And yet the toilets are a joke, they�re so small. What made it even more uncomfortable and confined was the presence of attendants, who customers had to squeeze past to get in or out. Apparently the girls in our party felt so sorry for the woman sitting in the ladies toilet (when they washed their hands they couldn�t splashing her she was so close to the sink) that they didn�t even want to go in there.Dusk used to be charming, chic and classy, now it�s just like hundreds of other heaving bars in London and is clearly the victim of a mass market approach to achieving commercial success. It�s lost its magic. The only good thing was the music, which still got us moving when we could free our arms.