23.01.12. Bar des Art, Millbrook

Published on: 23 Jan, 2012
Updated on: 28 Feb, 2012

Bar des Art, Millbrook, opposite Yvonne Arnaud Theatre Entrance

This week we have gone to to an interesting establishment that is not solely a coffee shop, something that must be borne in mind when considering this review. It is a little away from the High Street and whilst open for coffee in the morning and meals at lunch-time it is, perhaps, mainly a bar with entertainment in the evening. Anyway, we had heard good reports so we thought we would try it out.

We visited at 10am and there were only two other customers, so if you are looking for a lively atmosphere at this time of day this might not be the place. But if you are looking for something different with peace and quiet, slightly away from the hubbub it could be just the thing. It opens at 8.30am so you could grab a quick, Paris-style breakfast on the way to work or shopping in the High Street.

Website coffee shop reviews are conducted without the knowledge of shop owners or staff. All scores are out of 5.

The attractive French style entrance to the Bar des Arts

Subject	Comments	Score
*Bar des Art, Millbrook, opposite Yvonne Arnaud Theatre Entrance*
Coffee	One espresso and one cappuccino ordered. Delivered promptly. Espresso, £1.40, was quite bitter, even with sugar added, cappacino @£2.20 was fairly good with plenty of chocolate powder on top.	2.5
Cakes	Small selection. The mini danish pastries were fresh, moist and had good flavour.	3.5
Menu range	The range of items was limited (not necessarily a bad thing, of course). But the quality appeared good.	2
Interior	Modern, with interesting pictures displayed. Comfortable chairs.	4
Atmosphere	The hybrid functionality gave a definite French feel to go with the name. A few more customers would have improved the atmosphere which is probably quite different at lunchtime and again in the evening.	2
Access	There is a single step outside the door which might make wheelchair access more difficult. On the ground floor there is a disabled toilet but there was no apparent lift to the gallery/meeting room above.	2
Service	Attentive, prompt and polite.	4
Information	Menu brought to the table. Wifi access available. No menus on website.	4
Value for money	Despite checking we were only charged a total of £4.50, which represents terrific value for money.	5
Toilets	Upstairs (except disabled toilet previously mentioned). Clean and tidy.	3
Opening hours	Monday to Thursday: 8:30am to Midnight, Friday: 8:30am to 1:00am, Saturday: 10:00am to 1:30am
Address	Millbrook, GU1 3YA Tel: 01483 453227 email: http://www.bardesarts.co.uk/

The order - nicely presented!

The upstairs art gallery - an added attraction that can be used as a meeting room

Bar Des Arts is a café during the day and a wine/cocktail bar at night. “We are a venue that is both a sophisticated wine/cocktail bar at night and a café that’s an oasis of calm in the day time. We offer freshly made cocktails from trained mixoligists who are passionate about what they do, accompanied by live music, dance and other creative events plus continually changing art on the walls. During the day we serve fresh pastries and coffee for breakfast, light lunches and Luci’s home made cakes throughout the day. The upstairs meeting room provides a quirky twist on where to host your business meeting.” [Source Bar des Arts Website]

Click here to see last week’s survey – Caracoli. Which one will it be next week?

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