Zen Sai in Camden

Some of the ingredients included in the cocktails would make you rather suspect this is one of those places that calls its barmen mixologists and garnishes everything with dill, for what seems like the sole purpose of bemusing the general public. A drink called Victoria’s Garden arrived, as it to concern our suspicions. The name alone was alarming, sounding for all the world like like a luxury feminine hygiene product, but when we saw basil on the list of ingredients alarm bells began to ring

They stopped the minute the drink hit our lips. A concoction made with the aforementioned basil, gin, mint, cucumber and apple, it tasted of cool summer evenings spent in the shade. As cocktails go, it was superb: a refreshing twist on a Gordon’s gin. A quick word to the mixologist revealed a down to earth philosophy that most bars at this price range could learn from. They focussed on building a core of strong, complementary flavours from high quality ingredients, without the frills. The result is simple, yet stunning.

A mixed bag then, although certainly an improvement on past showings. The reluctance to add serious heat is understandable from a restaurant that is going from anglicised pan Asian food, but a little more bravery with the chili really wouldn’t go amiss. At £4-6 for a side and most mains costing under £10, that slight lack of intensity is all that’s stopping Zen Sai from becoming an unmissable nightspot. As it is, it’ll have to settle for simply being Camden’s hidden gem.

Daniel Masters

Zen Sai is open Tuesday to Friday from 5pm to 2am, and Saturday and Sunday from 12pm to 2am. For further information visit Zen Sai’s website here.