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East Suburban Wine Bar Is An All Round Winner

By Emma Stanbridge

Posted on July 25, 2016

The wine bar which wraps around Chelsea cinema like a warm hug in the winter has expanded, and is showing that small venues in the suburbs are just as sought after as they are in the city.

Ssshhh…Can you keep a secret? We’ve found the place you’ve been looking for. The one that’s off out of the hustle of the city, but still has the atmosphere, vibe and exquisite food and drinks that the much vaunted bars and restaurants in the square mile offer. Hula Hoop is your next destination.

The Hula Hoop expansion has taken over the empty space to the right of the cinema.

Not that it’s identical to their initial space, but the vibe certainly carries between each!

Located on Kensington Road, just a hoops throw from the city, Hula Hoop occupies either side of the Regal Theatre (Chelsea Cinema for those playing at home). Each space has been transformed by owners Steph and Jon into this sexy and sultry Mediterranean style bar and restaurant. Trust us guys, you will look pretty impressive if you take your next date here.

The recent expansion into what was previously Uxbridge Kitchen has seen Hula Hoop become the place to be this winter and we’ve worked out why. Besides the obvious attraction of delicious food and drinks, Hula Hoop is like this hidden gem, that once found, absorbs you into the local and relaxed vibe, like any true European bar should. Once one side of the bar fills up, there is room to spill over into the other side and in summer this expands out into the alfresco courtyard that is perfect for lounging about with a bottle of wine on a warm Sunday afternoon. Perfectly catering for all seasons.

The menu is filled with pasta and tapas style dishes, ideal for sharing, with a drinks menu combining both local and imported wines and a killer cocktail list for the more adventurous. Although we can highly recommend the Cured Salmon and Hula Hot Pot on a cold winters night, we were whisked away by the Cavatelli Salsiccia. A tip for those date night goers, you’ll look even more impressive if you can pronounce all the exotic words properly, we learnt that one the hard way. This handmade pasta was the dish of the night, a perfect pasta to sauce ratio that was bursting with flavours in a simple manner that only truly authentic Italian pastas can achieve.

We watched the Parmesan melt on the Cavatelli Salsiccia. It was amazing!

Just from looking at it, you can tell the Hot Pot is a winter warmer.

As for desserts, you simply can’t go past Hula Hoop’s Panna Cotta. The rumours were true, it is AMAZING. Deliciously creamy with crunchy walnut toffee, it is certainly not a dish for sharing, but we might just be greedy. Our last tip for date night is to lash out and indulge in one, or two, maybe even three, of the classic cocktails Hula Hoop has on offer. We opted for their signature Kensington Colonel which was the perfectly refreshing drink to cap off the night after filling our bellies with double their usual capacity for food.

So if you can’t afford that European holiday, treat yourself and head out to Hula Hoop, where even if only for a few hours, you will feel as though you have landed in the Mediterranean. One things for sure, your taste buds will definitely go home satisfied, even if your date doesn’t (we told you to loosen those purse strings and get that second cocktail!).