Simple is what this place is all about, but in a good way. The Simple Bar and Grill at The Light has been around for almost ten years, and continues to be a popular choice in the city. It’s a modern restaurant divided into the bar area, and a comfortable restaurant.
The décor is modern, classy and a little bit of chic thrown in. It isn’t pretentious, it doesn’t have delusions of grandeur, it’s a nice place to be. There are a few tables outside, on Tib Street, where it lives, but the main action goes on upstairs. The interior is mahogany, leather sofas, modern wallpaper and crystal chandeliers.
The staff are friendly, attentive and have you seated quickly. There’s no standing around here, you’re seated and offered a drink and the menu right away. It was a good start.
We weren’t here to have a full meal, more a couple of cocktails and a snack. We had heard that Simple did snacks very well, so that’s why we came. We selected from the Light Bites menu, which had a distinctive American flavour.
We had 3 mini burgers, mac ‘n’ cheese balls, baked tortilla chips and cheese. The mini burgers were indeed miniature, and had everything a burger needs. Good quality meat, cheese, bacon and BBQ sauce. They were truly excellent.
The mac ‘n’ cheese balls were served with a salad and salsa and were really nice. We had ordered this as a curiosity rather than a desire, but we were glad we did. The cheese was lovely, as was the ‘mac.’
The baked tortilla chips came with a salsa, we ordered cheddar too, which is the rules as far as I’m concerned. They were freshly baked, not out of a packet, hand-made, and tasted it. They were great. The salsa was also fresh with lumps of tomato and pepper adding a crunchiness to the texture.
We had a candy cane margarita, black forest punch, and a Chinatown daiquiri to complement the food. Each was well-balanced, tasty, and with just the right amount of alcohol. The mixologist certainly knew what they were doing.
Overall, our meal at Simple was overwhelming positive. It has a nice vibe, the food is good and the cocktails were great.
The Bill: £20 per head
