40 Acre Lane has been home to many a venture, the last being a Ghanaian nightclub/ restaurant that audaciously sold tickets for a Ghana v Uruguay screening during the World Cup (but unfortunately sealed its fate when the electricity failed mid-match, leaving alot of footie fans vexed to say the least and spelling the demise of yet another hangout on the Lane). So after being acquired by a new owner and following a nine-month refurbishment, it’s now the Electric Social – a vast and spacious two-floor bar which pays homage to the stylings of an old English manor, and could very well give some of East London‘s most notorious after-hour drinking holes a serious run for their money.
Six months new, and ES is already building up a fanbase of locals and non-Brixtonians, as weeknights pull in crowds that are after comedy, open mike and salsa dancing, and Saturdays operate a free entry policy (That’s when hip-hop and funk take over the ground floor and house and dance can be found upstairs for the party pros).
Drinks-wise, cocktails like the Forbidden Fruit are dangerously delicious, and in the food arena, expect a slight twist on English classics (apparently their Sunday Roast is five star), with the wonderfully potted shrimp with muffins, sandwich bloomers with various fillings (try the Thai chicken) and jerk duck with plantain being some of the grazing highlights. Electric Social shows plenty of promise, so for more info about this new SW2 spot, visit www.electricsocial.com (Words: Matilda Egere-Cooper)
