Farquhar's bar in E&O, Penanag

wnfdiary (68)in #steempress • 6 years ago (edited)

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A contrast to the bright hallways of the E&O Hotel is the Farquhar's bar, which is decorated in a more authentic old-school English-style. The dimmed lights put us in reassuring mood that having a cocktail or two is acceptable even before our candlelight dinner at the Eastern & Oriental hotel started. We believe that this is the place where sports enthusiasts gather to watch a game when they are away from home. But there are some of us, who are slightly nostalgic and come here simply to enjoy the character of the old times. The dark wooden interior is perfect for a gentleman's club, all made from hardwood, including the open bar. The outside area is completely different, full of plants and providing an ocean and pool view. – drinks are even served there, in the pool area. Both sides of Farquhar's bar are to our liking, that is why we divided our time in this bar and first enjoyed our drinks inside and then moved outside.

E&O Hotel Farquhar's Bar
The choice of drinks is diverse and ranges from wines, to spirits, bubbly, cocktails, virgin refreshments and much more. Besides the well-known cocktails, they have also a few signature ones. Two are made in honor of Robert Townsend Farquhar, the Lieutenant-Governor after whom the bar is named. He earned the honor with a pursuit to improve roads, water supply and fortification of this town. The honorable mentions are an excellent reminder that people with a vision made the foundations for future development. Naming a cocktail or a street is a nice way to tease curious ones as to why he or she deserved that honor. It doesn't even have to be some huge achievement, as in a year of being vice governor, Farquhar couldn't do much. Nevertheless, the strong spirit matters and the cocktails named after him have that resemblance. The base for the cocktail was vodka and Triple Sec, and then nutmeg, orange juice and cream were added. The cream made the alcohol less obvious and but the nutmeg and orange were easy to taste.

E&O Hotel Farquhar's Bar: Nice collection of spirits
Ian's choice was the Glenlivet 15 years old, single malt Scotch Whisky, which is very nice on the nose with fruity notes and sweet spice along with some almonds. To the taste, it is easy to find raisins and some winter spices like cinnamon and cloves. He liked the dry, slightly minty finish with remaining on oak.

The offering at this bar doesn't stop at drinks. The finger food is also perfect for the intense match when you are nervous, and some comfort food is a much tastier option than biting off your nails. If your appetite rises, they have also à la carte menu, where you can satisfy raising hunger. Our bellies were still full from the lunch at E&O Sarkies Corner, so we enjoyed just the drinks and the atmosphere. We had a lovely time there, the staff was very kind and willing to exchange few words. We loved looking through the window towards the sea, where is a nice contrast to the darker inside. In our opinion, this is exactly the kind of bar that every heritage hotel should have.