Jamies is a chain of bars that tend to have a bright, modern, welcoming atmosphere which is particularly popular with people working in media. There is a large champagne list as well as an extensive variety of wines and beers. Polka has a classic, contemporary two-floor design - with it’s sleek decor created by award winning designers, the main bar's upbeat soundtracks reflect the local Soho vibe. For a mellower atmosphere with a warm soulful feel, try the lounge bar upstairs. Polka specialises in classic cocktails with a modern twist. Freshly blended juices are also available along with a superb range of fresh leaf teas and fine coffees. Polka also offers a range of simple, freshly prepared contemporary dishes for lunch whilst the evening sees a menu of Tapas, mezze and antipasti.
Just like the dance, Polka centres on the idea of having two parts, two tempos: downstairs for a lively party atmosphere; upstairs is Boho, mellow, ambient. It's a nice concept, but on arriving it quickly becomes obvious that while the place does have the combo of money and mouth, as a whole it struggles to offer anything with more depth.
Downstairs is sadly predictable for a bar trying to attract a richer clientele. Delicate lighting, stylish tables? Check. Leather sofas? Check. Funky beats? Check. It's all there, and it's all very trendy, but the atmosphere, like many new bars trying to be distinctive, is a bit too try-hard. The most striking decorative aspect is the leafy stencils lining the walls, along with 1920s style fringes of pink beads dangling above the booths (a good idea but cheap looking, as though borrowed from a Barbie shrine). Upstairs fares much better. The glass front wall makes the comfy window seats a great place to watch the world go by. Chilled music and intimate lighting creates a less contrived décor, and ultimately, there is just more space to kick back in. Add a bite to and a drink in hand, and it really is Polka's best asset. After a whiling away a few hours with friends, you forget about the over-eager blandness of the floor below.
The drinks menu offers an impressive array of spirits, beers and cocktails. However, on a busy night when you're being crushed against the not-really-big-enough downstairs bar, it's questionable whether flamboyant cocktail making and the odd flash of flame is what you're looking for. It's also possible to buy bottles of spirits, but the prices are naïve, pretentious and ludicrously hopeful.
A mention must be made of the star-cloth lighting effect in the toilets. Once more, Polka tries to stand out, but if you're a bit worse for wear, being plunged into darkness as you attend your business is probably not as stylistic as they had hoped.
Polka hopes to 'offer Soho an attractive alternative'. Downstairs it doesn't. Upstairs it does.
- Will Robson
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