Seed Library.
It sounds a bit like a room at the Natural History Museum that nobody ever bothers going into.
But in fact, it’s really quite popular – probably because it’s the latest bar from the cocktail wizard that is Ryan Chetiyawardana, a.k.a. Mr. Lyan.
He’s the multi award-winning maestro behind White Lyan, Super Lyan, and Dandelyan (the former #1 Best Bar in the World, before he closed it and reopened it as Lyaness). Presumably now running low on words containing ‘lion’, he’s opened Seed Library as an homage to the stories held within “alternative flavour sources”.
You’ll find it stationed inside the 100 Shoreditch hotel, which has taken over the old Ace Hotel building. Set down in the basement, it’s the definition of moody, with dim lighting; red velvet armchairs set around lacquered, lamplit tables; and a bar made of breezeblocks. It’s retro, kind of brutalist, and more than a little louche.
Mr. Lyan’s known for his high-tech approach to mixology with custom-made ingredients, pioneering sustainability techniques and even running a bar without any branded stock. His latest menu here at Seed Library – stripped down to a tight list of eight original serves – brings together obscure ingredients to create cocktails you won’t find anywhere else. Try a Megamix Sazerac, with Talisker 10 scotch, ‘creme de beach’, beeswax vinegar and absinthe mallow; or a Master Stock Plus, mingling bourbon, orange aperitif, cacao and mushroom. There’s also a short list of beers and low-intervention wines, to go with Seed Library’s self-proclaimed “lo-fi, analogue” approach.
So don’t be surprised if you leave with your head feeling a bit fuzzy.
NOTE: Seed Library is open Wed-Sun evenings. You can find out more and book a table right HERE.
Seed Library | 100 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JQ
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