Flight Club Leeds review: Here's what I thought of my drinks at one of the city's most eclectic bars
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If only one thing can be said about Flight Club, it is that its décor is completely insane. Hidden inside a former Bank of England building in Park Row, a classical stone façade belies the carnivalesque mayhem running riot inside. Its entrance is understated – filled with chintzy ornaments and lampshades you might find in your grandmother’s house – but beyond the entry, it is sensory overload. A jumble of seemingly unconnected objects flicker and come into view under intermittently flashing lights.
A barometer, art deco lamps, vintage portraits hang from the walls. The bar is an ornate, mahogany relic, similar in style to the Queen Vic from Eastenders, except Peggy Mitchell has been replaced by an escaped carousel horse cantering past the spirits. We were shown to our table by a bartender who, when asked what the theme of the décor was, answered: “carnival cottage-core”.
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Hide AdThe disorientating array of colours and sounds was only added to by a rowdy crowd of darts players enjoying one of the boards in the room. Despite it being the middle of the week, there was a lively atmosphere and the bar was busy. We pressed a button at our table to order drinks, which felt fun and exotic, and our waiter quickly returned. I ordered a Breakfast Sour, one of the bar’s signature drinks, which is a mixture of whisky, cherry liqueur, almond, lemon and foam bitters. It was unusual and moreish, sweet and sour, like if Haribo made Tangfastics for adults.
My drinking partner had less luck. Her first drink, a non-alcoholic Metropolitan, was bitter and floral, as though a bar of rose soap had found its way in there. But Flight Club only really had one miss, and that was it.
The bar’s Dancing On Iced Tea, a combination of tequila, vodka, spiced rum, peach liqueur and lemon tea, was a hit. And the non-alcoholic Spring Passion, which was a mixture of passion fruit, lime juice, mint and lemonade, was another winner.
The bar is a little on the pricier side, with classic cocktails starting at just under £9. But they are entirely unique, with unusual flavours both complimenting and contrasting each other in the same glass. While ingredients may seem disparate and unusual at first, it is that peculiarity that makes the drinks – and Flight Club itself – work so well.
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