Power Corruption and Lies Leeds review: I tried this Call Lane disco bar popular with cocktail lovers

Anyone to be found near Call Lane on a Saturday night would almost certainly agree.

Thriving in the early evening and thronged later on, it does double duty as both a place to start and end a great night out in the city.

From the north side of Call Lane, it’s immediately on the right and is often the first pick for newcomers to the street. And they’d be in safe hands if that’s the case.

With huge wall-to-floor windows, minimalist décor and a behemoth of a bar stretching from either end of the venue, drinkers are given room to breathe as the space fills up.

Yet later in the night when it does, it never feels overcrowded.

We visited on a chilly weekend when the promise of a warming spirit was an enticing pull to Call Lane.

Its an impressive bar to visit with friends, if only for its style. It’s a beautiful space into which a great deal of thought has evidently been put.

Named after the 1983 New Order album, the bar also takes design queues from the album’s cover which features a gorgeously baroque Henri Fantin-Latour painting.

The French artist’s floral motif can be found throughout the venue, including on the menus.

Among the drinks we tried were ‘Roku The Casbah’, a perfumy, aromatic blend of gin, Cocchi Rosa, triple sec, grape juice, pomegranate and soda. It was light and fun to drink, the fruitiness masking what was probably high alcohol content.

Then, there was ‘A Chocwork Orange’, which was somewhere between booze and chocolate pudding. With orange vodka, coffee liqueur, triple sec, coffee, chocolate syrup and orange bitters. It’s for drinkers with a sweet tooth.

The star of the show was the ‘Pink Smokey Disco’, with tequila, grapefruit and chilli cordial, grapefruit bitters, lime and, usually, rosemary foam – although I went foam-less. It was punchy and pretty, with unusual flavours that came together harmoniously.

Adding two glasses of vino bianco and a Margarita, our total was less than £50. Not unreasonable for the amount we ordered.

Starting or ending an evening at Power, Corruption & Lies is, in my opinion, the only way to do Call Lane correctly. The only question I’ve ever had about the place is: why didn’t I visit sooner?

Factfile

Address: 36 Call Ln, Leeds, LS1 6DT

Telephone: 0113 430 0144

Opening hours: Fri-Sat, 12pm-3am; Sun, 12pm-2am; Mon, 5pm-2am; Tue-Thur, 12pm-2am

Website: powercorruptionandlies.co.uk

Scores

Drinks: 8/10

Value: 7/10

Atmosphere: 10/10

Service: 8/10