VOC is named after the Dutch East India company serving innovative punches, cocktails and grill menus. VOC is tucked away and hidden in the courtyard by King’s Cross station and St Pancras station that offers a warm, relaxing, speak-easy vibe/feel – a place for drinks after a long week of work. So that’s exactly what I did. I was invited to come in to sample their a la carte menu and their broad range of innovative cocktails. I did my homework and checked the offering on their website before arriving and their cocktail selection looked enticing. Upon arrival we decided to order our first round of unique cocktails by VOC. My friend ordered the Dirk Hartog Decanter – a smoked captain’s decanter of Ron Zacapa 23 with Pedro Ximinez sherry & honey! I’m not a big fan of Ron Zacapa 23 but it was such a photographic drink. My friend’s opinion? Strong and smokey, just how he liked it.
I had the Pirate’s Curse which apparently isn’t for the faint-hearted! A blood-red twist on the infamous Reggae-Rum Punch, Wray & Nephew, Scurvy Cure, Spice & Pomegranate. I loved that the shot came to our table flamed and once blown out and mixed (you could down the shot but it was a school night), it was as it said…really strong but I liked it!
Last but not least; I also sampled the East India-Man cocktail; an aromatic punch built with Demerara rum, pineapple, scurvy cure, & Spice. As you can see, I love my sweet cocktails and would love to explore more of their cocktail ranges another time.
For starters we ordered the grilled halloumi with olives, creamy hummus and pitta bread with a side of frickles – yes frickles! I was excited to try this as I have never seen this on the menu before. It’s basically battered pickles but I was a little disappointed that the batter overpowered the pickle 
I gave them this feedback and I hope next time I can order it again and make the request to order the frickles with not so much batter.
For our main we ordered the beef sliders which is 3 mini burgers topped with 3 different cheeses (emmental, mature cheddar and gorgonzola) and Portobello mushroom burger (vegetarian option). These burgers are 100% dry aged Scottish beef served with a large portion of chips. The chips were slightly over fried for my liking but I particularly enjoyed my Portobello mushroom burger (very juicy indeed!). To end my evening I had a slice of chocolate brownie – way to end an evening with a sweet treat! To sum it all; I had a hearty meal at VOC; I think what stood out the most were their cocktails which I would definitely come back for. The dinner was complimentary to the drinks being offered and a great place to pop by within the area if you are looking for something away from the busy streets of King’s Cross St Pancras. They have a lot of locals dining with them so they are in the perfect location if you are working late or just pop in after work for a few beers. You can find VOC here: 2 Varnishers Yard, London N1 9AW. They are opened Mon – Thur 12pm – 1am, Fri – Sat until 2am and Sunday until 11pm.
The post VOC Grill and Punch House in King’s Cross appeared first on Red Velvet London.