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Secrette
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Secrette answers the city’s unquenchable thirst for speakeasies with an appropriately clandestine room, boundary-pushing sips and sexy light bites meant for sharing. Nestled snugly atop Queen East’s GEORGE Restaurant, the bar is a roguish relative to its polished older sibling.
“I’m not sure who he is,” says John Ko, Secrette assistant general manager and beverage director, of the man peering down from a portrait above the bar. Done up in 18th-century fashion, the anonymous gent presses one finger to his lips — the universal sign for, “shhh.” What mystery does he want kept under wraps? One can only presume it’s Secrette itself.
Not long ago, the space functioned as an office for GEORGE Restaurant management. With its large windows to the street and 29-person capacity, though, the metamorphosis to cozy cocktail lounge seems a natural one.
Secrette’s red brick walls hint at the building’s origins as a chocolate factory, while the rest of the room is a riot of textures, patterns and colours. Its name may be French, but the aubergine-hued velvet chairs, wallpaper by Neo-Expressionist artist Hunt Slonem, and sculptural window treatments suggest few boundaries to the bar’s theme.
And a lack of boundaries is exactly what Ko loves. “I wanted to put a memory that I had into every cocktail, or just really put myself into a glass. Whenever a guest is having a cocktail here it’s like a representation of myself.”
Inspired by his background, trips, childhood, and more, Ko’s cocktails can be anything and everything. Unlike downstairs at GEORGE, here they’re the stars of their own show.
“I do the cocktails at GEORGE as well,” explains Ko. “That’s a bit more catered to chef’s offerings, more muted flavours. Up here, chef’s small bites menu is very versatile, where any drink would work for it.”
“You’d have a difficult time finding a classic on the menu,” continues Ko, explaining that the list is broken down into four sections: light and refreshing, complex, high-spirited and zero-proof. Excluding the signature offerings, other sips are frequently revamped as the seasons bring in “a brand new set of ingredients to experiment with,” he adds.
A nod to the bar’s bygone existence as a confectionary, The Golden Ticket is a bold, bracing, chocolatey take on a classic Manhattan. Fortified with Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Antica Formula Vermouth and Taylor Fladgate 10yr Port, it’s smoothed out with house-made chocolate and aromatic bitters. Ko’s handmade “chocolate paper” is a showy little garnish Willy Wonka himself would be happy to hawk to sweet-toothed customers.
A signature gin and tonic, meanwhile, is the popular drink dreamily assembled with an artist’s flair for drama and a mixologist’s way with flavour. Fever Tree Tonic and Whitley Neill Rhubarb Gin are a silky smooth pairing, but it’s the intense elderflower foam you’ll find yourself inhaling before it vanishes into the liquid below. Together, the drink, the foam, the goblet and the cascade of rosy, dehydrated flowers create a gorgeous little escape that’s gone too soon but will linger in your memories.
Also from the light and refreshing camp, Bacio D’Isola, says Ko, was inspired by executive chef Lorenzo Loseto’s Italian heritage. With a name that translates to “island kiss,” the clarified drink is as luminous and clear as the Mediterranean on a sunny day. Earl-Grey-infused Appleton Estate VX, pineapple, Amaro Montenegro and a dash of nutmeg make for a punchy, herby, woody sip.
“I have a cocktail on the menu called the Picoso Compa,” says Ko, of a drink that falls into the complex category. Beyond Ko’s South American ancestry, a trip to Mexico also played a part in the drink’s creation. “The amount of flavours and spice level [there] was just so intense. I wanted to put everything I tasted and the feeling that I had into a glass.” With every sip, he encourages guests to “think of themselves on vacation somewhere exotic.”
Fruity, thanks to passionfruit purée and lime, the drink also has a lick of heat from chili-infused Dejado Blanco Tequila and Ko’s top-secret spice blend. A hit of saffron, an egg white foam and Los Siete Misterios Mezcal add the intrigue of any exceptional getaway.
From the kitchen, bar bites at Secrette are as sophisticated as their liquid counterparts. “The idea,” explains chef Loseto, “was to have something a little bit different to downstairs, at GEORGE. Shared plates, two or three bites, something a little lighter and fun. You can enjoy your cocktail and the food is delicious but doesn’t take over.”
Divided between “hot” and “cold,” chef’s seasonal treats don’t conform to any one cuisine. Instead, they flaunt “lots of umami flavours, with Asian, Italian and French influences,” adds Loseto. Made to blur the sharp edge of hunger, they’re delicate enough to leave guests wanting more.
The first to hit the table, Coconut Pancake, is a one-bite snack brimming with fragrant chickpea relish. Curry-scented Tapioca Crunch is a crisp, smooth, tart revelation and effortlessly exposes tapioca’s true calling.
Layered onto an airy bed of wasabi mousse, tuna tartare and Singaporean-style slaw wait to top crunchy bread rounds. With an element of DIY, this one is best enjoyed before too many of Ko’s quality concoctions.
Romaine Rolls reads like an explicit invitation to the vegetarians in the room, but with their creamy lobster dressing they’re actually calling to everyone else. Yes, this is a handheld salad. But daubed with sauce, and devoured in two bites, it’s the most satisfying salad you’ve likely encountered.
Delivered in larger portions, Champ Cakes and Cauliflower Samosas are ideal for making friends. The former finds wee potato cakes resting on a bed of Stracciatella cheese. Flavoured with bacon, roasted grapes and herbs, each packs more flavour than expected. A smear of beet labneh adds a sexy spin to piping hot samosas. On second thought, you might want to keep these zesty morsels all to yourself.
Dainty yet rich, chef’s vanilla donut is lavished with glaze and garnished with mango, pomegranate arils, almonds and mint. A simple sweet, executed beautifully, this downy show-off is a worthy distraction from Ko’s gorgeous bevvies.
At Michelin-recognized GEORGE, the team is a finely-tuned brigade, constructing dishes and drinks with restraint and finesse. The same is true at Secrette, with a stocked bar being the differentiating ingredient that seems to put everyone in an easy-going mood.
Apologies to the mystery man in the portrait but the secret of Secrette is officially out.
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