The Dog House at Bernardi’s, bar review: Very Marylebone, but spot-on Negronis

What they say: They’re billing The Dog House as a “cheeky” basement bar, with lots of cosy nooks and a courtyard, ideal for after work drinks or a quick aperitivo.

What we say: Seymour Street, just round the corner from Marble Arch, is in a confusing part of town – there’s a fair few decent restaurants around here, but you’ve got to head to them: no-one stumbles across anything here, it’s just not that sort of neighbourhood.

Reasonable, then, to expect a bar underneath a restaurant in these parts to either be empty or full of would-be diners impatiently tapping glasses of free Prosecco while waiting for their table to be set and laid. So, how The Dog House actually is, is all the more a pleasant surprise: not very late on a Friday it’s already busy, with good, chattering atmosphere, a upmarket crowd enjoying themselves. They may call it cosy but they’re wrong, because you can’t snuggle up somewhere where the colour tone is all dark grey and blue, but it’s stylishly welcoming, the walls dressed nicely with art and old adverts. You might feel an urge to drink espresso and discuss Fellini films, but probably not. Still, it's nice to have the terrace: sure, the Marylebone gang who do smoke here look like the kind to wonder if their cigarette makes them look fat, but the great big windows mean the place doesn't feel too hidden away.

The bar sits unobtrusively to one side, where it’s worth perching at to watch the drinks be mixed, which they do skillfully. Still, if you’re at one of the tables, service is friendly.

Good for: They’re right to call it an after-work drinks spot, but if you’re heading out and are nearby, start the evening here with a couple of cocktails. It would work fine for a relaxed date, too, or for a catch-up with friends – music is kept low, so you’ll hear each other venting.

Order: Little surprise that an Italian joint is big on Negronis, and they’ve dedicated a slice of the menu to it. The classic is, well, a classic, but they’ve stirred up some alternatives. If you don’t have the time, liver or cash (they’re £10.50 each) to get through them all, top of the pack is the Nikka variant, which swaps gin for Nikka From The Barrel whisky: this Nikka smells of spice but tastes sweet like caramel and toffee and as such is strong enough to stand up to the Campari. A terrific twist. Sweeter is the rose Negroni: rose wine and rose vermouth together taste just like a perfect late summer (and not at all, thankfully, like what we're presently surviving).

Elsewhere, keeping with the classics, they do a Martini exactly as it’s meant to be, by which I mean I was feeling fussy, had specific instructions (it had been a very long week) and they followed them to the letter.

It’s too chic to serve sweet things, but they’ve plenty of ways to make Processo slip down too quickly, oodles of wine and a fine spritis selection.

By the way: Bernardi’s is known for its food, so have some. If you ask sweetly, you might be able to order from the restaurant upstairs, but the cicheti selection is pretty decent: cheeses and cured meats are particularly good, and the frittata was spot on. Ask to see what the daily special is.

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