Submarine

Compact nightclub in the Dhow Palace Hotel 2 Reviews

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As anyone who has seen The Hunt For Red October will testify, submarines are small, dark places that are crammed to capacity with people. The Submarine Bar, housed in the basement of the Dhow Palace Hotel, is small and dark, but at 10.30pm on the Saturday we visited, it was far from crammed. The startling neon entrance is only a warm up for the equally garish bar and illuminated tables, and the portholes on the wall add to the nautical theme.

Arriving at this time, however, means that you can grab a couch and enjoy table service, choosing from a good selection of beers, spirits and cocktails. Whilst it’s off-putting to still be outnumbered by the bar staff at 11pm, don’t be disheartened. Instead, find a table near the stage, as later in the evening the resident band, Something Extra, power-up their amps and in a heartbeat, the place comes to life. A thoroughly entertaining troupe that plays the most unlikely requests, they launched into our deliberately difficult calls without batting an eyelid.

Pretty soon, people flooded in to listen and the bar went from sleepy nightspot to bustling live bar in the space of an hour – we like to think it was our choice of songs. The erratic attendance rates should even out over the coming weeks – at present Submarine is only two months old and as such is still building a reputation for itself. The weekly programme is not yet set in stone, so it’s worth calling ahead to find out which nights the band is playing. Although we do know that trendsetting promoters Kazeen are starting up their regular Plus Minus Weekly Sessions on January 10, and we can’t wait.

Time Out reviews bars anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.