The British Film Institute (BFI) Southbank is a staple venue in my London self-care repertoire.

If I’ve had a long day at work and I need to decompress, whilst surrounded by people yet without having to actually talk to anyone, it’s perfect.

The bar is an ideal introvert haunt. Get yourself a drink, bring a book, or just enjoy the people watching. You really never know who you’re going to see here.

Or what! You’ll often find temporary exhibits of film-related artefacts, costumes, posters and other memorable items.

It’s quite an arty crowd. Actors. Directors. Stylish students who want to become actors and directors. Patrons of the arts. Thespians. Reunioning and working and networking and posing and studying. It feels very escapist for someone who works 9-5 in an office.

Unsurprisingly evocative of cinematography, the lighting is impactful, purposeful and varied. It ripples from sultry shade to surprisingly clear overhead lighting, with butterfly palms and fringe curtains and framed movie posters around the edges.

Sometimes if I have to write a hefty report and need to do it in the evening, I’ll come here and sit at one of the brightly lit tables where I can focus on my work with intense light above, but still somehow feel secluded and at peace. It’s possibly been designed that way. I imagine other drinkers are editing scripts or memorising lines or other types of focussed work. It certainly exudes the buzz.

I have wanted the venue to serve classic martinis for years but have been left wanting – until now. At some point in the Spring of 2026 they refreshed their menu and Vespers now make an appearance as a nod to the James Bond British film franchise. What a relief!

I ordered one immediately.

The staff are friendly and I was asked reassuring questions about the drink, including whether or not I would like it with olive or lemon.

The gin and vodka were both Chase, and the vermouth was Cocchi Americano.

In terms of areas to improve, it was shaken with ice and the glassware wasn’t chilled, so it wasn’t as cold as you might be accustomed to from other London martini venues. I also found it a little too sweet with the addition of the vermouth.

The glassware was also a coupe glass rather than a standard V-shaped martini glass which always makes it that little bit more annoying to drink from.

There were some handy snacks on the menu, like giant corn, padron peppers and the perhaps non-friendly martini accompaniment of a sausage roll.

But at £13.50 in a time of rampant inflation, in such an excellent venue for mental health and focussed work, I’ll come back and order this again and again.

If logistically possible, I would recommend V-shaped glasses, although there’s not a lot of space behind the bar. I would also ideally want the gin and vodka to be kept in the freezer, but again, this would be a potential logistical challenge.

I would definitely prefer less vermouth. That shouldn’t be too difficult. When all your cocktails are sweet, please remember the sheer joy of something dry.

I very much liked the care and attention the barman put into expressing the lemon peel into the drink. That was good. Thank you.

Otherwise you might be familiar with the BFI as an institution. It holds the worlds largest archive to films and specialises in indie works, foreign cinema and the beloved classics.

I know where I’m going

A few years ago, I ended up with Covid and for a miserable ten days I was stuck in my flat, firstly ill, and then isolating until it was safe to venture out into the world again.

I emerged shaken and blinking, stunned by the light and overwhelmed by the everything of London. I found myself walking towards where my body needed to take me to – the river.

Once there, I wandered into the safe space of the BFI bar. I wasn’t ready to talk to millions of people quite yet. I just wanted to be, in the company of humans and I was still feeling very sorry for myself emotionally.

But then I looked at the schedule for screenings that evening. What did I see?

It was the 1945 Powell and Pressburger film “I know where I’m going“, set and filmed on the Isle of Mull, where I come from.

I was feeling oh-so-very homesick and I had only ever seen the film in scrappy clips on YouTube. I knew the universe had brought me to this place for my own good.

I also realised that it was due to start in five minutes. I bought a ticket (and a pint) and ran in to the cinema hall – which to my surprise and delight was almost completely full. I felt so proud! I wanted to shout out that I was a Muileach, but I was also wildly aware that after days of isolation I possibly wasn’t in the most stable frame of mine and resisted.

But next I got an even bigger shock. The screening began with a man discussing the film and why he had chosen to restore it digitally. He described it as one of this all-time favourites and that he has been inspired by the makers when he was younger.

The man looked familiar to me but I couldn’t quite work out who he was. He loved the film, he surely must have visited the island at least once, and he had coveted and preserved this piece of my island’s heritage for the masses. It is noteworthy that the film contains the first ever recorded depiction of the Gaelic language in Hollywood.

So who was this man who saw the value of I Know Where I’m Going and returned it to glory for all of us?

Ladies and Gentlemen please put your hands together for Martin Scorsese.

I nearly fell out of my chair. I couldn’t believe it! What a surprising delight. How did this talented filmmaker, known for the likes of Italian American New York and crime Americana ever even encounter a film set on Mull, let alone lovingly deciding to digitise and preserve it.

I went on to thoroughly enjoy the film on the big screen, speeding my on my way to mental recovery, and booked my ticket home the next day.

Thank you BFI Southbank. Not only do you preserve and share extensive film heritage from around the world, you also run a good bar!