A mysterious new cocktail bar is coming to Kingston this Spring and Nub News was able to sit down with the owner, Nick Robinson, to find out more.

In the heart of Market Square sits the historic Griffin Centre, a grade II listed building that formerly served as the Griffin Hotel in the early to mid 19th century.

Now, it is home to 2 new hidden gems, the vibrant and colourful Chadwick's Home of Zoology and its more sophisticated upstairs neighbour, Incognito Cocktail, Prosecco and Gin Parlor.

"We want this to be a place that really captures people's imaginations," Nick Tells me as he shows me around his newly-decorated bars.

Originally hailing from the Isle of Wight, Nick and his wife Hayley are not new to the hospitality industry. The couple already own Palmerston Grange Hotel in Shanklin, and opened up their first Incognito cocktail bar in Winchester back in 2018.

Their first speak-easy style cocktail bar has been a huge success, with Tripadvisor ranking it as the number one nightlife attraction in Winchester - quite a feat, given that it is less than 3 years old.

Keen to expand on the idea, the Robinsons took possession of the Griffin Centre site in May 2020 and moved to Surbiton in December to be ready for an opening which had to be postponed due to Lockdown.

"We absolutely love it here," Nick says of his new neighbourhood, and tells me that Kingston seemed like the perfect place to open a fun, show-stopping cocktail bar like Incognito.

The new opening date for the two bars is 28th June (subject to changes depending on COVID-19), but I am allowed an early glimpse into the weird and wonderful world of Chadwick Smithfield.

When I enter through the first set of doors, I am immediately hit by bright, tropical decor that makes me feel like I've been transported to a luxurious island getaway.

The downstairs bar, Chadwick's Home of Zoology, is a brand new creation for Nick. He describes it to me as a more chill, casual space where people might want to meet up for a drink with some friends.

Chadwick Smithfield, I am told, is a character that Nick and Hayley created one day when they were imagining a new, wacky bar concept. As they talked, they conjured up the story of a man with an exciting, mysterious life traveling the world, who brings back sumptuous, exotic ingredients for their drinks.

Strangely enough, to fit with his quirky persona, Chadwick also had the head of a cat. The rest of his peculiar family members also have animal heads, and these wonderfully bizarre portraits can be seen hanging on the walls of the upstairs bar.

Before I reach the main attraction upstairs, however, I must ascend a staircase surrounded by what feels like a miniature forest. The stairs and short corridor between the two floors has been adorned with tons of tropical plants, and there are bird cages and hot air balloons suspended from the ceiling.

When I am greeted by two gold lion head sculptures and a sign above the door that reads 'Welcome to our world of pure imagination', I know I am in for a treat.

Nick tells me he's "excited to see people's reactions" when they come through the door, and I can certainly see why.

The space, grandly fitted out with glamorous 1920s decor, is much bigger than I expected, with an enormous bar on the right hand side and open balcony area at the back of the room.

Even if you look up the place on social media beforehand, the pictures don't quite capture the true scale and atmosphere of the room. It's hard to believe that the area once housed a Strada chain restaurant - for those who remember, a lot has changed since then.

This venue was once an assembly hall, which I can believe given the red velvet curtains that hang in the alcoves of the left hand wall.

The best seats in the house are undoubtedly the ones at the front of the balcony area, which overlook the entire bar and offer the perfect vantage point to watch the theatrical cocktail displays happening below.

The bar itself is a grand spectacle, with shelves upon shelves of exciting looking spirits and liqueurs behind it, though I am informed that there is an even more impressive and extensive collection of carefully-selected alcohols and ingredients waiting in storage for the big opening.

You can tell that this bar is a huge passion project for Nick, who has carried out all refurbishments and decorations himself with the help of friend Richard Donohoe and his Southcoast fit out. From redecorating the gilded ceilings to fitting in some impressive looking chandeliers, Nick has used the extra time he's had over Lockdown to make his property as perfect as can be.

Everything has been purposefully chosen to create the perfect ambience, from the table lamps to the playlist of speakeasy tunes that can be heard through the sound system.

Nick also collects a lot of vintage furniture and other special pieces and puts them in storage, which is why he wasn't short of items to decorate his new bars when it was time to expand.

Everything about the place feels elaborately performative, from the inventive ways cocktails are served (be it through bathtub or hot air balloon), to the many hats hanging from the wall that guests are encouraged to throw on as they come through the door.

"It's Heston Blumenthal meets Willy Wonka,'' Nick explains to me as I check out a nearby diver's helmet, out of which the 'Royal Charlie Foxtrot' cocktail is usually served.

The menu for the new Kingston bar will also be a showstopper, containing all of the favourite drinks from Incognito menus gone-by: a best-of list, if you will.

From the menu guests can order a few tasty snacks and sharing platters, but this isn't the place to go for a sit-down meal.

"It really is all about the drinks," Nick tells me. Mind-blowing cocktails are the real stars of the show here at Incognito. Many of the cocktails come out of incredible contraptions that often look like works of art in themselves.

Nick has a lot of fun thinking up imaginative new ways to serve cocktails; the idea is to really make people's jaws drop.

One particularly popular signature cocktail is the Geisha's Garden, which is made up of roku gin, mandarin, plum, house infused oriental bitters, ginger, coriander, hibiscus and lemon. It is served with fresh flowers, atmospheric fog and a beautiful water fountain - you can't help but take a picture!

Alternatively, if a chocolate duck sitting in a luxurious bubble bath is a bit more up your street, I present to you the "Rubber Dub Dub', complete with gin, vermouth, rhubarb, rose, raspberry, apple and yuzu.

If you're not a huge cocktail fan, there are also other drink options available, including a Gin Safari tasting tour that takes guests through five gins from around the world.

Want to book Incognito? Don't worry, there's no secret code. It is worth noting, however, that the Incognito bar in Winchester is usually booked up weeks in advance in normal times.

Nick and his team have never had to rely on marketing, instead thriving off the excellent word of mouth reviews local people have given their friends.

You can book a table at Incognito or Chadwick's Home of Zoology by visiting incognitobars.co.uk.

Opening Hours: 2pm-11pm Sunday-Wednesday, 12pm-1am Thursday-Saturday.