Raising a glass

All good things start with a negroni.

Words by Martyn Odell AKA LagomChef

There’s a moment in every food and drink lover’s life when they make a decision that seems perfectly reasonable at the time but turns out to be a mild financial disaster. For me, that moment arrived in the gilded reception of the Hilton on Park Lane, fresh from a PR event where I’d been thoroughly spoilt, yet somehow still not quite satisfied with the evening.

The solution, obviously, was a Negroni. What arrived was a perfectly decent drink. What followed was a bill for £25. Twenty-five pounds. For one Negroni. I didn’t quite spit it across the lobby – I have some decorum – but I did immediately reach for my phone to share my outrage with the world. And the world, largely, did not care. Except for one man. Chris Jarrett, also known as The Bearded Barman, who coolly replied: “Sorry for your mistake. When you come to Cornwall, I’ll make you a better and cheaper one.” Reader, he was not wrong.

Fast forward to summer, and there I was in Cornwall, sitting at Two Beards, the pop-up bar Chris ran with his wife Lauren Beard. Working my way through what I can only describe as a smoky, brooding, absolutely magnificent Negroni. The kind that makes you question every drink decision you’ve made in your adult life. Chris, knowing full well my weakness for anything smoky and strong, then proceeded to dust off bottles I’d never heard of and entertain us for hours. It was the sort of evening that makes you realise that great hospitality isn’t really about the drinks at all, it’s about the person making them. I’ve stayed in touch with Chris ever since, following his journey with genuine interest. Along the way he introduced me to Knightor Vermouth, which is exceptional and deserves far more attention than it gets.

Chris is now doing something rather brilliant with his latest venture: Kona, in Falmouth. For those not already familiar with the Bearded Barman, and his equally talented other half Lauren, here’s the backstory. Chris moved to Cornwall in 2011 and fell, somewhat accidentally, into hospitality. Bartending turned out to be the perfect creative outlet, part craft, part performance, part science experiment. He’s a self-confessed drinks nerd who genuinely wants to understand why something tastes the way it does, and he will absolutely corner you at a party to explain the chemistry behind a fermentation process you didn’t know you were curious about. The thing is, he makes it fascinating rather than insufferable, which is a rare gift.

Lauren, meanwhile, grew up in Cornwall before heading off to travel the world, absorbing food culture, design and hospitality inspiration wherever she landed. Five years in Australia introduced her to the particular magic of Aussie brunch culture, that laid-back confidence, the long tables, the sense that a morning coffee could effortlessly become an afternoon occasion. She launched a luxury picnic business in Sydney called Pretty as a Picnic, eventually bringing it back to Cornwall during lockdown, where she stepped back into hospitality through the events world. Together Chris and Lauren built Two Beards into a well-loved pop-up and consultancy, creating bars and experiences across the South West.

Then Kona happened. They didn’t find Kona, Kona found them. What began as a consultancy project became something neither of them could walk away from. The space had an energy to it, and Chris fell for the potential. The result is something genuinely special: a Bondi-inspired brunch spot by day that shifts into a vibrant cocktail bar by night. Lauren’s love of relaxed, sun-soaked hospitality and Chris’s obsession with exceptional drinks finally under one roof and with a freshly updated look to match their vision.

The food leans into the whole ethos beautifully. Their seasonal plates menu is, in their own words, essentially one giant bar snack list: Gildas, cheese and onion hash browns, smoked mackerel churros, tacos. The kind of food built for sharing, for lingering, for ordering one more round and somehow ending up staying until the evening rolls in. “We want Kona to be about shared experiences,” they say. “Long mornings drinking coffee and catching up, easy afternoons that roll into evenings with great drinks and even better conversation.” Running a venue together as a husband-and-wife team with two kids is, by any measure, a lot. But they wouldn’t have it any other way. And honestly? If this is what comes from one outrageously overpriced London Negroni, I would pay the £25 all over again.

LAGOM CHEF
LagomChef
www.lagomchef.com
konabar_
www.konabar.co.uk