Union to launch h-bar evening food service

Imperial students will soon be able to enjoy evening bar food at h-bar again, following the Union’s announcement that it will be launching a new menu at h-bar on Wednesday 26th June.

This comes in response to student discontent at College’s decision to cut the evening bar food offering at h-bar in March, as reported by Felix.

Felix was fortunate enough to receive an invitation from the Imperial College Union Commercial Services team to attend an exclusive taster session to get the inside scoop on what to expect from next week’s revamped menu. Also in attendance were postgraduate (PG) faculty reps, h-bar managers and members of the current and former GSU committee.

Jason Hosken, one of the student duty managers at h-bar said: “I thought the food was excellent and I’m really glad that we’re finally bringing some food back to h-bar. I think the sharing possibilities are amazing and we’re going to do some really great food and drink deals and they’ll complement our new drinks really well in the bar”.

The menu, which consists of new ideas developed from student feedback, as well as some trusted favourites, has been designed with the idea of sharing in mind, following feedback from h-bar users about how much the tapas style food was missed. Whether you’re popping in for a meal for yourself, have a few snack plates, or want to scale up portion sizes to fit your group size, the new menu has the flexibility to do just that. The wings, churros, bao buns and burgers on offer in particular were favourites amongst those in attendance at the food tasting. As this menu is being introduced on a trial basis, it is still subject to change and will adapt depending on feedback received from students and to keep up with seasonal changes.

Details of the full menu can be found below:

• Steamed Bao Buns with Korean BBQ Pork
• Steamed Bao Buns with Korean BBQ Mushroom, Pepper and Onion
• Classic Homemade Beef or Chicken Burgers, with gluten free options available and customisable add-ons such as bacon or cheese
• Falafel and Spinach Burger
• Chilli Chicken Wings with Celery Sticks and Cool Ranch Sauce
• Vegetable Crudité Platter with Hummus and Pitta Bread
• Gourmet Hot Dogs (meat and veggie)
• Mozzarella Sticks
• Onion Rings
• Curly Fries
• French Fries
• For dessert: Churros with Chocolate Sauce

h-bar is Imperial’s postgraduate pub and bar, and is run as a joint venture between Imperial College and the Union, with the food offering provided by College and the drinks provided by the Union. The decision to cut the evening bar food service, which sparked outrage, was made due to financial reasons and meant that food would no longer be available in h-bar after 7pm, much to the chagrin of staff and students alike. The Union’s decision to reintroduce the evening food service at h-bar can be seen as its refusal to let the only postgrad specific bar be discriminated against, something for which it should be commended.

The new menu came about through months of development between Sam Swiniarski (the Union’s Chef de Partie) and Jason Hosken, Mohit Devgan (the future GSU President) and Ute Thiermann (the current GSU President), who were all instrumental in communicating the thoughts of the students they represent, as well as providing feedback in each tasting session.

Deputy President (Finance & Services), Claudia Caravello, told Felix: “It was important to us that we introduce a menu that postgrads wanted. It was never going to work if we just picked what food we thought they wanted and forced it upon the students and staff. That’s why we have worked hard with h-bar manager Jason and future GSU President Mohit to ensure they help shape the menu, as well as used feedback collected from talking to many h-bar users to help guide what types of food to include.”