Reading Roars!

Following on from my last post, another new development that may face difficult months ahead is Sakura.  I’m referring to the new bar/club combo in Reading’s Gun Street, rather than the dazzling Colombian singing sensation (who is, in fact, Shakira). 

Weak jokes aside, Sakura will be replacing The Fez, also owned by Eclectic Bars.  It is a little bit sad to see The Fez go.  I do think it has quasi-legendary status in Reading, as did its 1999 predecessor the Alleycat Live.   I remember thinking how exciting it was to have a North African-style venue in town.  That is, until I went to Morocco and saw the real thing (and I can assure readers who haven’t been that sipping cocktails in the souk simply isn’t possible).

Sakura, as you may have guessed, is a Japanese-themed establishment (I wonder what other possibilities the Eclectic Bars folk considered?  Russian - arguably taken by Revolution; Australian, likewise by Walkabout; Sub-Saharan African would have been interesting…). 

Will we see an exclusive zone where kimono-dressed geishas deliver sake to your table?  Will there be high-tech toilets?  Again, we shall see.