Having a Ball at Bounce Battersea
Having a Ball at Bounce Battersea
A playful night of pizza, ping pong, and cocktails at Battersea Power Station. By Tara Robinson.
Bounce has officially opened its doors in Battersea, ready for endless nights of dynamic fun. The popular ping pong bar has already made a quirky name for itself at various sites around London, but the futuristic, industrial atmosphere of the renovated Power Station renders it the perfect location for their newest site.
The venue, located at Level One, takes up a large space – and that space is filled with ping pong tables. Balls and bats are provided by staff, who escort you to the booking table to book you in a slot. Pops can be heard above the music as friendly games take place, quickly followed by shrieks of joy. Art hangs along the walls, of players in vintage tennis gear, offset by coloured lights. The overall vibe is that of a warehouse overtaken by a neon tennis utopia, where the only worry is who will win the next tournament.
Alongside the traditional ping pong tables, there are a variety of games to take part in. We went up against a robot to see if we could beat AI (we couldn’t) and tried our hand at ping pong basketball (we were marginally better at that). Our favourite game, however, was Shufl – a simple set-up where two people slide four weighted picks along a smooth table, and whoever lands their picks in the most goal-space wins. It was a straightforward game, but we were hypnotically transfixed.
Ping pong is on the rise as a pastime. Like any pastime, it’s best enjoyed with food, drinks, and friends. The minds behind Bounce know this, and they come fully stocked with a bar and food menu. The bar serves lagers and IPAs on tap, and the cocktail menu includes espresso martinis and a delicious margarita picante with a spicy kick. As the drinks flowed, the games became sloppier. But the fun increased.
The food menu offers a range of bites, from sharing nibbles like garlic sourdough strips and loaded fries, to a range of pizzas. There’s the classic margherita, a staple of any venue, as well as a spicy beef pizza with jalapenos and pickled shimeji, and a pesto pizza with tenderstem broccoli. The food proved a tasty replenishment of energy levels, fuelling us into getting out of our seats and picking up the bat once again.
The energy was infectious. Bright music and bright laughter was the soundtrack of the night. It proved to me that Bounce is the perfect venue for a party, or simply a fun night to do something a little different with friends. The venue is available for event hire, or for popping along and booking in a slot. I recommend you give it a try – I’m no dab hand with a bat, but I had a ball.
