Shrub and Shutter Any bar that has ‘and’ in the middle of its name is always going to have connotations of a big traditional boozer, or one of its modern, trendier incarnations. Rose and Crown, Slug and Lettuce… you get my drift. So, it was a surprise to find the Shrub and Shutter is none […]
Draft House
The Draft House, Clapham Of course, as you might expect from people dedicated to bars, cocktails are our thing. Beer has been a bit of a mystery to us… especially those real ales beloved of your original beardy CAMRA types who proudly sported the hirsute look long before hipsters stole their whole vibe. But when […]
Hixter Bar Bankside
Hixter Bar, Bankside Now the Hixter bar in Southwark is good for lots of reasons. It’s stylish, chic, dark, sexy and it’s got a large sunken bar with low bar stools around it that make you feel the size of a giant and the bar staff the size of Oompa Loompas (although they’re much better […]
Trailer Happiness
Trailer Happiness Trailer Happiness has been winning many happy fans ever since it opened its doors in Portobello Road. You can see easily see why. To start with the staff and owners are so friendly and laid back you feel you’ve stepped into a support group rather than a bar. Albeit one with its own […]
City Social
City Social Bars are going up in the world. No self-respecting skyscraper can hold its head up in polite company without its own swanky drinking hole/come restaurant boasting sweeping views over the city below. London is full of them, from The Shard to Millbank Tower, all vie with each other on the views front. But […]
Bourne and Hollingsworth buildings
Bourne and Hollingsworth Buildings Bourne and Hollingsworth Buildings, or B&H for short, is a relatively new addition to a well-loved stable of eclectic and eccentric bars that include Bourne and Hollingsworth’s eponymous basement bar in the West End, The Reverend WJ Simpson and the Blitz Bar. The new Bourne and Hollingsworth Buildings are on a […]
Raise your glass to 2015
They call it the Dryathlon… we prefer Banuary… or the Winter Wagon. Anyway it involves keeping off the booze during January n order to a) recover from your Christmas excesses b) save money and C) maybe even donate a little to charity.
Lansdowne Club
Best Swims London – the Lansdowne Club London is not just a city blessed with great bars. It’s a city brimming with clubs… from the old and esteemed such as Whites and Boodles, to the new and trendy such as Soho House and The Library. There are clubs for Ex Public School boys, artists, actors, […]
Trained in the art of drinking
Trained in the art of drinking Commuting can be a chore at the best of times… And once upon a time, in a more, (or is that less) enlightened time, the custodians of our public transport knew that. They cared for us and wanted our journeys to be better, more enjoyable experiences. So they did […]
Champagne Bar at the Royal Opera House
Champagne Bar at the Royal Opera House In that 1980s ode to excess that is Pretty Woman, Richard Gere’s character, before taking prostitute-with-a-heart-of-gold Vivienne to the Opera, spins her some line about people either loving or hating the Opera the first time they see it. Fair enough, you just better hope your first opera isn’t […]