9th March 2007
The Parisien Great Gatsby in London, circa 1974
Just a quick note on this place. Started last in 2006 by a group of like-minded chaps who have worked man (and woman) and boy (and girl) in the bar/restaurant trade. They picked up all of the tricks, ambiences and nuances of their favourite places of all time and tried to meld them together here.
In my opinion they have done a great bit of melding. I think I must share many of their sensibilities and, as I hurtle towards my fourth decade, I think I now look for different things in a watering hole than I used to.
This place is really a seamless mix of 1920's America (check for mint juleps on the lovely cocktail menu; think Brett Easton Ellis meets the Great Gatsby), 1970's London (before red braces and porsche 944's; when lunch wasn't for wimps) and a timeless Parisien cafe (fish soupe, roux and thimble full of frothy lager).
The music is varied but always right, the noise is usally from talking rather than basslines; I think Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye were the theme of the evening at my last visit. The staff know their winelist backwards and will recommend something dependent on a quick quiz of what you like in a wine. Their cocktail menu is really unusual and has at least six wine-based coolers; which I have found a penchant for. The have a delicatessen which serves lovely plates of meats, cheese and fish which come with nice crusty bread. Blissfully they serve this right up until closing - why isn't that more common?
Really this place is the sum of awesome attention to detail, every wine is a winner, all of the staff are trained, ashtrays emptied, floor swept, music just so and, something that appeals to my Piscean obsession to detail, every fresh glass is bloody spotless.
Open Monday to Saturday 12 til 12, this is a lovely secret wedged in between the Strand and Covent Garden, underground at the bottom of Bedford Street. Excellent for social afterwork drinks or pre- or post- (or both) theatre drinks. Really verging on 5 stars but I think that category can be overused and the place is often pretty busy.
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Nice, I want to check this place out! Interestingly I thought it was Virgos who were obsessed with details, Thanks for drawing this point to my attention in retrospect every pieces chap I've met has had an overly tidy room....