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Salvador and Amanda Restaurant – Tapas and Late Night Drinks in Bloomsbury

Posted by Krista

Bloomsbury is not an area known for its selection of post work drink spots, so when Salvador and Amanda opened their second location there, it was a move welcomed by the locals.

The stylish Spanish inspired bar, restaurant and late night dance venue (the bar is open until 3am on weekends) does not stray from what made its first Covent Garden location successful, and if anything, is a step up to fill a much needed gap in the WC1 postcode.

When we arrived at Salvador and Amanda on a Friday night, the place was buzzing with groups of friends and co-workers toasting to an accomplished work week. Pitchers of fresh sangria greet you at the door and are followed by an impressive cocktail list and authentic tapas menu.

As we were there for dinner, we were a little confused as to where we would be eating until we were led up the stairs to their slightly quieter but more intimate second level. It still has the warmth and buzz of downstairs accompanied by a long wooden bar and candle lit tables for diners.

The menu is a notch above the sharing platters downstairs and after taking a quick look, we leave our dining fate in the hands of our charming and confident waiter who suggests we allow him to pick our dishes.

What came next was what seemed like a never-ending flow of well executed and ridiculously delicious tapas dishes. Highlights included the Monkfish special of the day, the Croquetes Caseras de Jamon (ham croquettes) and the Salmon Curada paired with pomegranate and black olive vinaigrette, which was a surprisingly tasty combination.

However, the winner of the evening was the Chorizo Lollipops. They were as indulgent as they sound and had us wanting more the second they were finished. Overall we sampled around 9 dishes.

It was the perfect amount for two people and really allowed the kitchen to showcase their ability to execute Spanish classics as well as more modern and playful combinations.

The dessert menu was slightly safer in comparison but featured a nice selection of fresh ice creams and sorbets in rich caramel and fruit flavours among others. They were a perfect way to satisfy a sweet tooth.

Salvador and Amanda proved that it is not just an option for locals, visited out of necessity; it’s a great experience for anyone. No matter what you are in the mood for, forgo the regular Soho haunts and travel a bit East…you won’t be disappointed.

Read our review of Bloomsbury neighbour, Garufin, an Argentine restaurant, or Mayfair based tapas restaurant El Pirata.

Read our guide to London’s best restaurants.

The London Guide From Bon Vivant

Posted by Emyr Thomas

We hope that our members and readers enjoy our regular blog posts – we try to make sure we tell you about the best venues and experiences to help maximise your free time and to ensure you are ‘in the know’ before anyone else.

In addition to the blog, we have launched a new section on our main website called The London Guide – your one source for the best hotels, restaurants, bars, spas, exclusive events and cultural highlights in one of the greatest cities on Earth – London.

Whether you want to know about the best London hotels (luxury or boutique), want to find a suitable London restaurant for the right occasion (brunch, afternoon, business lunch or private dining room, for example) or need inspiration for somewhere to go for a drink (cocktail bar, rooftop bar or champagne bar).

Bon Vivant’s London Guide hopes to be your one source to return to time and time again for inspiration on the best that London has to offer – it has our best content in one place, easily accessible and in an easy format to navigate.

We also have a section on London neighbourhood guides and a selection of holiday destination and travel guides including the Caribbean, Mallorca, Barcelona and the South of France.

Bon Vivant’s London Guide will tell you what you need to book, for whom, when and how. Click here to read The London Guide.

If you would like us to cover any content that we currently don’t have, please email us or leave a comment below – we would love to hear your thoughts. If you don’t already subscribe to our blog, enter your email address below:

The Best Champagne Bars in London

Posted by Emyr Thomas

Few drinks have the same emotional effect as Champagne – the perfect celebratory drink and the focal point for a great birthday, party or gathering with friends and family. Read on for Bon Vivant’s guide to the best champagne bars in London.

The Grill Room at Cafe Royal

The Grill Room at London’s latest luxury hotel, Café Royal, has been restored to its original Louis XVI style and it looks stunning.

The opulent room has seen its share of history and scandal, and is now, thankfully, open again as a champagne bar with a great location on the fringes of Mayfair and Soho.

Bob Bob Ricard

Bob Bob Ricard in Soho is designed in the style of a train with booths for 4 to sit for dinner with plush curtains separating the booths. It oozes Art Deco decadence with its buzzy atmosphere, and there’s a “press for champagne” button on your table to press when you need a top up – perfect!

Bubbledogs

Bubbledogs was one of the big restaurant hits of 2012 specialising in hot dogs and champagne on Charlotte Street in Fitzrovia. Bubbledogs features a menu of ten hot dogs served on traditional steamed buns and a selection of grower Champagnes.

Bubbledogs offers a cool alternative to the grand champagne bars in London.

Kettner’s Soho

The Champagne Bar at Kettner’s has an extensive range of champagnes. The bar has a wonderful Soho buzz and has two ‘nooks’ that are ideal for an evening with a group of friends.

Keep reading for our tips for some of the best champagne bars in London…

Champagne and Fromage

As a Champagne bar, shop and bistro, Champagne and Fromage has a no fuss, warm and welcoming ambience.

All the grower champagnes served at Champagne and Fromage are sourced by the owners from award-winning family owned producers.

The Vaults at Voltaire

Once housing the treasures of the former bank above, the old stone vaults have now been converted into a unique bar area, The Vaults at Voltaire. The Vaults offer private alcoves with i-pod docks and decorated in silks and furs, with service from your own private waiter.

St Pancras Grand Champagne Bar

Known as one of Europe’s longest Champagne bars, the St Pancras Grand Champagne Bar is located on the terrace of St Pancras International station, alongside the Eurostar train carriages.

Marvel at the station’s stunning architecture and roof while you wait for your journey to Paris with a glass of champagne

Texture

Texture is a Michelin starred restaurant, combining British ingredients with Scandinavian influences. The Texture Champagne Bar offers five Champagnes by the glass and a further 110 by the bottle, making this an ideal spot for a pre-dinner drink or to make your way through the extensive champagne list!

Vertigo 42

Vertigo 42 is located on the 42nd floor of Tower 42, the former NatWest tower in the City. Vertigo 42′s Champagne Bar offers a stunning view of London while you enjoy a glass of champagne.

The Beaufort Bar at The Savoy

The Beaufort Bar is an Art Deco gem with opulent black and gold furnishings. The bar has an extensive list of champagne by the glass and by the bottle including rare vintages from Louis Roederer and Cristal.

The Beaufort Bar has live lounge singers on select evenings and a monthly evening of cabaret and burlesque.

Aqua Nueva Cava Bar

Aqua London in Soho has launched a new cava bar in its Spanish restaurant, Aqua Nueva, showcasing 15 Cavas at the tapas bar.

The new cava bar has the largest cava selection in London. Aqua also has two lovely rooftop terraces to enjoy in the summer months.

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The Gilbert Scott Restaurant – A British Classic

Posted by Emyr Thomas

The Gilbert Scott is a true British classic. Set in one of the most architecturally dramatic buildings in London, the dining room has an overwhelming sense of grandeur and occasion, yet manages to be elegantly casual at the same time.

Although located in the same building as the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel at St Pancras International station, this is not a pit stop, a conduit or the start of a journey: this is a destination in itself.

The Gilbert Scott is the second restaurant from celebrated chef Marcus Wareing, but don’t expect Michelin-style finesse and ceremony – this is a British brasserie, with a menu of historic and nostalgic British dishes.

The starters include Brown and Forrest smoked salmon with oatmeal soda bread, crispy pig’s head with laverbread mayonnaise, pickled cockles, and sea herbs and venison terrine with Somerset cider chutney.

Highlights from the main courses include an intensely flavoured braised oxtail and nutmeg mash, veal schnitzel with fried egg, anchovy mayonnaise and capers, Mrs Beeton’s barbecue chicken and Cornish hake with cauliflower, capers, almonds and sea purslane.

Puddings are a highlight with classics such as sticky toffee pudding, warm apple pie, Eccles cake and trifle. It’s rare to find a menu where you would happily order it all.

We dined to the sound of a live pianist, which added to the nostalgia and created a wonderful atmosphere. I was envisaging a smoke-filled room with guests in formal attire enjoying dinner to the sounds of a live chanteuse.

The Gilbert Scott has a range of private dining options, including The Kitchen Table (pictured above) in the basement kitchen area, surrounded by walls of wine with the buzz of the kitchen in full view.

While the restaurant was a joy on every level (my only quibble being that the tables are a little too close to each other), The Gilbert Scott has an absolute gem of a cocktail bar that I would consider to be one of the best cocktail bars in London.

Combining an excellent cocktail menu with a truly stunning room with ornately painted ceilings and magnificent bell chandeliers, setting the scene for an enchanting evening of elegant decadence.

If you would like your concierge to arrange your next dinner at The Gilbert Scott or any other London restaurant, please contact us. Read our other restaurant reviews including Wabi London, 34 restaurant in Mayfair and Portal in Clerkenwell.

Radio Bar at The ME London

Posted by Emyr Thomas

We’re not graced with much warm weather in London, but when the sun does shine through, we maximise every possible ray of sunshine. One place you’ll want to be this summer is the Radio Bar atop the new ME London hotel on Aldwych.

On the 10th floor, Radio Bar has sublime views of London from all directions. When you exit the lift, you are greeted by floor to ceiling windows with London’s famous sights within touching distance.

The terrace lines Radio Bar on both sides, with a selection of tables, lounging areas and larger seating areas for groups. The music and laid back atmosphere helps to create an image of being in the Balearic Islands, with The Thames a good substitute for the sea!

I have to admit that we didn’t love the cocktails on our visit, but there are enough original concoctions to keep you coming back for more, but the wine list is surprisingly reasonable (as are the cocktails at under £10) with a nice Malbec by the glass.

But you come to Radio Bar for the view – Tower Bridge, The Shard, St. Paul’s Cathedral – and to revel in being outside on a rooftop terrace in central London.

For further inspiration, read our guide to the best rooftop bars in London. Sign up to our blog at the link below:

Read our other London bar guides including the best cocktail bars in London and the best beer gardens and terraces.

Clerkenwell Restaurants and Bars: London Neighbourhood Guide

Posted by Emyr Thomas

Bon Vivant’s Emyr Thomas has lived in Clerkenwell for 10 years and knows its restaurants and bars inside out. Here’s a selection of his favourite Clerkenwell Restaurants and Clerkenwell Bars.

Clerkenwell Restaurants: Caravan

Caravan offers one of the best brunches in London on the weekend in a relaxed and effortlessly cool setting on Exmouth Market in Clerkenwell. When the weather warms up, the door and windows open and diners spill out into the street.

The New Zealand influenced restaurant has its own coffee roaster, so flat whites are very popular too. Caravan has a second outpost, Caravan King’s Cross.

Clerkenwell Restaurants: Morito

Moriton is a small tapas bar right next door to its big sister, Moro, the acclaimed Spanish restaurant on Exmouth Market. This is one of my favourite tapas bars in London – it’s small, casual and has an excellent selection of authentic and inventive tapas dishes.

Clerkenwell Bars: ZTH Bar at The Zetter Townhouse Hotel

The Zetter Townhouse bar is designed around a fictional crazy aunt whose artefacts from around the globe fill up the room.

The setting in a townhouse on a beautify square in Clerkenwell is delightful and the cocktails are excellent.

Clerkenwell Restaurants: The Modern Pantry

Right next door to the Zetter Townhouse is Anna Hansen’s Modern Pantry, which serves excellent food in light, bright surroundings. The restaurants also has a large terrace to make the most of the sunshine in the summer months with alfresco dining and a few lovely private dining rooms upstairs.

Clerkenwell Bars: The Peasant

Clerkenwell has its share of gastropubs, including the Coach & Horses and The Eagle, but The Peasant is one of my favourites. The downstairs bar area is full of character, serving a long list of ales and beers, with plenty of room for both drinkers and diners.

Clerkenwell Restaurants: Polpo Smithfield

A recent addition to Clerkenwell, Polpo Smithfield opened near Smithfield Market in the summer of 2012. Polpo Smithfield is the latest restaurant from Russell Norman, whose restaurant empire started with the original Polpo in Soho.

Polpo Smithfield also has a basement Negroni bar.

Clerkenwell Restaurants: Portal

Portal is a modern Portuguese restaurant and bar on St John Street. Architecturally, the dining room is stunning: a glass conservatory within a brick courtyard with atmospheric and beautiful up-lighting creating a dramatic backdrop.

The Iberian cuisine is top notch with some wonderful Portuguese wines.

Clerkenwell Restaurants: Bistrot Bruno Loubet

Bruno Loubet returned to the London restaurant scene with Bistrot Bruno Loubet at The Zetter Hotel. The tables are packed in next to each other, but the crowds keep flocking here for the rustic French cooking with intense flavours.

Clerkenwell Bars: Nightjar

Although not strictly in Clerkenwell, Nightjar is a beautiful bar hidden away in a basement in Old Street, which does technically have an EC1 postcode.

Nightjar is a great place to relax with a drink alongside laid back jazz and brilliant live music on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Clerkenwell Restaurants: St John Restaurant

A guide to Clerkenwell’s restaurant wouldn’t be complete without a mention of St John, the famous ‘nose to tail’ restaurant that uses every possible part of an animal. St John is a bit of a Mecca for London’s ‘foodies’ and certainly worth a visit at least once.

Other notable restaurants include French restaurant Morgan M, the relaunched Quality Chop House and the Fox & Anchor pub on Smithfield Market.

If you need a strong coffee after visiting all the restaurants and bars, try Workshop Coffee Co, which features on our guide to the best coffee shops in London.

What are your favourite Clerkenwell restaurants and bars? We would love to hear your thoughts below.

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New London Restaurants and Bars – Spring 2013

Posted by Emyr Thomas

Following the launch of some excellent brasseries at the start of the year with Brasserie Chavot in Mayfair and Balthazar London in Covent Garden, here’s our guide to the significant new London restaurants and bars opening over the coming months.

Oblix at The Shard

The first restaurant in The Shard to announce its opening date is Oblix, a rotisserie grill restaurant and bar from the team behind Zuma and Roka Restaurants.

Inspired by a classic New York grill, the menu at Oblix will be a mixture of grilled and classic dishes on the 32nd floor of The Shard. The restaurant opens on 6 May 2013 and reservation lines are now open on +44 (0)20 7268 6700.

Two other restaurants from Aqua London are due to open in The Shard in June, making The Shard a hot spot for new London restaurants in 2013 – full details to follow.

Great Northern Hotel

The Great Northern Hotel will reopen in April following a £40 million renovation, located between King’s Cross Station and St Pancras International. The Great Northern Hotel’s 90-cover restaurant, Plum + Spilt Milk, will have a menu of ‘classic British and European dishes.

While the main bar (pictured above) is on the ground floor, the hotel has a wonderful intimate bar on the first floor that’s worth checking out.

Bird of Smithfield

Bird of Smithfield is the new restaurant from Alan Bird, former head chef at The Ivy and former group executive chef of the Soho House Group.

The menu will be ‘British with a twist’ with a classic dining room featuring Harris Tweed and herringbone fabrics, a bar with a cosy lounge feel, a basement cocktail bar, a beautiful private dining room with a chef’s table and a roof terrace overlooking the towers of the old market.

Vista at The Trafalgar Hotel

Vista on the rooftop of The Trafalgar Hotel re-opens in April for the season with glorious views of London’s landmarks and statues, with Nelson’s Column almost at eye level. The rooftop bar will be launching a new menu that fuses savoury dishes with ingredients from classic cocktails.

Little Social, Social Eating House and More!

Jason Atherton is a busy man at the moment – Little Social opened at the end of March on Pollen Street opposite his Michelin-starred restaurant Pollen Street Social with more of a casual French bistro menu.

Social Eating House will soon follow on Poland Street in Soho and it has recently been announced that Jason will take over the restaurant on the 24th floor of Tower 42 from Gary Rhodes’s Rhodes 24 later this year.

Monocle Cafe London

Global affairs magazine Monocle will open its first London café at 18 Chiltern Street, Marylebone, on Monday 15 April. Seating approximately 15 guests over a ground and lower-ground floor, the Monocle Café also has some outdoor seating during the warmer months.

The Monocle Café London will serve freshly roasted coffee from Allpress Espresso in Shoreditch and the will include Swiss-inspired bircher muesli, a hearty Monocle toasty and a Midori salad made from seasonal ingredients.

Christopher’s

Christopher’s, an American restaurant in Covent Garden, will re-open at the beginning of May after an extensive refurbishment of its dining rooms and Martini Bar. The menu will feature American classics and the new Club Room will host private events and parties throughout the day.

New London Restaurants: Kaspar’s at The Savoy

The Savoy will launch Kaspar’s Seafood Bar and Grill on Thursday 2nd May. With views of the The Thames and London landmarks, Kaspar’s Seafood Bar and Grill will offer an informal dining experience, ‘presented in an elegant Twenties-style setting’.

The restaurant is named after The Savoy’s famous resident cat.

Story Restaurant

Tom Sellers’s ‘Story Restaurant’ will open on 16 April on Tooley Street in South London. Story will only have 42 covers available for both lunch and dinner. The menu will features a choice between a six-course (£45) or ten-course (£65) menu.

New London Restaurants New Brunch Venues

If you’re looking for new brunch venues, try 34 restaurant‘s epic new eggs menu (with lobster, crab, grilled asparagus, black pudding, smoked salmon or chorizo) or the new Saturday jazz brunch at Le Caprice in Mayfair. Click to read our guide to the best brunch in London.

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In the meantime, read our reviews of some of our London favourites including Coya, Garufin and Corrigan’s Mayfair.

Bag O’Nails – A New Private Members’ Club

Posted by Emyr Thomas

Bag O’Nails was one of the hotspots in London’s 60s music scene, and after some love and attention, the private members’ club will re-open on 1 March 2013, hoping to create new incredible musical moments.

Bag O’Nails is located on the Regent Street border of Soho and will offer live entertainment and performances including jazz, soul, funk and blues.

With a high-end dining experience, premium cognacs and whiskeys, an excellent range of wines and cocktails and flexible dining spaces, Bag O’Nails adds to London’s elite private members’ club scene along with a unique space for private events and private dining.

Head of the Bag O’Nails team, Giovanni Baldino, previously ran the front of house at Ristorante Semplice and Locanda Locatelli, where he first met Bag O’Nails’ Head Chef Loris Bevilaqua and bar manager Martino Cancedda.

Bag O’Nails opens on 1 March 2013 – for more information on membership, please contact your concierge.

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Mews of Mayfair – A Fine British Brasserie

Posted by Vilma

Tucked away in a charming cobbled courtyard just off New Bond Street, Mews of Mayfair is bustling with the drink-after-work or a bite-after-shopping crowds. It’s winter, it’s pretty chilly and everyone is supposed to be detoxing, but the people here are obviously ignoring any New Year’s resolutions… Almost every table outside is busy and the ground floor bar is heaving with merry ladies and gentlemen downing cocktails since the early evening.

Mews of Mayfair is spread over four floors of two converted mews houses. A brasserie, private dining room called La Cave, Chef’s dining room, a bar on the ground floor and a lounge in the basement – all in one place in central London. You can happily spend an entire evening here, starting with dinner on the higher floors and making your way down as the evening progresses – the lounge is open until 1am.

The brasserie on the first floor has recently been refurbished – cosy and flattering lighting, soft colours and a relaxed atmosphere – the restaurant is beautiful and much less formal that its predecessor.

The Brassiere pays tribute to British delicacies. Chef Richard Sawyer (previously the Executive Chief of British restaurant Rules) has created a menu that showcases some favourite traditional dishes with local ingredients. The sourcing of local produce is taken very seriously here and on the back of every menu one can find a map of the United Kingdom, proudly detailing the areas where different products come from.

The prices are decent for Mayfair and the portions are very generous – my Devon Crab Mayonnaise on toast starter was almost the size of a main meal (£11). My guest Paul ordered Hand Dived Rye Scallops and declared them top quality – they came served with cauliflower purée, roasted penny buns and sultanas (£12.5).

The flavours were subtle and perfectly combined with our drinks – a Sipsmith G&T with cucumber, my English Garden cocktail (champagne, citrus vodka and Elderflower cordial) and a lovely white South African wine (The Journeymaker Chenin Blanc 2012, only £22.50 for a bottle) that I couldn’t stop smelling, tasting and then smelling and tasting again…

We ordered steaks for our main courses and the subtle tastes were changed by the defined and strong aromas of meat. My fillet (£24) was superb – soft, juicy and cooked just as I requested. My guest who grew up in South Africa announced that he is a serious lover of meat and indulged with a really really really big portion of T-bone… And even managed to finish it (just). We found out that the restaurant uses the finest Galloway beef from the Yorkshire Game Company dry aged for a minimum of 35 days.

The best part of our evening was experiencing some of the most friendly and attentive service that I’ve experienced in London. We were in Assistant Manager Gregory Lakatos’s care and somehow he knew what we wanted, and as if materialising from thin air, he appeared at our table to top the wine, bring extra sauces for the meat and offer excellent suggestions of what else we could order.

That’s how we ended up eating Stilton with oatmeal crackers and drinking a fantastic Pedro Ximenez sherry. An explosion of rich sweet flavours that cut through the almost overpowering taste of blue cheese. We also tried some Port and then were happily swinging our way downstairs to the lively party in the ground floor bar for a night cap… The headache was pretty bad the next morning, but the pleasure of the night before was definitely worth the pain.

Concierge tip: Go for dinner, drinks and a bit of boogie in one place in central London.

Do you want someone to advise and book every lunch, dinner or private dining event on your behalf? Tap in to our extensive restaurant expertise by enquiring about our services.

London’s Best New Cocktail Bars – 2012

Posted by Emyr Thomas

London saw some excellent openings during 2012, with another handful of great bars we’re sure will stand the test of time and become must-visits in the capital. Read on for our guide to the best new bars in London.

Oskar’s Bar at Dabbous

Dabbous is the brain child of chef Oliver Dabbous and bartender Oskar Kinsburg. It may take months to get a reservation in the restaurant upstairs, but take note, Oskar’s bar in the basement is rarely full – a hidden gem.

Industrial in style, the bar is beautifully decked out, if a little dark. The menu consists of classic cocktails and Oskar’s own inventions, including some beer based libations that we would definitely recommend trying.

The bar snacks are (unsurprisingly) second to none, mirroring some of the courses on the menu upstairs, making Oskar’s Bar one of the best new bars in London.

39 Whitfield Street W1T 2SF

London Cocktail Club

The first of our 2012 predictions to come true was the opening of a naval themed London Cocktail Club. The second LCC (third venue if you include Covent Garden Cocktail Club) JJ and James have brought their signature laid back atmosphere and feel good cocktails to Bloomsbury.

Rum is the name of the game here, with pin up girls and tattoo designs on the wall. The cocktails follow the same formula as the other venues, with all time classics alongside signature twists and bar snacks designed to complement your drinks perfectly. Go for banging drinks and a great party atmosphere at one of the best new bars in London.

224a Shaftesbury Avenue WC2H 8EB

Evans and Peel

Evans and Peel proved that, despite predictions otherwise, London’s appetite for speakeasy bars remained strong. This time entry comes via a detective agency, with a resident detective who will need to consider your case before allowing you in.

With a sweet little cocktail menu including infusions and an antique radiator that dispenses beer, expect unusual twists along the way.

310c Earl’s Court Road SW5 9AQ

Bounce

Indulge your competitive side by combining your cocktails with a side of ping pong at Bounce. With history on its side (the venue sits on the same site where the game was created in 1901) they’ve gone all out, with multiple ping pong tables including one used in the 2012 Olympics.

The bar, homage to a gin palace, stocks a range of spirits, with a short but concise cocktail list.

121 Holborn EC1N 2TD

Beard to Tail

The long awaited second venue from Callooh Callay came with a distinctly foodie twist. As the name suggests, the menu features all kinds of unusual cuts of meat from pig and cow. The drinks offering has a strong American influence with craft beers and lots of bourbon so expect to find juleps, Manhattans and sazeracs.

Their brunches are well worth a look, if just for their amazing bloody mary, served with a side of crackling at one of the best new bars in London.

77 Curtain Road, London, EC2A 3BS

Duck and Waffle / SushiSamba

If you love your cocktails with a side of epic view, Duck and Waffle and SushiSamba are for you. Gaze over London from either of the bars which sit at the top of the Heron Tower, just one super fast lift ride away. Part of the same venue but split over multiple floors each restaurant and bar has its own personality.

Duck & Waffle sits up top, with an inside out bar of sorts, where you can stand alongside the bartender as they craft your drinks. SushiSamba sits beneath and has a stunning roof terrace framed around a beautiful tree, making it one of the best new bars in London.

Heron Tower, 110 Bishopsgate EC2N 4AY

Bar Americain

It isn’t a speakeasy but Bar Americain at Brasserie Zedel oozes 1930s glamour – think Babette’s Supper Club from Boardwalk Empire. The cocktails keep to theme, with classics such as Sazeracs and Martinis on offer.

Visually stunning, although sometimes lacking a little in atmosphere, definitely pull up a bar stool when you visit.

Brasserie Zedel, 20 Sherwood Street, City of Westminster, W1F 7ED

2013 Predictions…

Looking to 2013, keep an eye out for the bar in the shard, sure to rival the heron tower for their views, expect multiple new openings from LCC as the boys build on their empire, and watch out for a potential new bar from Dabbous…

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