Venue profile: HUNter 486, London

The bar at new hotel The Arch aims to be welcoming and inclusive with its Martinis and classic elegance

The new five-star hotel The Arch exudes classic glamour. With 82 rooms, it has been created by AB Hotels Group out of seven Georgian townhouses and two mews homes in a side street in Marylebone, London, close to Marble Arch which inspired its name. Its nine suites are named after the local dialling codes of the 1950s, when letters represented numbers, such as JUNiper 586 and CHAncery 242, and this idea has been extended to its bar and restaurant, HUNter 486.

This space is made up of not just the cocktail bar and restaurant but also Le Salon de Champagne and, down a corridor, the pleasingly named Martini Library. Like the rest of the hotel, it was designed by RDD, an award-winning international practice headed by Richard Daniels which specialises in hotel bars.

For the food and beverage operations, they worked with hospitality consultancy Gorgeous Group, headed by Robbie Bargh. “The concept evolved into a 1950s glamorous, quite decadent space that complements the building in the right way,” Robbie points out. He says it is set to appeal to both guests and local people, becoming a destination bar. “Hotels are all about hospitality and hotel bars should be at the centre of the hub, but you wouldn’t think the bar was part of a hotel.”

Entering through an elegant Portland stone portico, people walk through a lobby full of classical furniture and bold original artwork. The bar, restaurant and Salon de Champagne are within the one space of HUNter 486 but each has its own environment, with shimmering sheer curtains offering privacy for those who want it. It features a pewter-fronted bar, with brushed silver bar stools designed by Philippe Starck, jewel-coloured armchairs by Tom Dixon, deep-buttoned banquette seating and a glass over-bar layered and lit to create a misty display and seductive glow.

Lighting includes cascading columns of lit glass rods in the champagne area, illuminating each table, and three large clusters of brosilicate lamps suspended from a pressed-tin ceiling in the bar, casting light over the bar’s bronze and mirror detailing. Industrial-style pendants provide a more down-to-earth tone in the restaurant with its stainless-steel servery open to the kitchen.

In the more tranquil Martini Library (pictured), customers can sit in wing chairs and order Martinis that are mixed at a centrepiece cabinet. The space is reminiscent of a private townhouse drawing room with Taschen coffee table books, small paintings propped on bookshelves, clusters of vases and a glass teapot display.

There are six core Martinis on offer from a Martinez and Manhattan to the house cocktail: the Huntini, made with Van Wees gin, dry sherry and Lillet Blanc. However, “we can make anything that the customer wants so long as we have the ingredients,” adds head bartender Alastair Burgess who presides over the HUNter 486 “family of spaces”.

He was previously head bartender at Pegu Club in New York, working under Audrey Saunders, and, before that, worked at Mook in Notting Hill, London. His drinks list does not include classic cocktails because he believes customers expect a good bar to be able to make those anyway. Instead, there are nearly 20 original cocktails such as a variant of a Dark ‘n’ Stormy called Gales At Dusk, made with Goslings rum, Fever-Tree ginger beer, lemon, honey and La Vieille Prune plum brandy.

The intention is for HUNter 486 to be accessible rather than exclusive, Alastair adds. “It’s 100 per cent open to all, without pretension and no-one looking down on you.”

Where to find it
50 Cumberland Place
London W1H 7FD
Tel: 020 7724 4700
Email: info@thearchlondon.com
www.thearchlondon.com

Who did it
Design: RDD
F&B consultancy: Gorgeous Group
Floor and side lamps: Artemis Design
Brosilicate lamps: R&S Robertson
Pendant lights: Original BTC
Banquette seating: Wychwood Design
Library chairs and table: HB Group
Occasional tables: Andrew Martin
Salon chairs: Tom Dixon (George Smith)
Bar stools: Philippe Starck
Sheer curtains: Abbott & Boyd
Rugs and cushions: Loophouse
Artwork: Artefact Hotel Art Consultants

February 2010

Venue profile: Entourage, Manchester

A new “super club” has opened in Manchester promising premium drinks and a fun atmosphere

After running Tiger Tiger in Manchester for three years and branches of Bar 38 from London to York before that, Doug Waldron has gone into business for himself. He has opened a new “super club”, Entourage, in Manchester city centre’s entertainment complex, The Printworks, spending close on £1million on kitting it out, including £80,000 on a new sound system.

It holds 800 people over two floors, with four bars, and aims to be “oriented around the roots of the city, moving away from cliché London nightclub remakes”. Waldron designed the venue himself with business partner Brett Collier who also has a background in the leisure industry. “No professional designers have been used in the design of the venue from day one,” Doug says, a little controversially. “When you are starting up for the very first time, designers can be a large expense which you could do without.”

Doug describes it as a “cool slick look”, with a palette from white to black via greys and silvers, highlighted by almost rainbow-like tracks on the ceiling. Large print images have been created by local artists, including a scene of Manchester at night measuring eight feet by 12 feet.

“We have brought together Manchester traders, from builders and electricians to sound engineers and joiners,” Doug says. “We’re grateful for all the local support and feel it’s a key aspect to creating the right atmosphere within the venue.”

Working with JL Shopfitters, they have created distinctive furniture to suit the venue, from armchairs covered in classic cow hide to large comfortable booths with illuminated champagne tables on the first-floor balcony. There are several snug booth areas across the four bars, which are all bookable.

The dancefloor, overlooked by the balcony, has a sound and lighting system installed by VME of Knutsford. The DJ booth is suspended above the dancers and is a real focus point of the venue. It features Kling and Freitag speakers, with two massive bass bins either side of the dancefloor.

Using the venue’s existing bar systems, they have put together a back bar which, according to Doug, is good enough to rival a bar like The Living Room rather than the standard club offering. There is also full table service on the first floor. “We are a nightclub so we’re not trying to be a full-on cocktail bar but we do drinks well as we come from a style bar background,” he says.

Working with bars manager Johnny Culkin who has joined from Mojo in Manchester, they have a cocktail menu made of classics plus variants such as fruit Mojitos.

The spirits on offer reflect the support they have received from Pernod Ricard UK, such as Absolut and Havana Club, complemented by a range of other premium brands. An experiment in offering bottles of spirits at tables accompanied by carafes of mixers has proven a success, with a list ranging from Belvedere and Grey Goose to Jägermeister and amaretto.

Champagne is delivered to tables with sparkling flames on top which “catches everyone’s attention so that they want one too”, Doug explains. As well as Pernod Ricard’s Mumm as house champagne, brands include Cristal, Dom Perignon and Veuve Clicquot.

The club has been attracting top local DJs, with events such as the glamorous Saturday nighter Glitterati and student night Rumours. “We want to bring a bright and happy atmosphere to Manchester, filled with nostalgia and adding a fun and vibrant atmosphere to the scene for all to enjoy,” Doug says.

Where to find it
The Printworks
Manchester M4 2BS
Tel: 0161 839 1344
Email: info@entouragemanchester.com
www.entouragemanchester.com

Who did it
Sound and lighting: VME
Furniture: JL Shopfitters

February 2010

Venue profile: Graze, Bristol

Brewer Bath Ales has departed from the traditional with its contemporary new bar and chophouse in the heart of Bristol

West Country brewer Bath Ales is best known for its traditional pubs, with nine locals serving good food and beers around Bath and Bristol. Its latest opening, Graze Bar and Chophouse in Bristol, is something of a departure for the company, drawing inspiration from New York steakhouses and London chophouses such as Mark Hix’s Hix Oyster and Chop House. “The concept for Graze is a sophisticated take on the British pub and combines superb cask ales, wines and spirits with a no-nonsense menu of quality British and European cooking,” explains the brewery’s retail operations manager, Robin Couling. “We have created an informal yet stylish bar that will serve Bath Ales’ beers along with an eclectic range of continental beers, premium spirits, interesting wines and soft drinks.”

The project is the work of Simple Simon Design, a Bristol-based practice headed by Simon Hall whose portfolio includes stylish pubs, bars and clubs such as No 1 Beaufort in Bath and Aqua Clifton and Joe Public’s in Bristol. Two years ago, Simple Simon Design worked for Bath Ales on a revamp of a traditional pub, the Wellington, on Gloucester Road, Bristol. “We introduced contemporary lighting and updated the colour scheme but it was still a traditional pub which is typical of Bath Ales,” Hall says. “Graze was a big departure for them and their first city-centre location.”

The site was formerly the Queen Square Dining Room and Bar and, before that, a private residence and a post office. The mix of contemporary design and traditional touches still reflects the values of Bath Ales, Hall explains, including its “sense of humour”. To tie in with the menu, there is a statue of a calf as you walk in and the digitally printed wallpaper features a bespoke design of different cuts from a cow. Pictures show old images of butchers and other meat-related photographs. In the gents toilets, there is a large cleaver fixed over the urinals. “It’s something quirky which has had an enormous impact,” Hall says.

The bar top is made of end-grain oak blocks to look like cut-through logs, with Victorian-style glazed tiles on the front and a colourful mixture of encaustic tiles on the floor in front. Couling describes the range of spirits as being in line with a cocktail back bar, using premium spirits as house pours such as Absolut, Beefeater and Havana Club alongside super-premium brands. There is a particularly good selection of malt whiskies plus a 30-bin list of Old and New World wines put together by Great Western Wine of Bath. But it is still very much about the beer, with the Bristol-based brewer’s own Gem and Golden Hare ales on draught plus its full range in bottles. As well as bottled Belgian beers, there is both Budvar and Brugse Zot on draught. The food menu features meats from Neston Park Farm in Wiltshire, such as organic black and tan beef, woodland-reared pork and red clover-grazed lamb.

“The focus for us in the past has always been about selling beer first and everything else has followed from that, but we have realised that the customer experience has changed over the past few years,” Couling says. “Operators have been developing their food offering and, with that, comes greater demand for wine and spirits.”

With new shades, porcelain wall lights and dimmable LED, the lighting is one of the most successful aspects of the new look, Simon believes. “It creates a sense of comfort and brings intimacy to what would otherwise be quite an open space.” The mix of furniture, from high banquettes to bench seating for groups, means that Graze offers something for different people. “It works if you want a more intimate dining experience or a group going in for a lunch or a drink,” Hall adds. “It’s all things for all people.”

Where to find it
63 Queen Square
Bristol BS1 4JZ
Tel: 0117 927 6706
Email: graze@bathales.co.uk
www.bathales.com/pubs/

Who did it
Design: Simple Simon Design
Furniture: Abbey Furnishings
Bar systems: IMC
Upholstery: Russell Strange Upholstery
Porcelain lighting: Original BTC
Shades: Albioncourt
LED lighting: Specialist Lighting

February 2010

Venue profile: Kanaloa, London

There can’t be many bars or clubs that boast such a “dream team” at the helm, but Kanaloa seems to have it all. First, you have two of the world’s most creative bar entrepreneurs, Nick House and Piers Adam, who were behind Mahiki and Whisky Mist. Then you have the celebrity kudos of Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding and her DJ boyfriend Tom Crane. And then you have the operational expertise of multiple operator Novus Leisure, which is behind Tiger Tiger and some of London’s most enduringly successful venues.

They have come together to create a Polynesian-themed tiki bar in the City of London, modelled on Mayfair’s Mahiki and set to be replicated in some form at other sites in the future. Kanaloa, named after the Hawaiian god of the sea, has been created by the UK’s leading tiki specialist, Cheeky Tiki, which is responsible for the décor, furniture and furnishings, from the bamboo, Polynesian carvings and rattan screens through to seashell lampshades over the long black bamboo bar.

Design company Design At Source created the structure for this transformation, taking the open space of Novus Leisure’s former club Alibi and dividing it into a bar and dance area, separated by a partition. They also devised a mezzanine that has enabled Cheeky Tiki and Stenball Construction to create a new VIP area called the Treetops, a rainforest-style retreat with palm trees, tropical leaf-patterned walls and rustic wooden planking. Guests can hid away in the branches at the top or sit under the trees.

Tom Crane, who has been resident DJ at Mahiki, is musical director, promising “fun and frivolous anthems” as part of the playlist. It opens at 4pm Monday to Friday and 9pm Saturday, staying open until 3am all six nights. The sound system is the work of SSE Audio Group, which has adapted the existing set-up to suit the new space and make it more flexible. The existing Martin Audio systems were serviced and retained, with more Martin Audio speakers added to the Treetops. Logic B1 subs were installed in the bar area, hidden inside the seating and bamboo walls. “The existing system was zoned but there are now more zones so they have greater control over the volume levels,” explains SSE director Emma Bramwell. “They can really change it between early evening and later on at night when it becomes more about the DJ.”

The existing DJ booth was retained, with a second DJ point added at one end of the bar in case of need. SSE also replaced scanners above the club area which were no longer effective because of the addition of a ceiling of glass puffer fish. Instead, Studio Due NanoLED special-effects lighting has been installed.

The cocktail list has been created by Papa Jules of Mahiki and Mahiki Rum, part of a rum-heavy drinks list presided over by bar manager Rich Hunt. Signature drinks include the Kanaloa Kula, a mix of Mahiki Rum, lemon, star anise, lime, sugar, pomegranate juice and vintage Spanish sparkling wine. Sharing cocktails serving eight people include the Octopus Punch. made with El Dorado 12 Year Old, Nui Nui Spiced Syrup, fresh lemon and black tea, served in a bowl. The Dead Man’s Chest, mixing Seven Tiki Gold, Mascara cherries, fresh lemon, pomegranate and apple juices and blood-red claret, is brought to your table by a full voodoo funeral procession from the bar.

Aiming for “egalitarianism” rather than exclusiveness, Kanaloa offers a hideaway from the stresses of the financial world outside. “Piers and I have both worked in the City and we felt there was a real need to create a sense of escapism and fun in an area that historically hasn’t had the benefit of high-quality bars and nightclubs,” Nick explains.

Where to find it
18 Lime Office Court
Hill House
Shoe Lane
London EC4A 3BQ
Tel: 020 7842 0620
www.kanaloaclub.com

Who did it
Design: Design At Source
Furniture & accessories: Cheeky Tiki
Back-bar equipment: Concept Bars & Refrigeration
Contractor: Stenball Construction
Sound systems: SSE Audio Group

January 1, 2010

Chapters, Douglas, Isle of Man

When Adrian Fowell left his job in architectural lighting just over a year ago, he decided to draw on his experience working with bars to go into business himself. Based on the Isle of Man, he took on the three-storey former home of Manx Radio Rentals in Douglas and transformed it into Chapters, a hybrid operation divided into three zones: a lounge bar, a coffee house and bistro, and a restaurant.

As this was his first project, Adrian drew extensively on the expertise of bar specialist Dawnvale which handled the project management, interior build, bars, kitchen, soft furnishings and the air conditioning and extraction. He had been impressed by their work on The Courthouse, the premium bar, club and restaurant that opened in Douglas’s Grade II-listed former courthouse in 2008. “Chapters is a breath of fresh air in a world of ‘same old same old’,” says Dawnale’s Mark Tassell.

They worked with designer Adele McArd of Isle of Man-based Signature Interiors whose work over the past 12 years has ranged from Douglas’s upmarket Bar George to more recently the Rendezvous Executive Lounge at Isle of Man Airport. “We wanted to give the Isle of Man something unique and fresh, with real attention to detail,” Adele explains.

The name is reflected in the different parts of the operation. Chapter One is the lounge bar in the basement, with retro arcade machines such as Pacman, Asteroids, Arkanoid, Konami’s Track ‘n’ Field and Space Invaders – all set on “free play”. With full table service, it offers Manx blended coffee, breakfast and snacks. It features a bartop in which all sorts of items donated by local people have been set into solid resin, from casino chips to medals, so that “when people come in they see their own things there”, Adele explains.

Up on the ground-floor level is Chapter Two, the coffee house and bistro, providing all-day dining and drinks, with free wi-fi available. Here, Adele highlights shelving where, in a nod to Andy Warhol and his Campbell’s soup Pop Art, there are grocery items such as washing powder and tins of beans. Up a spiral staircase is the restaurant, designed with a palette of minimalist black and white with a grand piano in one corner. Here, a menu of contemporary, international and fusion cuisine has been created by head chef Marcus Purcell.

The drinks list has been put together by bar manager Joe Quinn, formerly of Brendan O’Donnell in Douglas, using a wine list developed by a local supplier. The spirits and beers are premium, from Belvedere and Tanqueray to some interesting whiskies and brandies.

While Mark Tassell at Dawnvale predicts Chapters will gain “a national reputation as one of the most interesting out-of-London venues in the UK”, it is still rooted in the local area. Adele points to the flooring which has been created by artist Angela Murphy, who was based on the Isle of Man before moving to Spain. On one level, the floor features motifs based on wrought-iron railings that can be seen across the road, while elsewhere the flooring is inspired by the tiled entrance of a nearby building. “We wanted to create that look to earth Chapters to its surroundings,” Adele explains.

Where to find it
14 Victoria Street
Douglas
Isle of Man IM1 2LH
Tel: 01624 663662
Email: info@chaptersdouglas.com
www.chaptersdouglas.com

Who did it
Project management, interior build, fit-out: Dawnvale
Design: Signature Interiors
Lighting: Luminaires, Isle of Man
Furniture: Conran Contracts, Andrew Martin International, Jan Cavelle Furniture Company
Fabrics: Designers Guild, Romo
Blinds: Novatec
Cushions: Fine Quality Feather

January 1, 2010

Venue profile: Neon Cactus, Leeds

The team behind Oporto, Jake’s Bar and Portobello Star are championing premium tequila at their latest Leeds venue

After causing a stir down in London with Portobello Star since the end of last year, Leelex has returned to its roots for its next venture. Neon Cactus opened last month in Call Lane, Leeds, next door to Oporto, the bar that managing director Ged Feltham opened 13 years ago before his business grew and he joined forces with operations director Paul Lane and drinks director Jake Burger.

This is their fifth venue, with Jake’s Bar & Grill, also in Call Lane, and The Angel’s Share in Chapel Allerton, north Leeds, making up the numbers. They have transformed what used to be preclub bar Dr Wu’s into a taste of Latin America, with a specialisation in tequila and south American-inspired “street food”.

Neon Cactus – originally set to be called Caballo Loco (or “Crazy Horse”) – is spread across two floors. The large ground-floor bar has an “old school” mezzanine DJ booth and an area for live electro bands, while the dimly lit “lo-fi underground cavern” retains the old tiled wall for lived-in character.

The interior, designed in-house mainly by Feltham himself, is a mix of existing features and specifically designed furniture and fittings, including a statement curved bar crafted from reclaimed wood, all draped in red lighting delivered by well-hidden back lights.

They will champion premium tequilas, “opening consumers’ eyes to how versatile and fun the range of tequilas is,” says manager Dan Andrews who has moved over from managing The Angel’s Share. “We will be stocking great 100 per cent agave tequila, championed by highly knowledgeable bartenders.”

He adds that the cocktail list has “avenues for both the tequila novice and the experienced drinker, always enhancing and drawing the best qualities from the tequila used”. Along with a Margarita and a Tommy’s Margarita, the menu offers a Neon Cactus Margarita made with El Jimador tequila plus blue curaçao, rhubarb and fresh lime. There is a group of cocktails inspired by Don Javier Delgado Corona, owner and bartender at El Bar La Capilla in Tequila, Jalisco, including his own signature drink, the Batanga, made with Tapatio Blanco tequila, fresh lime juice and Pepsi, served long over ice in a frosted glass.

Other more “grown-up” recipes on the list include a Conquistador made with Cazadores Reposado stirred with sugar and bitters and poured into a glass laced with La Penca mezcal and a dash of absinthe.

For added authenticity, Neon Cactus offers on its menu the option of a spicy sangrita to go with your choice of a shot of tequila, choosing from red (pomegranate), yellow (guava) or green (cucumber), for just 75p extra. Alternatively, a free serving of sangrita is on offer if a group orders a quarter bottle of Don Agostino tequila.

It is not exclusively tequila behind the bar, with other cocktails available including a number using rum, such as a Mai Tai, Piña Colada and Strawberry Daiquiri. Other South American spirits are represented: there is a Pisco Sour and a Batida and Caipirinha made with Leblon cachaça.

Despite the intention to change perceptions of tequila, Neon Cactus will not be a hushed library for tequila aficionados but a party venue where tequila shooters may still be enjoyed. “We will be showing people the enormous variety of the ways in which tequila can be drunk,” Andrews says, “but there’s no escaping that tequila is surrounded by a tradition of virile camaraderie and affairs of the night – and Neon Cactus will embrace this.”

Where to find it
35 Call Lane
Leeds LS1 6DT
www.neoncactus.co.uk

November 2009

Venue profile: Bed, Watford

Designer Matt Rawlinson has created a new bar in Watford that combines opulence with urban street art

It is six years since Sheffield nightclub The Republic was renamed to become the first Gatecrasher venue, followed by Nottingham, Birmingham and Leeds. With plans to open a new venue in Sheffield after the first burnt down in 2007, its founders have decided it is now time for Bed. After opening a bar called Bed within its Nottingham club, the company has now spent £1million on creating a second one as part of its Area nightclub site in Watford. “It was designed as a feeder bar for Area but it is also operating as a stand-alone venue,” says its designer, Matt Rawlinson.

He has worked on a number of Gatecrasher venues, including the refurbishment of the Nottingham club which reopened last month after being damaged by a fire in a neighbouring restaurant. Rawlinson says the design of Bed in Watford has little in common with the bar in Nottingham beyond the name and its aim to be a luxurious drinking and partying experience.

Covering about 5,500 square feet, it has been created in the High Street within what was Baraka, a Moroccan-themed late-night bar that was bought and operated by Gatecrasher for a while. Covering about 5,500 square feet, the space was stripped down the walls and rebuilt with a main bar, dancefloor and VIP area. The walls were sprayed with a dark graphite base colour then covered in Banksy-style graffiti through urban art consultancy Graffiti Kings. They have used a mixture of stencil art, colour splashes and dribbled paintwork with graffiti tagging to give an “urban back-street Italian feel”. This is complemented by large drapes hanging alongside velvet upholstery, with bleaching in sections. “It is a mixture of urban street decay and the opulence of a boudoir,” Rawlinson says. The Gatecrasher team liked the graffiti effect so much that they have since enlisted Graffiti Kings to add it to a room within the Nottingham club.

Other design features include classical-style portraits in carved black-lacquered frames, a broken terrazzo mosaic floor, reclaimed timber and bric-a-brac such as oversized urns, candelabra, wall-mounted black church candles, oil paintings and mirrors. The furniture, supplied by the likes of HB Design and Lifestyle Furnishings, includes antique-reproduction sideboards, side tables, dining chairs, high chairs and poseur tables.

Rawlinson says the colour palette is charcoal, such as the furniture, drapes and graffiti base, but explains that it is the lighting, chiefly supplied by Tyson Lighting, that brings the colour and excitement. LED par can theatre-style lights with shutters have been used to create the “feel of a contemporary urban street set”, he adds.

The polished bar counter measures about 16 metres with drapes and a large mirror behind. The drinks menu features premium wines and champagnes including Armand de Brignac Ace of Spaces (at £500 a bottle), Cristal and Dom Perignon, while the cocktails are as classic as you can get: alongside a Margarita, Sidecar, Manhattan and Caipirinha, you can order a Slow Comfortable Screw, Woo Woo, Harvey Wallbanger and Alabama Slammer.

The 650-capacity venue opens at 7pm seven days a week and does not close until 2.30am Monday to Thursday, 3am Friday and Saturday and 1am Sunday. Gatecrasher is already looking at rolling out the concept after the success of Rawlinson’s designs in Nottingham and Watford. Simon Raine, co-founder and managing director, says: “Watford’s bar culture has become tired and stale and we really wanted to shake things up. There is an absolute need for a cutting-edge bar in the area. Matt has taken classical design and style elements and turned them on their head. This is twisted glamour for Watford’s social glitterati.”

Where to find it
46 The Parade
High Street
Watford
Hertfordshire WD17 1AY
Tel: 01923 281522
www.bedwatford.com
info@bedwatford.com

Who did it
Design: Matt Rawlinson
Lighting: Tyson Lighting
Furniture: HB Design Contracts, Lifestyle Furnishings
Carpet: CD Northern
Drapes: Sabih Nashat
Graffiti: Graffiti Kings

November 2009

Trade profile: The Parlour, London

The second bar from Drake & Morgan arrives inside Canary Wharf’s newest development

Drake & Morgan has only been operating bars since last year but it has the profile of a much more established business thanks to the quality of its first bar, The Refinery in Southwark, London, which received plaudits including a nomination in the Restaurant and Bar Design Awards. The company’s name exudes a sense of solidity but, as managing director Jillian MacLean explains, it is an invention that represents something a bit more maverick, inspired by explorer and pirate Sir Francis Drake and the buccaneer Sir Henry Morgan.

For their second site, the pirates have taken over the new Park Pavilion at 40 Canada Square, close to Canary Wharf tube station, sharing the building with Wahaca, Canteen and Roka. Called The Parlour, it is a high-ceilinged ground-floor venue split into different zones across its 6,692 sq ft area, with an outside seating area on Canada Square Park, dominated by Ron Arad’s Big Blue sculpture.

As with The Refinery, there is an industrial feel to the venue, with exposed pipes running across the ceiling, while there are different zones for eating or drinking. Both sites were the work of Fusion Design and Architecture, but its principal Sophie Douglas says The Parlour has been designed to appeal to a different audience to the eclectic crowd of Southwark. “The Refinery is more gritty and urban but The Parlour is lighter and brighter, and the food has been moved on and taken out into the space.”

The restaurant area, called the “kitchen”, has an open-plan kitchen where the chefs can be watched at work, with high seating so diners feel they are sitting at a counter. “It is more theatrical,” Douglas explains. Inspiration has partly come from the open-service dining of Californian restaurants such as the Andaz in West Hollywood. With its high windows, low-slung rocking chairs and iron furniture, part of The Parlour’s dining area has a conservatory feel, opening out onto the terrace with firepits inspired by restaurants in Arizona.

The main bar area has high wooden tables and circular booths, with pendant lighting that can be raised or lowered to suit the time of day. They have taken advantage of the height with a large artwork of birds on branches behind the bar, matching the green-and-white colour palette of the main space. An intimate wine room containing rows of vintage bottles provides a retreat from the hustle of the main bar.

A narrow space at the side is popular as a lounge with 60s-style wicker hanging chairs, timber panelling and soft banquette seating. Near to this is a bespoke chandelier made of spoons, spatulas and ladles.

The all-day menu focuses on locally sourced seasonal dishes with an even greater emphasis on seafood than at The Refinery. There is a superb range of wines available, with different wine flights of three 125ml glasses from just £8.75.

The enticing signature cocktail list ranges from a Mango Mojito, French Sling and Apple & Honey Margarita to a Lounge Lady made with Tanqueray, grapefruit juice, grenadine and maraschino liqueur, garnished with a gin-infused cherry. More inspiration came Stateside for the calorie-counting “skinny” cocktails, a trend that MacLean spotted in New York. With calories next to each cocktail, the list includes a Grape Martini, Margarita, Russian Rose Martini and Blueberry Sour – the most fattening at 109 calories.

Drake & Morgan and Fusion are already working on a third site in the City to open next year, although each venue has an independent feel rather than displaying a “Drake & Morgan” brand. As MacLean concludes: “Our philosophy is to continue to provide contemporary customer-focused venues that deliver on cutting-edge design, technology and operating systems as well as quality food and innovative drinks.”

Where to find it
The Park Pavilion
40 Canada Square
London E14 5FW
Tel: 0845 468 0100
www.theparlourbar.co.uk

Who did it
Design: Fusion Design and Architecture
Project management: Chiltern Projects
Kitchen & bar equipment: Advance Group
Music system: Dogstar AV
Lighting: Into Lighting
Epos: Micros-Fidelio
Communications: Call-Systems Technology
Verre de vin system: Bermar International
External signs: Academy Signs
Furniture: The Contract Chair Co, Kudos, Naught One
Drawer chests: Robert Mills
Light fittings: InForm Furniture

December 2009

Venue profile: The Saint, Edinburgh

Mark Ludmon visits Stockbridge in Edinburgh to check out Mike Aikman and Jason Scott’s new bar

Despite its diminutive size, Bramble quickly became known as one of the best cocktail bars in the UK after it was opened by Mike Aikman and Jason Scott three years ago. Located in the smart Queen Street area of Edinburgh’s New Town, it remains one of the best places to enjoy a stunning cocktail or sample the broad range of gins. The duo have now turned to something a bit different with their second bar, The Saint, but it excels in its own way.

The new venue is on the lower ground level of one of the grand Georgian buildings of the chic neighbourhood of Stockbridge just north of Edinburgh city centre. It was formerly the Watershed bar and bistro but Scott, who lives nearby, and Aikman took it on earlier this year after a fruitless search for a new site elsewhere. Aikman refers to The Saint as a “neighbourhood bar and restaurant”. In contrast to Bramble, “it’s not meant to be a city centre bar but appeal to locals,” he says. “Here, we’re trying to do everything that Bramble isn’t. But we are bringing that level of service, product and quality into an old-fashioned pub.”

While Bramble is all about cocktails with no beer on tap, The Saint has an eclectic range of draught beers including Anchor Steam, Oranjeboom, Paulaner, Pilsner Urquell and Guinness plus a guest ale which last month was Brewdog’s The Physics. There are still premium spirits behind the bar, such as Scottish gin Caorunn, and a fine selection of wines, with an extensive list of ever-changing bin ends at good-value prices. “Stockbridge is a very wine-focused area with some really good wine merchants, so we have the sort of wine offer you would expect of a good city-centre wine bar,” Aikman points out.

There is also no food at Bramble but The Saint, with 25 covers, has a menu of “traditional food with a twist”, such as rabbit, Arbroath smokies and pigeon and bacon sausages. “While we still like cocktail bars, we are getting older and it’s nice to have a bar that does really good food,” Aikman says. Having the two contrasting sites is also good for the development of staff who cross over from Bramble, where 80 per cent of sales are in cocktails and mixed drinks, to The Saint where there is no cocktail menu but good food and wine.

The look of the venue is a mix of traditional and contemporary, conceived by the two owners with the help of Scott’s wife, Lisa Scott-Gordon, who is an interior designer. The furniture, much of which was bought at auction or local shops, includes modern designs as well as traditional pub-style chairs and tables – including some salvaged from the Watershed – and a whisky-barrel chair covered with fake fur.

The Saint also aims to be an exhibition space, co-ordinated by Glasgow-based LuckyMe, a collective of musicians, DJs and artists. The current show features artwork by Scottish photographer Christina Kernohan. “It’s an exhibition space that will have changing artwork for displaying local artists,” Aikman adds.

The two owners are still hands on in the trade, with Aikman working shifts in both bars and Scott continuing to work with William Grant on brands such as Hendrick’s and Grant’s. They had originally expected their second venue to be a cocktail bar or members’ club but the Watershed was too good an opportunity to miss, Aikman says, adding that they may return to their original plan if the right site comes along. Despite the success of Bramble, they are not looking to cash in by selling out to a bigger operator, he points out. “We are not in it to sell it off and make money but to do something we love.”

Where to find it
44 Saint Stephen Street
Stockbridge
Edinburgh EH2 5AL
Tel: 0131 225 9009
Email: info@thesaintedinburgh.co.uk
www.thesaintedinburgh.co.uk

October 2009

Venue profile: Momo, Northampton

If you walk into Northampton’s newest bar and club, Momo, you experience a “dramatic, rich, exotic north African feel”, says designer Sarah Ahluwalia of Saal Design. The venue is “smart, opulent and welcoming”, with a roof terrace that is reminiscent of a Moroccan riad, but Ahluwalia stresses that the design concept was “not to be themed in any way”.

Momo has been created over two floors in Abington Street in the heart of Northampton, completely transforming what was the troubled town-centre pub, the Wedgewood, which closed two years ago. The site was developed at a cost of £1million by owner Scottish & Newcastle Pub Enterprises with lessee Moe Kandola who has run bars and clubs for years and also owns two bars in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. He operates it jointly with Gary Jones, who has a background in wholesale lighting and the music industry.

There are three main areas in the venue: a ground-floor bar, an upstairs club and the outside roof garden plus an exclusive VIP area. The main bar and roof garden are open all the time while the club area opens only Fridays and Saturdays from 9pm. Ahluwalia explains that the ambition was to create somewhere that “moved from being a daytime relaxing meeting place to a smart club atmosphere in the evening, with warm glowing colours to entice people into the cosy depths. It needed to be somewhere that people would want to make an effort to dress up in the evening to go there.”

They went for contemporary overtones but avoided the “hackneyed stainless-steel, loft, minimalist feel”, she adds. “Colours were chosen with current and projected colour trends in mind to appeal to those with a smart, trendy eye for fashion.”

Extensive use of colour-changing LEDs has helped to create “a sense of theatre”, with dark ceilings and the play of light from crystals in the light fittings adding interest. “The roof terrace was to evoke the feel of a Mediterranean courtyard or a riad, with architectural planting and careful lighting,” Ahluwalia says. “It was to be an oasis for all the customers to enjoy, not just smokers as has so often become the fate of outside areas.”

The venue is run on a day-to-day basis by general manager Billy Garner and is open from 11am seven days a week, with a 2am licence Sunday to Thursday and 4am for Friday and Saturday. There are club nights and events programmed through the week from an open mic night to Hat Club and Ministry of Sound at the weekends.

The food menu, compiled by head chef Stuart Millard, starts with breakfast and brunch, which are served from 11am to 2pm, and goes through to more substantial three-course meals for lunch and dinner. As deputy manager Dom Weldon sums it up: “We provide a stylish, ambient setting with great food and gorgeous drinks.”

The list of “gorgeous” drinks was put together by Weldon himself and currently features cocktails such as a choice of fruity Mojitos, Martinis and classics such as a Mai Tai and a Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri. “Looking around Northampton, I figured there was not really the taste or appreciation of cocktails like there is in London,” he explains. “The menu is therefore classic led – all are tasty well-balanced cocktails which would appeal to most tastes. I see the menu as an introduction to the world of cocktails.” He adds that, once the bartenders have settled in, the list will start to evolve.

There are about 150 spirits and liqueurs on the back bar, with Tiger, Amstel and Heineken on draught. The wine selection is modest, with six white, six red and six rosé, with the most expensive coming in at £22. The champagne list starts with Mercier at £30 and rises to Cristal at £250, with most of the popular brands in between.

“Before opening, the general consensus was that there was no really nice bar or club to go to in Northampton and that the professional 20- to 40-year-olds with money in the town had nowhere nice to go,” says Weldon. “Momo is trying to provide what Northampton lacks: a comfy, safe and fun environment which gives that little be extra in everything we do.”

Designer spotlight

Saal Design, based in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, was established by Sarah Ahluwalia in 1988 and specialises in luxury residential interiors and individual bars and restaurants.

Previous hospitality projects have included Voodoo Bar & Grill and Saint Bar, both in Leamington Spa, and Malaysian restaurant Raffles and Indian restaurant Coconut Lagoon, both in Kenilworth, Warwickshire. The company also worked on oriental restaurant Georgetown next to London Bridge, which, like Coconut Lagoon, is owned by Pearl Hotels and Restaurants Group.

“We work mainly in the high-end residential market but enjoy the theatre of bars and restaurants,” Ahluwalia says.

Where to find it

79-81 Abington Street
Northampton NN1 2BH
Tel: 01604 637 785
Email: info@momonorthampton.com
www.momonorthampton.com

Who did it

Designer: Saal Design
Contractor: Montage Construction
AV & lighting: B&S Sound & Lighting
Epos: Sam4s
Furniture: Classic Furniture Group
Ceramic flooring: Solus Ceramics
Fabrics: Wemyss Fabrics, Sekers, Skopos Design, Geometric, Larsen (Colefax and Fowler)

October 2009

Venue profile: LE1, Leicester

LE1, a cocktail and champagne bar, has opened on the edge of Leicester’s new cultural quarter

Over the past 10 years, the St George’s South area of Leicester has slowly been transformed into a new “cultural quarter”. Last month saw the unveiling of Phoenix Square, home to an arts cinema, creative workspaces and digital gallery, exactly a year after the new Curve theatre opened nearby.

With all this regeneration taking place, it is inevitable that new bars and restaurants are arriving in the area. One of the latest of these is LE1, a two-floor cocktail and champagne bar on the western fringe of the cultural quarter.

The bar’s owner, property developer Sunil Taylor, says he was drawn to the site because of the regeneration and the growing number of creative businesses in the area. “With the new theatre and media centre and the new bars and restaurants, I wanted to create a London-style boutique bar,” he explains. He has transformed the site of a rock club, The Attik, into a venue with a sophisticated and contemporary design by Kent-based Astounding Interiors.

The ground-floor bar has been designed with a “holiday-destination-type Moroccan theme”, says Steve Ward from Astounding Interiors, reflected in the choice of furniture and wall décor. “The thought behind this was that customers could escape their day-to-day routine when visiting the venue,” he explains. Repeated arches are integrated with decorative wall discs, enhanced by back lighting.

Upstairs is the champagne bar, which is decorated in red and contrasting black, with champagne tables around modern sofas to create refined chill-out zones. “This floor level remains an exclusive space and, as such, attracts a sophisticated, mature crowd,” Ward adds.

The venue operates during the daytime only for private events, opening to the public at 5pm Tuesday to Friday and 7pm Saturday, when it carries on until 4am. The sound system, installed by Lime Green, reflects the need to create a party atmosphere as the evening moves on, plus sparkling glitter wallpaper around the DJ booth that creates more of a club-like feel late at night.

“This is another bar where we have challenged the ideas of contemporary design,” Ward says. “Hopefully people will like it and put it on their destination list when they’re on a night out. So far this has been the case and it’s getting the right high-spending crowd in that we aimed it at.”

The emphasis is on drinks, with food available only for private events and groups in advance. The list has been put together by manager Jonathan Maycock who has a background in bars in central London. He has come up with a range of cocktails from classic to new inventions, including Maycock’s Hot, made with five different rums. Only Peroni is on tap, with bottled beers such as Modelo, Duvel and, again, Peroni.

As a champagne bar, it offers a broad range of fizz, from Moët Hennessy, Dom Perignon and Krug through to Cristal, and is one of only two bars in Leicester to stock Christian Audigier champagne.

While Taylor has never operated a bar before, he says LE1 will be the first of more venues, initially likely to be in Leicestershire. “The only way to make money is to have multiple sites,” he explains. “I don’t think one venue on its own makes a lot of money. If you have more, you can have more brand awareness and the costs are less.”

Where to find it

15 Free Lane
Leicester LE1 1JX
Tel: 07818 406850

Who did it

Designer: Astounding Interiors
Bar system: ServaClean
Furniture: Elle Interiors
AV: Lime Green
Lighting: Lightqube
Solid surface fabricators: CnC Laminates
Flooring: Amtico
Wall coverings: Tektura & Muraspec

December 2009

Camera, Oxford

Jake Oppon and Simon Marshall have been working in bars and clubs in Oxford since the early 90s when they were both employed at an Oxford nightclub where Simon was manager and Jake was a cocktail bartender. While Jake went into finance, Simon continued to manage clubs before setting up Torso and Fisher’s restaurants in Oxford. In 2001, they came together to launch student-oriented nightclub, The Bridge, and since then, under the banner of Oxford Leisure, they have added a pre-club feeder bar Anuba as well as two venues in Bath: the Second Bridge club and the Earl of Manvers.

Last month, they opened a new bar and restaurant in Oxford under the name of Camera, inspired by “chic modern Asian-style design”. Working with furniture specialist and designer Noble Russell and brand agency Ryuu Design, the pair have designed a venue that is a dynamic addition to the town’s thriving bar scene.

Opening at 5pm Monday to Saturday and staying open till late, Jake and Simon expect the town-centre bar to appeal to people over 21. “We won’t be serving alcopops or draught beer at Camera,” Jake says. “Instead, we will be offering a slick urban crowd a place to head after work or over the weekend to enjoy a range of brilliant cocktails, good wines and exceptionally good pan-Asian dishes in stylish surroundings.”

The drinks list was created in-house by bartenders Imran Hashmi and Ont Paruj Pakvipas, with a short list of Old and New World wines and champagne available by the glass and from £14 a bottle. The cocktails range from modern classics such as the Caipirinha, Sea Breeze, Piña Colada, Daiquiris and Martinis to more unusual recipes such as a Passion Fruit Absinthe and a Pretty Stocking, which is made with vodka, Chambord and fresh cranberry juice. They are priced at £3.80 in the early evening or £5.80 at other times.

The ground-floor bar area aims for comfort and cosiness, with banquette-style lounging areas dominated by a centrally placed “halo” silk screen. The 10-metre Corian bar has been divided into five workstations, with back-bar systems developed and installed by Cantilever Bars. AV includes a software-driven six-projector screen and sound systems installed by Ussher Productions.

Also on the ground floor is the dining area, where the mezze-style cuisine is inspired by Asia, developed by head chef Vichai Wong of Oxford’s Bangkok House. This part of the venue is bright and ultra modern with high-gloss surfaces and sumptuous cream leather seating.

Noble Russell designed most of the interior features, including the bar front, DJ booth, 10 back-to-back sofa units, Corian drinks shelves, bench seating, dining tables, reception and copper-topped drinks tables. Noble Russell director Jonathan Fort describes Camera’s look as “minimalist and glossy sophistication”.

Ryuu Design has created the branding and menus as well as visual projections for the walls. “The interior graphics and branding represents a sort of modern-day, conceptual Asian-Western fusion, inspired by abstract patterns,” explains Ryuu’s creative director Hugo Nash.

The halo screen conceals a spiral staircase that leads to a basement area which will be developed in a second phase of the venture. Simon says the venue will help to improve the quality of the surrounding St Ebbes Street area ahead of a proposed redevelopment of the Westgate Shopping Centre. “We want Camera to become part of the fabric of the Oxford scene.”

Where to find it
28-31 St Ebbes Street
Oxford OX1 1PU
Tel: 01865 245551
Email: mail@cameraoxford.co.uk
www.cameraoxford.co.uk

Who did it
Furniture/design: Noble Russell
Bar systems: Cantilever Bars
Branding: Ryuu Design
Website: Commun
AV: Ussher Productions

January 1, 2010

Venue profile: Aura, London

The new owners of Mayfair’s Aura have reinvented the venue as a place of grandeur and intimacy

Since opening in 2003, Aura in Mayfair has become one of the best-known of the members’ clubs on the London scene. It was created by a team including mixologist David Serlui, based on an existing venue called Aura in not-so-chic Watford. He has now moved on and is rolling out the hip Ghost clubs and bars with business partner Sam King who once worked behind the bar at Aura.

The venue is now in new hands. The owners include Tony Fernandes, who owns AirAsia and the Tune Hotel Group, and events and motorsport entrepreneur Jonny Dodge, one of the organisers of the Gumball Rally. There is also Alberto Barbieri, who worked with Iceni and Chinawhite before becoming a shareholder in Pangaea and owner of venues such as the new Supper Club in Notting Hill.

They reopened the St James’s Street club in September after a revamp by Grapes Design, which has also worked on Bungalow 8, the Dorchester, Bar Room Bar in Chinatown, the Fire Station in Hammersmith, Firefly and Ember. Rupert Meeker’s original design featuring plum-coloured banquettes, mirrored surfaces and Claridges Ballroom chandeliers has been replaced with a new “sense of grandeur” and soft and curvaceous lines.

Grapes Design director Darren Grapes says: “The brief was to create a subterranean decadent party room, encapsulating the grandeur and heritage of Aura and surrounding Mayfair. The main emphasis was to embellish the incredible ceiling height by the creation of three circular ceiling coffers, adding scale, with the introduction of three bespoke glass tiered feature lights.”

The interior uses a blend of natural materials, leather panelling, suedes and hand-finished wallpapers. Furniture includes diamond-padded booths and highly lacquered custom-made tables, with details such as polished nickel fittings. The ambience and look of the venue can be adjusted through colour-changing lighting.

One detail that has been retained is Aura’s hydraulically adjustable tables that can be adapted in height for dining or sipping cocktails, adding to the venue’s appeal for events: it hosted exclusive London Fashion Week and Formula 1 gatherings in its first weeks after opening.

Furniture was designed and fitted by Martin J Dodge, a specialist in fine furniture whose clients include the Ritz and the Dorchester. He also happens to be the dad of co-owner Jonny Dodge who has a masters degree from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and led on the redesign. “We wanted a very modern and regal design, with royal purple which is a favourite colour of mine,” Jonny explains. Detailing draws on his passion for cars including the cross-stitched leather that recalls a Bentley Mulliner.

With an increasing number of top-end clubs in the capital, it was time for Aura to be updated, Jonny explains. “It was the club of the time when it opened. There was far less competition at the time but there is no location that is more prestigious – it’s a location to dream of.”

With membership pitched at £500 a year, he says Aura is looking to attract successful people who are opinion formers. “Everyone here is part of a family – that’s what we’re trying to create. We know our clients well and they are like friends. It’s not like coming to a random nightclub. It’s a very friendly atmosphere. Because we are the size we are, we can be very boutique and select, we can pick and choose the perfect crowd.”

The drinks menu, featuring rare spirits, carefully selected wines and an extensive list of cocktails, has been put together under general manager Erwan Keraudren who was previously at Pangaea and Vendôme in Piccadilly.

The cocktails range from contemporary classics to “more adventurous and innovative options”, such as the Russian Spring Punch made from raspberry puree, lime juice, elderflower cordial, raspberry vodka, Chambord, gomme syrup and champagne.

Despite of – or because of – the recession, it was the right time for the venture, Jonny adds. “We saw an opportunity as the recession is coming to its end, and it also meant that the price of purchasing it was a lot lower. We have created a great club and are building up for Christmas, and, as we look to 2010, we will have a club all ready to go when we hopefully come out of recession.”

Members have access to many partner benefits such as upgrades on Vistajet flights and access to other clubs around the world. Jonny says the owners are already looking at opening a new venue in Kuala Lumpur, where Fernandes was born. “We can create great partnerships and will look at developing the brand and take it abroad.”

Where to find it
48-49 St James’s Street
London SW1A 1JT
Tel: 020 7499 9999
www.auramayfair.com

Who did it
Design: Grapes Design
Contractor: Alterspace
Furniture: Martin J Dodge
Lighting: Chantelle Lighting
Sound: ATC Loudspeaker Technology

October 2009