Ace of Clubs

Opening up a restaurant and making it work is difficult enough. Opening up a restaurant, bar and nightclub all in one must be a monumental challenge. I understand the concept behind a restaurant and bar, but I’ve never quite understood how a nightclub could fit into the equation. I guess it’s like a one stop shop for a Friday night – you can drink and chat at the bar, dine in the adjoining restaurant and proceed downstairs and dance the night away.

I visited The Club Bar and Dining during a wet and windy Monday lunch (perhaps not the brightest or fairest of ideas). The staff pleasantly seated us in a large circular booth by the door of the restaurant. We swiftly ordered our food along with a delicious bottle of Sancerre and I took the time to soak up the rustic New York décor. I loved the exposed brickwork, dark wood floors, leather booths and open kitchen – The Bar Club and Dining has real character. In fact I was so intrigued I wondered downstairs and took a look around the nightclub. If you have ever visited a nightclub after hours you will know how horrendous they look, so I feared the worst. However ‘The Club’ part of Bar and Dining is merely an extension of upstairs, it looks fantastic. Gorgeous leather furnishings, funky textured wallpaper and a warm gas fire. I almost lost track of time down there and forgot I’d ordered food upstairs.

Returning to my booth I started twiddling my thumbs and wondered where my starter had got to. Before I had the chance to complain the manager came over and explained to us they had briefly lost their gas supply. These things happen and thanks to the charming manager and a couple of fantastic Clubtini cocktails to pass the time our piping hot starters shortly arrived.

I ordered the small crispy duck salad with piquillo peppers and white beans from the small/big plate’s menu. The duck was extremely crispy and complimented the sweet pepper and light aromatic dressing. Our mains arrived immediately after our starters (a wonder what you can achieve when you have gas) and my halibut and garlic mash looked delicious.