Bars & Pubs

A class act this, as classy as its adjoining Michelin-starred restaurant. Housed in a converted corner bank, the main space has high ceilings appropriate to its history and is bookended by a circular bar dispensing upscale cocktails. A glance at the vodka brands in the ‘Premium’ selection (£9-£10) – Grey Goose L’Orange in the cosmopolitan, Wyborowa Single Estate or Belvedere in the martini – and the switched-on staff mixing them tells you all you need to know. Even the naming is imaginative; many have a fiscal theme (FTSE 100, Black Monday) but there’s also a Blood & Sand after the 1922 Rudolph Valentino movie. If you’d prefer wine, there are around 50, predominantly French, to choose from, including a score by the glass.

Time Out Bars, Pubs & Clubs Guide 2008