What: GQ Bar
In a nutshell: Food and cocktails inspired by GQ magazine’s brand
Summing it all up: GQ Bar is the magazine's first pop-up in London, serving up food and drink designed to bring its pages to life, like wagyu beef burgers and a trademark Manhattan with two types of Bourbon.
The low-down
We’ve been witness to London pop-ups of all shapes, sizes and conceivable themes here at London, but we admit even we’re raising our eyebrows a touch at the announcement of the first magazine bar and restaurant pop up.
GQ Bar, along with Tanqueray No. TEN will aim to bring all the various components of its magazine to life at The Terrace, Rosewood London’s courtyard bar in High Holborn. “We are thrilled to unveil this unique and stylish way to experience, GQ, for a limited time only,” said the magazine’s editor Dylan Jones.
So, starting at the beginning... what kind of breakfast is a ‘GQ’ breakfast? Well, apparently it’s spelt pancakes with blueberry compote and mascarpone, a full English, and smoked salmon with eggs on brioche.
The lunchtime speciality is the GQ Bar Burger, a manly stack of chargrilled wagyu beef accompanied garlic fries, created by Conde Nast International’s DIrector of Restaurants Gary Robinson. Or you can try a Monkshill farm scotch egg, rabbit and bacon en croute with pickled veg or grilled octopus with native breed chorizo and aioli. And for dessert? Flourless chocolate fondant with orange ice cream or glazed lemon tart.
And given that it's the Holborn Dining room, of COURSE there's a pie, it'll be a curried mutton pie.
So what about the drinks? Given Tanqueray No. TEN’s involvement and the Rosewood’s connection to the Holborn Dining Room and its epic 400-strong gin collection, the emphasis will unsurprisingly be quite firmly on gin. White Negronis with grapefruit, the Daisy Sour with chamomile syrup and a Rhubarb Fizz will all be on the menu.
But if you’re not feeling the GQ vibe quite enough, then you can go for the bar’s signature drink, a Bar Manhattan with Bulleit Bourbon, Belsazar White Vermouth, orange-soaked barrel-aged Bourbon and vanilla bitters.
“It’s a space for modern urbanites to come together in an environment inspired by the magazine,” said Robinson.
First Vogue and now GQ. Eyes peeled to see what the next glossy monthly to follow suit will be...
More about GQ Bar
Where is it? Rosewood Hotel, 252 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EN
When? June to September
Find out more: Visit the Holborn Dining Room’s website.
