Not content with adding a massive five-floor super basement and two floors above, Claridge's has also managed to fashion a brand new bar, seemingly out of thin air.
The Painter's Room bar opened this week, carved out of onyx and occupying a space that used to link through from the main hotel to the ballroom (to find it, head left at the lobby). It's quite beautiful. The bar, which is slightly larger than the Fumoir at the hotel, is Claridge's fourth bar, joining the main Claridge's Bar, the Fumoir and the newish bar at Davies and Brook.
It's the hotel's first opening since welcoming their new Director of Mixology Nathan McCarley O’Neill, who arrived here via Dandelyan and The Nomad in New York. British artist Annie Morris is responsible for both a stained glass piece and also a hand-drawn mural around the bar.
As for the drinks themselves, cocktails come in four categories Light, Interpretations, Complex and Clean. Here's what we tried:
Vodka martini (£20) from the Interpretations section of the menu which features the bar's twists on classics. This uses Belfast's Boatyard Vodka, along with Chambery Vermouth and Matcha. It's pre-diluted and chilled to minus 10 degrees before being served with your choice of garnish - an olive or twist.
This was the Clavé (£20) from the Complex section and featured Melon Vodka, Amontillado and Tarragon. We teamed that with some gorgeous crispy scampi and aioi (£25) from the bar's food menu which also features dishes like cheese puffs, caviar with potato chips and croque monsieur with black truffle.
We ended with two drinks from the Lighter part of the menu, where all the drinks have a low ABV. Left to right - the Cognac & Tonic (made with Merlet Cognac, milk oolong and tonic water (£20) and the Magistretti (Boatyard Gin, Cocchi Americano, Tarragon, Grapefruit and Elderlower).
As with pretty much everything Claridge's does, the bar has been an immediate hit and was already filling up early on a Tuesday evening.
It's not the last bar though that the hotel is opening in the immediate future. There's no official word on what the next place will be, but in an interview with The Financial Times, owner Paddy McKillen gave a clue. As part of the basement work, he has got ex-Apple designer Jony Ive and Marc Newson to install the Orchid Bar they salvaged from the demolition of Tokyo’s Okura hotel "in a speakeasy-style space that he had especially hollowed out of the ground under Brooks Mews." So we'll be on the lookout for that next...
Now THAT'S a bar
@hotdinners Five-star London hotel Claridge’s has revealed a brand new bar - and it looks BEAUTIFUL. ##luxe ##london ##hotel
♬ Still Falling For You - From "Bridget Jones's Baby" - Ellie Goulding
More about The Painter's Room
Where is it? Claridge's, Brook St, London W1K 4HR
How to book: book online
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @claridgeshotel.
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