Nightlife
Originally published on Friday, 27th February 2009
Another Little Black Door
There are two bars that I covet above all others, even though I’ve never stepped foot in either (one’s in L.A., the other in Tokyo). In fact, that’s probably why I still love them. For, as cinematic blockbusters, blind dates, and celebrities all know, hype can be a b*tch to live up to.
Which is something that the bar in Tokyo, for example, knows only too well. Located in a non-descript office block, on the thirty-somethingth floor, through an unmarked door, it’s a hype-free, semi-secret, non-members cocktail bar for a mere 20-30 patrons.
Now for some reason, we find City bars curiously tough to pull off (the coolest is probably Paramount; but that’s more West End). And New York seems to manage high-concept speakeasies so much better than us (PDT, Death & Co., Employees Only, Sasha Petraske’s original Milk & Honey ).
So a new bar like Barts – more residential (albeit via an apartment on Sloane Avenue), still attractively conceptual (black, hidden door; quirky décor), but with a splash of realism (comfort food; limited capacity; no members policy) – sounds like something potentially rather special. And slightly more local than Tokyo…
Barts opens its secret, black portal tonight, Chelsea Cloisters, Sloane Ave, SW3 3DW
020 7581 3355
