Right place,right time!

I just happened to visiting my lovely but bullish (they told me to say that!) clients to drop off a few goodies for their Christmas raffle. I’d managed to prise some items from the marketing cupboard but thought I needed to add a certain little diva-esque ‘je ne sais quois’. So I hot-footed it to Waitrose to grab something with a little more festive cheer and when my eye fell upon a nice bottle of Veuve Clicquot Rosé along with some Gordon Ramsay fine chocolates, I thought this might do the trick.

After their raffle (the pink champagne certainly hit the mark!) and their secret Santa they were off for their team meal at Oxo Tower Brasserie. And lucky old me happened to be available to fill a vacant spot and I’m so delighted I was as it was such a lovely evening. I haven’t been to the Harvey Nichols owned stunning viewed Oxo Tower for many years and I think it’s gone from strength to strength. The bar is clearly the place to be and even though it was like being on a very glamorous tube (just the number of people not the ‘minding of gaps’ and all that malarkey) and they serve very fine Raspberry Royale Fizzes – which is like Kir Royale but with an Oxo twist. We had a large crowd; I think nearly 30 but I lost count when ordering the drinks.

We had a short set menu to select from but they seemed more than happy to accommodate any allergies and dietary requirements. Though I thought my aversion to tomatoes and goats’ cheese might just seem awkward so I ordered the only main that didn’t contain either which was Guinea fowl, spiced red cabbage, cotechino sausage, bread sauce, hazelnuts after a very fine Seared smoked salmon, spring onion pancake, keta, horseradish crème fraîche. And the starter was seriously good, the horseradish crème fraîche had such a kick and it was a great idea to serve the smoked salmon in a warm thick slice – mmmm, mmmm. And now I know that keta means salmon roe. W also ordered a refreshing green salad with Parmesan and some tasty potatoes and green beans for the table to ensure we ate a little healthily also. And she was absolutely right; the green salad was a perfect idea! My guinea fowl and all the accompaniments was a very generous portion and I struggled to eat it all. The red cabbage was also a revelation as this always transports me back to my Girl Guide camping days and those horrendous enormous jars of pickled red cabbage that seemed to accompany every meal, apart from breakfast – ughh! But the Oxo red cabbage was very tasty, as was everything actually I couldn’t fault any of the food we had at all.

I wrapped this up with a Bitter chocolate mousse and griottines cherries. Very good indeed!

And I was seriously impressed that Oxo Brasserie didn’t stoop to that standard treatment of large parties, especially at Christmas and consider that were only ‘here for the beer’ and therefore we’d be happy to eat any old pap that they delivered. There are many places out there that produce shameful excuses for food at this time of year. Well done to the Oxo Brasserie for not going down that route and doing us proud, fabulous food and great service. And an amazing view also!

Thank you for my lovely clients for letting me join them on their night and they can’t even read this blog so they don’t know what I’ve said about them!

I know the bar is one of ‘the places to be’ but I found it a little heaving for my tastes, perhaps if we’d secure some of the seats it would have been better but I know that most would prefer the lively party atmosphere rather than the elegant, chilled sort of place I’d plump for. It sure is a hot hangout, and seemed very popular for a glamorous date venue!

Two forks for Oxo Brasserie and I look forward to visiting them again, though maybe when not quite so busy!

Ruby Tuesday

Tonight was the much-anticipated (well by me at least) client Christmas party for which the rather bizarrely named Sequoia @ Ruby Lo had been selected for the occasion.
This was the perfect venue as it is central, has one big room on one level with lots of comfy seating, wonderful cocktails, yummy canapés, a real fireplace and a great ambience.

All I needed was to make nearly 300 badges appear out of thin air (probably best not to get me started on that subject), slip on a ruby coloured dress and ensure the fabulous raspberry ruby coloured cocktails flowed and everyone had a exceedingly good time. Hmmm, not too much of a tall order! Thanks to both my glamorous assistant and the extraordinary fine non-alcoholic raspberry, ginger beer and apple juice cocktails that Rupert the bar manager kept winging my way, the night went with a swing. I wasn’t sure I could handle any fabulous little Chambord numbers tonight, as I was a little taut! I didn’t try much of the food myself as I was exercising the fhb policy (‘family’ hold back!) but it looked good. I saw mini little hamburgers fly past (unfortunately with tomato) and prawny bits, chicken nibbles, pizza bruschetta and the infamous extremely fine Merguez sausages did the rounds also. There was an awkward moment when the cloakroom had shrunk to an unfeasibly small space but this was swiftly rectified and all was well. H looking every inch the yummy mummy she is, made a guest appearance to everyone's delight!

We all had a great time and thanks should go especially to the tolerant bar staff that ensured the cocktails wove their special magic and started the festive season with a swing and all our guests who popped by to help us celebrate. Also thank you to the staff at the door that had more of a challenge than they should have had due to some sort of Excel spreadsheet malfunction! And after all that, we had enough badges, what was I worried about?

Same time, next year?

Bar recon crawl

My mission tonight - that I'd chosen to accept - was to check out possible venues for a client Christmas party ably assisted by a glamorous assistant. Clearly there's a lot to choose from in London but I'm really rather fussy (and I'm not just talking about my tomato avoidance tactics here). The place has got to be big enough to accommodate everyone comfortably but not so big that we either have to share with others or we rattle around too much. I like an exclusive and strictly no gatecrashers!

There has to be enough comfy seating so that those who want to can relax and chat and those who like to lurk around the bar not too far from the next cocktail can. Also it's easier to mingle and see everyone you want to see if there's only one level and not lots of cosy little cubbyholes to secrete yourself away in. Snug little corners are great for a few friends or romantic intrigues but not so good for client entertaining. There has to be some seriously tasty nibbley canapés. I don't want a buffet or anything that involves cutlery, but gorgeous little tidbits. Ideally sausages have to feature on the menu and extra points are scored if it's sausages and mash!

The toilets have to be clean, fresh smelling and ideally devoid of insulting nomenclature on the doors. The décor needs to be welcoming, not to shabby but not über cool. I want it to be modern yet comfortable and if there's a real fireplace that deserves loads of extra points as H always had that as one of her requirements! I want the festive season to be acknowledged but tastefully with maybe a few white pin lights and entirely without inflatable fripperies or things that sing!

Of course location is critical also. What's the point of a fine, funky place if it's in deepest, darkest somewhere that no one wants to travel all that way to and there's no easy access to a homebound black cab.

With all that said the fine people at Top Table (well Laura to be exact!) helped me wade through my extensive rquirements and suggest four possibles to investigate, hence the reconnaissance trip tonight.

The first port of call was Detroit near Covent Garden. This is definitely a lounge for velvet-clad lizards to sip cocktails and nod appreciatively to the cool sounds whilst cosily ensconced in some curvaceous walled hideaway. And that was really the only problem, too many little nooks and crannies.

Then it was to the chocolate brown and leather-seated gentlemen's club opposite Selfridges’s food hall rather catchily called Sequoia @ Ruby Lo. Sequoia has a nice square room all on one level and extra points H, a real fireplace! It looks just like a big front room if your front room accommodated over 200 happy, cocktail swilling partygoers. After sampling their sausages, lip tingling Merguez to be exact, we grabbed a cab in search of Zebrano off Carnaby Street. Zebrano looked interesting with pleasing light wood panelled walls and comfy seating. Though it may be on two levels but we couldn't tell by pressing our noses on the window as they're having some sort of refurbishment and one of the backs walls seemed to somewhat missing. Probably best if we leave that one out of the equation, as it's not clear when they'll be full to the brim of beautiful people again.

Our last port of call was the house of über trendy and exotic cocktails - lab (London academy of bartending, don't you know) on Old Compton Street. I've actually been to lab, I've had a couple of fabulous gingery cocktails on previous visits to their hallowed place and witnessed the bar staff doing their clever fire throwing/breathing acts. I’ve even got the stylish Shaken and Stirred cocktail book written by their bartender Douglas Ankrah. I like lab, it is a great cocktail bar but it is on two levels which rather annoying means two parties, they don't have many seats and they rely a little too much on precarious barstools for the ones they do have. I think it's a place to have a wonderful cocktail but not to linger. And finally the gender identifier on the toilet doors are 'bitches' and 'bastards'! Hmmm, points deducted I'm afraid!

So the rather bizarrely named Sequoia @ Ruby Lo it is then. Exotic ruby coloured Raspberry & Vanilla Martini cocktail in a cosy chocolate brown sitting room, anyone?




< Look at real fireplace!