The Living Room Bar

Heddon Street is one of the more exclusive haunts of z-list celebrities and the well dressed, looking to hang out and party as close to the decedent Mayfair as possible. The Living Room is a charming bar at first impression. The layout is a crowd outside, which I weave through to make my way into a room plastered with blinds, separating out the venue into a forecourt and a rear area which houses a rather suave looking staircase and a grand bar running the full length of the place. The bar and all the furniture have been popped in place as cheap woods, the “bar-in-a-box” effect as I am informed by Paul, whom I bump into once inside. Told not to take the place by face value I head on to buy a cocktail at half price during the happy hour. The barman takes time to prepare it but the final effect is not up to standards. I stand with the group at a small table which is quickly decorated with tapas and meze plates, of which some end up on the floor owing to the impractical size and the growing crowd.

Quite soon I am informed of the rumoured amazing feature of the Living room - the toilet cubicles. Heading downstairs and past the Unisex faucets I head into a cubicle, its carpeted walls and library behind glass panelling quite the surprise as comedy is piped quietly down from above. Laughter is the best medicine they say and this certainly takes the edge off what would otherwise be an overcrowded, over-rated venue - 7/10