East / Match EC1

A blue plaque at the side of Match EC1 proclaims: ‘It was behind this screen in 1997 that Mark Dodd first demonstrated the reverse plum manoeuvre.’ What’s that? A Heston Blumenthal baking experiment? A wince-inducing S&M move?

No, we don’t know either. Such eccen-tricity might seem wilful elsewhere, but nothing at Match seems try-hard: not the food menu littered with grass-fed, free-range ingredients; not the Greenwich Union micro-brewery beers; and certainly not the bartenders. Those instant smiles are warm, not functional, and the mixing is effortlessly confident, which is as it should be – the cocktail, in dizzying and diverse incarnations, is why you’re here.

Peer round the door from Clerkenwell Road and you’d be forgiven for not getting it straight away. The interior of this modestly-sized space, all low sofas, leather banquettes and sunset-hue pendant lampshades, is more upmarket ’70s bordello than industrial chic, the prevailing décor theme out East. But head down from the balcony entrance level to the bar, review the drinks menu, and all becomes clear.

Match is an original – as in ‘a unique idea that spawned a rash of imitators’ rather than ‘old’. Brainchild of self-confessed cocktail geek Jonathan Downey, ideas man behind members’ bars The Player and Milk & Honey, Match has been mixing here since 1997, aided for the last seven years by NYC ‘King of Cocktails’ Dale DeGroff. Alongside his novel signature recipes, the individual elements of classic standards shine just as brightly.

With fine grazing and a short but carefully selected wine list, Match is still just as much a destination bar as it was a decade ago – a destination not for a quick flirt and a cheeky pint, but for a languid evening of short waits for long drinks.

45-47 CLERKENWELL RD, CLERKENWELL EC1M 5RS

P / 0207 250 4002

T / FARRINGDON

matchbar.com

Filed under: East London, bars, drinking, east, East London, london

North / 25 Canonbury Lane

Tucked away at the Highbury end of Upper Street, 25 Canonbury Lane is surrounded by a tangle of swanky Georgian townhouses of the kind once occupied by Tony and Cherie Blair. (Don’t worry, this would not be their kind of bar, although Linda Blair would probably enjoy seeing the regulars fired up on cocktails and possessed by the spirit of having a good time.) Though it’s away from the main Islington action, being hidden away is an asset – the bar attracts an unpretentious local crowd and you won’t have to camp out at the bar for an hour every time you want a drink.

With its stripped back-interior and grown-up cocktail menu, this is one for drinkers who find the Marquess Tavern a bit too foodie and the Elk in the Woods a little knowing and urbane. Lined with timber and old mirrors and lit by candles and chandeliers, the lounge is small enough to feel cosy, but roomy enough that you don’t have to worry about fellow revellers spilling your drink. Weekends are boisterous; weekday evenings are quieter, with a regular crowd of local thirty-somethings who drop by for a chinwag with the bar staff and an inexpensive bowl of Thai curry on the way home from work.

In a neighbourhood where vodkatonic is frequently the most imaginative cocktail, the list of shots and modern classics is impressive (the raspberry martinis and Manhattans come highly recommended), but plenty of regulars retreat with a bottle of wine to the cosy nook at the back, with its skylight roof, flagstone floor and divans piled with cushions. It’s the best spot in the bar and accordingly it gets grabbed almost immediately – come early if you want to stake out this space at weekends.

25 CANONBURY LANE, ISLINGTON N1 2AS

P /0207 226 0955

T / HIGHBURY ISLINGTON

Filed under: North London, bar, beer, drinking, going out, london, night out, north, pub

West / The Westbourne

 

It seems like the Westbourne has been creating a buzz on this Notting Hill street corner forever. It’s a see-and-be-seen, watch-the-world-go-by, let-Sunday-slip-along-smoothly kind of spot. Out front is a huge street-side terrace and solar gas burners allow the flirting hordes to eke out that summer feeling as long as possible.

Inside, this is a pub that edges into brasserie territory. A long, green-and-zinc bar runs along one side, the menu is chalked up on blackboards, there are big Chesterfields to lounge on and large old mirrors reflect all the action. Otherwise, the walls are covered in framed posters and paintings, a hip backdrop of battered portraits featuring Francis Bacon, Morrissey and Elvis Costello.

There’s a fine selection of beers on tap and by bottle, and a good selection of artfully coiffed bar staff to serve them, and the food is imaginative and excellent, with a menu that changes twice daily. They call it ‘peasant-style’ but these are some lucky peasants, with dishes such as baked filo rolls with butternut squash, ricotta, sage & nutmeg, or fillet of seabass baked with lentils, chicory, thyme, white wine & vermouth, to choose from.

In contrast to upscale local, the Cow, across the road, the Westbourne feels more like a destination, somewhere you might come from another part of town specially to hang out. On weekend nights, cabs wait outside, waiting to whisk drinkers off to the next party. Who are they? They’re a young, affluent crew, their dress sense at the expensive end of hipster-chic, with lots of cashmere slung casually over shoulders. Perhaps it’s the continental vibe of the interior that attracts so many expats: you’ll hear more European accents here than at an Erasmus reunion.

101 WESTBOURNE PARK VILLAS, NOTTING HILL W2 5ED

P / 0207 221 1332

T / PARK ROYAL

thewestbourne.com

Filed under: West London