This is, frankly, a cacophony of £35 margaritas. Bedlam? Not quite. I’m actually relaxed, sipping my drink more slowly than normal because of the price. Scrap that. It’s gone. The Ladder Shed, at Chiltern Firehouse, possibly the coolest place to drink in London. Certainly the coolest place west of Soho, where the children of the famous go to party without recompense.
What I love about the Ladder Shed is its total, unequivocal irreverence. Nothing matters and why should it? We all need sweet relief. Here it is found in a bar that isn’t a members’ club but one to which you require an invitation. And, by the way, it doesn’t matter if you’re rich or “someone”. It’s what you bring to the party. There is subtlety at play, carefree attitudes built on intimacy in refuge.
Here it is, a curtained, softly toned sanctuary with its circular bar, at the back of one of London’s most famous hotels. The place celebrated its 10th birthday only weeks ago, despite the fact it launched 11 years ago. No matter. It takes its name from what came before: an enormous Victorian fire station, now a grand hotel, with a restaurant always busy; a set worthy of the most elegant of plays.
Micky Flanagan would arrive in carpet slippers only to find himself ‘out out’, because this is the venue’s raison d’être
“It’s big but feels small,” Allegra Handelsman, the poet daughter of the developer, Harry, told me. “I think the fact it’s not a members’ club helps. There’s this energy to it. The people on the door can reject anyone — no one is guaranteed entry.”
And there’s always something funny going on. Micky Flanagan would arrive in carpet slippers only to find himself “out out”, because this is the venue’s raison d’être. Cocktails feel inebriating but nourishing and it’s all the better to go in late after dinner at, perhaps, the Dover. It’s important not to take the Ladder Shed seriously: everyone is absurdly beautiful, discreet and discerning. Yet in the smoking terrace downstairs, anyone will talk to anyone. To that end there is a sort of listless classlessness to it.
It is all nonsense, obviously. The Ladder Shed is hardly normal life. Find me someone who would turn down an invitation, though, and I’ll buy them a £35 margarita. If they get in.
Bar snacks
Clock House Tavern
196a Peckham Rye, SE22, clockhousetavern.co.uk
New in Peckham Rye is the Clock House Tavern, an old-school boozer restored by the independent pub group Parched. Overlooking the park, it’s a traditional pub tickled by modernity, with English cask ales available alongside a savvy wine list and decent cocktails. Food comes from Gengelly’s, from chefs George Genn and Laurence Pengelly, already known for their fun, unfussy food at the nearby Earl of Derby.
68 and Shanghai
76 Commercial Street, E1, 68andshanghai.com
The 68 and Shanghai website says that “there are no white gloves, hot tongs, crystal decanters or pretentious sommeliers” at this new wine bar in Spitalfields. Upstairs are katsu sandos, while in the basement, drinks are in focus: affordably priced wines from around the world and classic cocktails. It’s refreshing to see old favourites such as brambles, mojitos and sidecars on a menu. Each looks promising at £11.50 a go.
