Martinis are a lot like jazz. A sign of class. You graduate into adulthood once you like them. They seem only to exist in dimly lit venues with a fantastic lamp collection. At first glance, they overload the senses. To an untrained palate, they are disgusting; to a well-trained one, they are lethally addictive. The cocktail is having quite the moment this year. Is this the aftermath of Stanley Tucci’s lockdown cocktail hour? Or is it that we are above-board prohibition drinking to cope with the state of the current world? Likely both. Either way, I’m definitely not complaining.
And one place fitting the bill for martinis and jazz is dapper One Club Row, located above the Knave of Clubs pub in Shoreditch. You’ve probably heard of it; if not, you’ll have seen it on social media; failing that, the annoying show-off in your friendship group is waxing lyrical about it and being elusive about how they managed to get a table when it’s booked out for the next six weeks.
And it’s no surprise why. The place is intoxicating—and that’s before you’ve even taken a sip of one of their four martinis. Even the exterior is alluring: an iconic blue canopy sitting proud on a graffiti wall, drawing you in and up, like thirsty moth to an on-trend, booze-soaked flame. The team behind this place are a cocktail of some of the best hospitality experience this city has going. Culinary Director, Patrick Powell has worked at restaurants like Allegra and the Midland Grand Dining Room; James Dye brings expertise from the high-toned listening bar, Bambi as well as the lovable Camberwell Arms; while Benjy Leibowitz injects a dose of Manhattan with experience running NYC establishments like JKS and NoMad. This team is the perfect mixology for success.
You ascend stairs on arrival. Something about the climb feels like an elevation in your soul. Peer around a red jazz-club curtain on entrance and the show? Well, it's already begun. It’s about to get even better with your first sip. That all-too-comforting sound of cocktail shaking provides a swing drum beat to the establishment. Your eyes meet contrasting styles: cubic, colourful prints grace the walls; candlesticks stand proud on 19th-century fireplaces as tables are dressed up with thick, pristine tablecloths and walls are dressed down, their natural neutral tones laid bare.
Within two quaffs of one of their four signature martinis, you’re as warmly lit as the place—edges softened, ideas sharpened. Their Club Row Martini with maraschino and Punt e Mes is a rosemary-laced liquid Dolce Vita; the Olive Oil version is light and playful—a piquant tinkling of mint balancing peppery phenols from the olive. Of course, I drank at least three. They’re too good not to. So knock them back with glee and get ready to start chatting to your dining companion with the lucid gravitas of a cult leader and the laissez-faire colloquialism of a viral Gen Z TikTokker.
When drinking this liquor this hard, you obviously need to line the stomach. And the food boasts handsome, refined classics. The menu has a New York state of mind, a European bistro feel, and absolutely everything is delicious. We start with jalapeño gougères: a salty bit of one-bite magic to steady the fort before the rest arrives. Next, tuna crudo is served atop smoked aubergine with Amalfi lemon. There’s schnitzel and pretty pastas, yet I opt for the One Club burger, decadently dipping my bun into the silver gravy boat of poivre sauce that comes with it. A Caesar salad and a portion of fries come for the table—just so I can complete my hypothetical trip to the Big Apple (and try to sober up – by now, I am on my third martini).
A meal for two can easily set you back £200, especially once you decide you want another cocktail with dessert. But you can’t put a price on a feeling. Here, it feels like everything is possible. This is a restaurant, but it’s also a place where you become part of a significant moment in time, to the tune of a 55-cover orchestra. I spot my favourite author and end up going over to say hello (thanks to the Dutch courage of the cocktails). Yet, even if I hadn’t spotted someone famous, I would feel like I had. It’s one of those places that creates that dazzling, cosmopolitan aura of a room full of people you can only imagine are important, intelligent—or, failing that, very, very rich. And well, if you drink more than one of their cocktails, the likelihood is that for one night only, you too will feel exactly like you are all three.
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1 Club Row, Shoreditch; E1 6JX
