The London night scene
pp. 12-13 · Read in the full issue
By Edward Cargill
Over the past year there have been considerable changes on the London night life scene. There has been a marked swing away from discotheques to a terrific resurgence of live entertainment.
Speakeasy, 48 Margaret Street, W.l (telephone: 580 8810), is the place that has taken over the late and lamented Revolution’s role as a meeting point for the leading personalities of the pop music world, who now congregate to hear their own favourite groups sing and play. The room is long, narrow and low-ceilinged, so that, on the not infrequent nights when big-name artists are playing, it can be pretty crowded. However, the food in the small restaurant—wired for sound, of course, and with windows looking onto the dance floor and stage—is good and inexpensive and drinks are quickly served.
Pop concerts have lately improved both in the quality of their organisation and in the calibre of the players and they now regularly take place in the parks in sum mer and, in winter, at the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Royal Albert Hall. The pro grammes are often arranged at short notice, so it is advisable to keep a watchful eye on the London evening papers and the weekly guides. Two new venues are Bumpers, 7-14 Coventry Street, W.l (734 5600) and Rainbow (272 2224), formerly the giant Astoria cinema at Finsbury Park. Both these places have a constant stream of big-name groups and solo artistes; and drinks and uncomplicated food are available at reasonable prices. At Bumpers there is dancing to the latest records until 3 or 3,30 a.m. (1.30 a.m. on Sundays).
Where to find jazz music
Jazz fans can still find good musicians playing and good food to eat in amenable surroundings at Ronnie Scott's, 47 Frith Street, W.l (437 4239). Also catering for the jazz enthusiast is the newly refurbished Man drake Club, 4 Meard Street, W.l (437 4444). Now im mensely luxurious, it offers a wide variety of dishes in its new restaurant and yet, by keeping drinks prices almost down to the level of those charged in pubs, it remains a place where a couple may reasonably expect to wine and dine for £5. After dancing to records from 8.30 p.m. until 11 p.m., jazz is played until 3 a.m. and many of the great names of jazz are beating the trail to Meard Street.
Formerly one of the most popular of the pure dis cotheques, the Bag O’ Nails, 9 Kingly Street, W.l (734 0953), has now been completely redecorated and has had added, physically and also to its name, the Comedy Room. There is a cocktail bar which opens at 8.15 p.m., the food is excellent, and dancing continues until 3.30 a.m. There is always a first-class cabaret (Frankie Howerd started the ball rolling with a hilarious season) and some really fine cabaret artistes have been booked.
Manifesting yet another swing away from the original discotheque concept—that such places should be as dark and noisy as possible—is Eye, which goes against
established precedents by laying emphasis on its quietness and by being unusually located for a nightspot—at 148 Holland Park Avenue, W.ll (727 3384). There is indeed dancing to records, which are played fairly loudly, and the lighting is far from bright, but there is lots of room to sit and talk in quiet and comfort away from the dance floor—while the approach to food and wine in the restaurant is far closer to that of the gourmet than is general in discotheques.
Also unusually situated is the Sloop John D, the address of which is River Thames, Cadogan Pier, S.W.I (223 3341). The John D, named after a combination of the Beach Boys’ chart-topping record and John D.
Green, part-owner and photographer of birds beautiful, scarcely resembles the conventional idea of a sloop. So effective has been its transformation that there are now a bar, a restaurant, a discotheque and, on the upper deck, a number of charmingly furnished private dining rooms.
Access to the craft is gained by high-speed motor launches that ply from Cadogan Pier, where there is a little reception cabin. A trip out to the John D is a new experience in nightlife and can be something new to do by day, too, if you decide to try the traditional English Sunday luncheon on board.
Sampling the various facets of London’s nightlife is almost tantamount to taking a trip round the world.
There are clubs and restaurants with dancing or cabaret
At Ronnie Scott’s. This is one of London’s top spots for jazz fans, who go there to hear the big names of the jazz world. The big name perform ing on the saxophone is Johnny Griffin.
of almost every nationality. Percy Street, in Soho, W.l, for instance, might almost be re-titled Little Greece. At No. 27, the Grecian Taverna (636 8913) offers authentic Greek food, superb bouzouki music, traditional songs and two long cabaret spots. Across the road, at No. 13, is the Ely see (636 4804) where on fine nights you may dine on the roof. George Karageorges adds to his talent for being a good host that of being able to balance an extraordinary number of wine-glasses on his head while dancing. The real late-nighter with a taste for Greek food can indulge his fancy for kebabs for breakfast at he Grecian Grill, 27a Percy Street, a trim, clean little ?lace that is open 24 hours a day.
London’s many lovers of Chinese food have for some been able to enjoy good Cantonese cooking, Peasant service and dancing to good bands at the Lotus House, 61-69 Edgware Road, W. 2 (262 4109), the China Harden, 66 Brewer Street, W.l (437 6500) and the Shanghai, 35 Marloes Road, W.B (937 0592). Entirely lew, though, is the stunningly beautiful Manchurian, 42 laker Street, W.l (935 0331). The food is Northern Chinese cooking of the very highest order, the service mpeccable and the band that plays for dancing has eal style. The Manchurian hardly helps to contribute 0 the myth that eating Chinese-style is invariably cheap, or an evening here could cost as much as £7 a head.
Adhere style is tops
More traditional to the established conception of English nightlife are Prinnie’s, 118 Piccadilly, W.l (449 559), which offers fine food from an international aute cuisine menu, an unusually good selection of wines nd courteously correct service in most attractive Regency-style surroundings; and the long-established luaglino’s, Bury Street, S.W.I (930 6767). Quag’s seems > have taken on a new lease of life and the traditional ualities of classy food and knowledgeable service have een complemented by an adventurous policy regarding le choice of cabaret acts. A constant stream of exciting ell-known—and also previously unheard-of—singers, istrumentalists, conjurors, magicians and the like take leir turn, generally for a two-week season, while the vo first class resident bands are nice to dance to.
On the other hand, the little place where a couple m spend an evening eating presentable food, drinking flerable wine, dancing and perhaps being entertained, 1 for a reasonable sum—say £6-£7 for two—is con antly in demand. Chez Cleo, 11 Harrington Gardens, W. 7 (373 4477), is just such a place. The ambience that of a Parisian Left Bank bistro, and the food is ist about exactly what one would hope to find in such place. You can dance, usually to records though seme mes to a live group, and part of any evening may be easantly passed listening to co-patron Mike Leroy and s guitar—all of which is unlikely to exceed £3 a head, New and quite my own current favourite (it is perfect its own particular way) is Teddy Bear’s Picnic, 457 ulham Road, S.W. 10 (352 6002), which is a res urant combined with a very groovy record shop called ead Sounds. Since the owners are knowledgeable record ithusiasts, one is treated more to an electronic cabaret
than just the usual background muzak. There is a tiny bar (with headphones for those who cannot bear to miss a note or a word) and in the restaurant, where a long communal table down the centre of the room is surrounded by smaller ones, the decor consists mostly of a delightful fairy-tale landscape done in glowing fluorescent paints. The food is simple, but well and freshly cooked, and about one-third of the dishes are tasty vegetarian ones. Every night there is a different entertainer or group of singers or players, often quite well known, always pleasant, who seem to enjoy their evening as much as their audience does. I can never recall being given a bill there that amounted to more than £2 a head.
Now for two notable late supper or early breakfast places that have opened during the past year. The Hard Rock Cafe, Old Park Lane, W.l (629 0382), looks and sounds like an American roadside “diner” of the twenties or thirties. It is noisy and crowded with London’s young elite, all apparently disguised as garage hands or mer cenaries. The pin-table flashes and pings, the juke box screams, the waitresses zoom around at supersonic speed and good cheap food—hamburgers, steaks, club sandwiches and giant ice creams—is served until 2 a.m.
Entombed in the rather sombre pile that is the Grosvenor House Hotel, W.l, with entrances in Park Lane and Park Street, is London’s latest and possibly chic-est 24-hour restaurant— La Piazza (499-6363).
Decorated by Enzo Apicella, who gave us all those trattorie to which we flocked like lemmings only a year or two ago, it offers in attractive surroundings a full restaurant service throughout the day and night, with a good choice of snacks, grills and breakfasty dishes and (when our licensing laws permit, which means any time for residents of the hotel) alcoholic drinks.
Should the festivities begin to tell on you, as they may do wherever you choose for a night out, it may be handy to know that Boots The Chemist, Piccadilly Circus, W.l, and H. D. Bliss, 50 Willesden Lane, N.W.6, are open throughout the 24 hours and can usually dis pense, if not cheer, at least a reviver.
[?]he Baker Twins in action at the Bag O’ Nails, where the cabaret is always top class.