Holly
Acland finds a girl friendly evening
watering place in the City
Any
attempt to adopt a lounge bar culture
in the City sounds as if it could
be doomed to failure. The City is
a non-stop, hard nosed, money-spinning
mecca, while a lounge bar - by its
very definition - is relaxed and
civilised.
It
would seem the two do not sit comfortably
alongside each other yet City Bars
and Restaurants is determined to
transform its popular lunchtime venue Restaurant
and Bar 10 in the hub of the
City into an evening oasis.
'10'
opened a year ago, just around the
corner from Liverpool Station, and
quickly established itself as a good
quality restaurant with an expansive
wine list, see
Clifford Mould's review.
While the lunchtime menu and format
remains unchanged, the atmosphere
in the evening has been transformed.
With
a strong focus on catering for the
many women who may not be drawn to
the typically packed and noisy City
drinking hole, the 10 Room concept
picks up on the recent and successful
earlier launch of The '10' Room Lounge
Bar in Piccadilly.
The
room is crowded with chairs, sofas
and the occasional chaise longue
in bright, primary colours. The curves
of the central bar and two mirrored
walls make the most of all the basement
space available and a miniature grand
piano sits resplendent on a raised
platform.
Although
there is plenty of standing space
around the bar, the deep sofas beckoned
enticingly and - as two work-weary
women very typical of the anticipated
customer profile - we were soon happily
settled.
A
bevy of staff ensured that are glasses
were constantly topped up with Bucks
Fizz and our appetites satisfied
by a range of canap‚s as the live
music veered from toe-tapping jazz
to Abba.
This
may not be the place to head for
if you're after a hearty meal. But
there are platters of canapés starting
at around £5. Onion tartlets, chicken
satay sticks and miniature shepherd's
pies were all noteworthy, so much
so that the waiter kindly left an
entire tray of the aforementioned
shepherd's pies on our table.
So
if you find yourself in the city
and you're partial to a cocktail
which can be enjoyed while sitting
down and not shouting over the voices
of others, '10' could be the place
for you.
Restaurant
and Bar 10
Cutlers Gardens Arcade
Devonshire Square
London EC2M 4EY
Tel: 020 7283 7888
Fax: 020 7626 4859
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