Lonsdale
44-48 Lonsdale Road, Westbourne Grove, W11 2DE, London
If you've ever wanted to sip cocktails in a place that resembles a cross between a forty-year-old copy of 'Good Housekeeping' and an eBayed second-hand Austin Powers set, the Lonsdale is the perfect man for the job.
It's a pretty glitzy affair - all bright lights and shimmering patrons - and it certainly is pretty easy on the eye, what with all the quality furnishings and attention to detail.
The real draw has to be the cocktail selection, which is simply massive: an eighteen-page dossier of different concoctions means you could be perusing the menu for several hours before you finally decide.
The staff are adept, charming and skilled: watching them ply their trade is almost as good as when your selected child meets your lips. The drinks are good - very good.
The quality and range of booze is rarely paralleled in London, and the Lonsdale deserves to be visited a few times to get even a taste of what the menu is capable of.
The door staff can get a little snotty, but there's nothing strange about that 'round this part of town, and it wouldn't do to have the place full of miscreants and ne'er-do-wells anyway. Go forth and sip - you won't have tasted anything better before.