We can thank the Great Gatsby for the reason the world is going gaga for gilded, prohibition-esque New York. The glamorous and spectacular newly opened Steam & Rye takes us one step further into that wonderful bygone era.
New bars open all the time in the City, but they’re usually the inoffensive sort in which deals can be struck, wine can be sipped and accounts can be rinsed. It’s not that this vast new bar-restaurant-club is actually offensive, but its boldness stands out a mile in the Square Mile.
Serial London entrepreneur, Nick House (the man behind the glorious kitsch Mahiki, Whiskey Mist and Bodo Schloss) set up this decadent venue, fittingly, in the old Bank of New York building.
His new venture is a joint collaboration with his new business partner being none other than British topless model and actress Kelly Brook.
Walking into Steam & Rye feels like walking into a glamorous movie – which makes perfect sense when you find out that Nick sourced film set designers and illustrators to make his concept inspired by movies such as ‘Hugo’ and ‘Gangs of New York’ a reality.
The Main Hall and Station Gardens are modeled on New York’s Grand Central Station and features a sculptured bar, a stage, living clock and its very own Eastern Pacific SteamTrain Dining Carriage.
The Americana fare on the menu is prepared by a team led by celebrated chef Andrew McLeish of Michelin starred Chapter One in Kent. Serving lobster, ribs, burgers and other meat-heavy treats, you’ve arrived in carnivore heaven.
And the mixologists (which are world-class bartenders) have conjured some impressive bespoke and decadent cocktails to match the opulent surroundings. Cocktails range from the classics such as Sazeracs to the eccentric and extravagant: some are served in spurred boots garnished with a sheriffs badges, or in fake-money-stuffed briefcases, or come with sparklers atop fit for an 80s disco.
Explorers find a winding stairwell leading to the mezzanine level and the Cargo Hold; a crammed collection of ephemera, taxidermy, flotsam and jetsam with a glass fronted wall offering a bird’s eye view over Grand Central Station.
There’s also a long, chic basement for a more dimly lit, leather sofa-clad dignified and intimate affair.
Service, from waist coated staff, is smooth and swift. But Steam & Rye is intended as pure, unabashed entertainment – it’s the sort of place to loosen your tie and pretend tomorrow’s 9am start isn’t happening.
If you’re looking for a spot of January escapism then this, most definitely, is your haven.
| 147 Leadenhall Street, London, EC3V 4QT | Transport: Bank tube |
| Telephone: +44 020 7444 9960 | Open: Mon-Fri 16:00-3:00, Sat 18:00-3:00 |
| Price: Drinks and dinner for two with service: around £60 | Website |
