After a fairly shaky start that came with a suicide-worthy review form a local restaurant critic, this glamour rooftop privy to the pre-Bouji crowd has finally come into its own in time to enjoy its lavish rooftop lounge with some of the best rooftop views in all of London. Owned by Hong Kong-based Aqua group that also owns eateries in Beijing, the London outpost is located on the upper floors of a city mid-rise accessed through a long and moody corridor flanked by a roaring bull. Inside, a supper club style dining room is lined in circular banquettes that look ready for champagne buckets in lieu of hefty platter of gourmet grub, accented in vertical lamps with geometrical wooden beads.
The Food
Just when you thought tapas-meets Japanese cuisine was limited to Miami and certain Mediterranean beach clubs, Aqua Nueva shakes offers a dinner and late-night menu by former el Bulli chef Alberto Hernánde that’s hard to dismiss. Visitors in Vivienne Westwood suits and latest Rick Owens arrive for a late day menu of tapas including langoustine carpaccio, perfected grilled octopus and Iberian ham croquettes. Dinner is a more formal affair that pairs homemade ravioli with grilled cuttlefish or crab, lobster on bed of chickpeas and crispy pork, roast foie gras and Castilian roast lamb in a playful supper club setting popular with the under-25 Mayfair crowd.
Last Word
A long bar caters to a drinking crowd that peaks on Thursday and Friday afternoons before spilling out onto two outdoor terraces with oversize sofas and equally large attitudes that brag and boast till well past midnight.
