The Nickel Bar at The Ned review: If you don't get lost in the lobby, the drinks will cheer you up

The Nickel Bar doesn't feel so separate from the rest of what's going on, says David Ellis, but it's a charming, classic American bar of the old school
David Ellis @dvh_ellis5 December 2017

Does your mother do this? I feel like they all do: mine seems forcibly compelled by God to always tell me what a building was once upon a time.

“Used to be a butcher” she’ll go, conspiratorially nodding at the tiles.

“Hat shop – the window” she says, like we’re playing some strange version of Cluedo. When did they teach this architecture archaeology in schools? Why did our fathers never learn these things?

Still, my marvellous mater wouldn’t get any points at The Ned. This gargantuan spot boasts its past as a bank. Not your bank. Not a just-pop-in-because-the-bloody-builder-wants-cash bank. This was the Midland headquarters, an eight storey monument to money designed by Sir Edwin ‘Ned’ Lutyens, a man who also built half of colonial Delhi. The ‘Ned’ moniker is as unconvincing for this £200 million venture as it was for a Knight called Edwin. Kinda cute, though.

Classic: The Ned's menu is simple, built for the busy crowd

A lot of Soho House spots, of which this is one, suffer from the Fake Rolex problem, in that a) they don’t stand up under scrutiny, and b) they attract the type who wear fake Rolexes. Thankfully, that’s not true here.

The Nickel Bar is one of seven public spots that us civilians can get into without needing to be a member or hotel guest, and they’ve upped their game, delved into the details. The wooden bar stools are things of beauty, the bar top is magnificently marbled, the cut glass lampshades tossing straight lines of light between them. Everything is marked with green, the luxurious shade. Table service is good; the staff have crisp shirts and casual smiles. The hall echoes with the live music, jazzy, nothing too loungey.

Though, to say there’s seven restaurants downstairs feels a bit strong: sure, there may be seven menus, but no area feels especially distinct from another. Come back from the loo after one too many and you could blur into another by mistake: they may be different colours, but they’re all on the same palette.

"The East Side Fizz is an antidote to hot stuffy weather, the kind of drink I imagine people who are always 'just popping off' to the Seychelles live on"

Still, this particular menu is charming. It’s short, with a handful of wines, a few beers and just 10 cocktails. Everything is classic, simple, barely twisted: the East Side Fizz (vodka, elderflower, lemon, mint, cucumber, tonic) is an antidote to hot stuffy weather, the kind of drink I imagine people who are always 'just popping off' to the Seychelles live on; the French Quarter (brandy, Cynar, cherry, lemon, sandalwood, lager) is surprisingly light for a brandy drink, with little tastes of leather and tobacco but made refreshing with the beer top. Not a proper Vieux Carré, of course, but better suited to a night drinking on a date. No prizes for guessing what a Nedgroni (gin, Kamm & Sons, Rubino, rose, grapefruit) tastes like.

The Ned - In pictures

1/7

Simpler drinks suit the Ned: it is too busy to have bartenders spending an age crafting little works of alcoholic art. Besides, the crowd, one of suits and cocktail dresses, people who like to be seen, probably wouldn’t care.

So, in this great lobby – and that is what it feels like, as my pal Ben Norum pointed out – they’ve built a classic American Bar, not so far in spirit from what’s at the Savoy, Claridge’s, the Rosewood. The drinks are less experimental than theirs, but they’re also much, much cheaper, all around £10 (the others typically charge around £20).

It is busy, it buzzes. It just about manages being so damned huge: there were moments I felt like I was drinking in a very upmarket canteen but then, once or twice, there came hints of the kind of atmosphere the Wolseley turns out on top form. I think they've got it sorted. Will it ever be a favourite? Probably not, but I suspect it will never let you down, either. And you can drink knowing the bill is never going to be so big you’ll want to dine n' dash, which is just as well: if you're not training for a marathon, you'd never make it.

The Ned, 27 Poultry, London EC2R 8AJ, thened.com

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