Afternoon:
15°c
Talks to avert a damaging strike by British Airways cabin crew will resume as time runs out on efforts to break a deadlocked row over cost-cutting
More...
It’s Day’s night, and no one is going to spoil her story
A Sentimental Journey
Film
This is a shocking, replenishing film, not to be missed
Green Zone
Restaurants
It is great that Bruno Loubet is back — and at prices that are eminently fair
Bistro Bruno Loubet
The action and direction are superb and the acting good, but the plot is so pathetic it defies belief
Wonderful - beautifully acted and gloriously funny, particularly Simon Russell Beale and Fiona Shaw
Probably the most important photography exhibition london has ever seen
London,
Evening Standard rating
Reader rating
Description: Set over three floors of a grand Grade II listed Georgian mansion directly opposite the Natural History Museum, The Firehouse is a class act, attracting an equally stylish clientele. Previously a private function room, the first floor dining room - which partly overlooks the aforementioned London landmark - now offers non-members a comfortable, not to mention refined, refuge where you can savour a perfectly prepared (GM-free) club restaurant classic to cutting edge cuisine. A sample starter from the changing British European menu is bocconcini of mozzarella, cherry tomato and fennel salad, while a mouthwatering main course goes something like this: grilled escalope of veal and mashed potato with lemon and rosemary and spinach. Previously known as the Hudson Club, Jimi Hendrix played his first UK concert here and, in 1966, it was where Tom Jones celebrated his first chart number one. Allegedly, it was also the last place Lord Lucan was seen alive.
Open: Tues - Sat 7pm - 3am
Dress code: Smart Casual, No Trainers, Sports Tops
Payment options: All major credit cards accepted
Talented trio: from left, Louis Buckworth, Chloe Delevigne and chef Alexander Baillieu
There is a vogue for restaurants that resemble traditional dining rooms. The best I have tried recently is called Firehouse on the Cromwell Road opposite the Natural History Museum.
The 1862 property - formerly nefarious drinking dives Bratts and the Hudson Club - has a bar, restaurant and, pretty soon, a nightclub called Chloe's. It will be the new Boujis, but more exclusive I hear.
The club and bar are members only, but the restaurant is not. This is good because it's the best bit. The success is down to five things.
First, there are eight first courses, mains and puddings simply described on one side of A4. Second, there is something for everyone.
The sashimi with courgette tempura to share is divine but there is also spicy steak tartare with Melba toast, rock oysters, roasted scallops with carrot and ginger or buckwheat blinis with smoked salmon. The mains include black cod with sticky rice, Dover Sole, Scottish Cote du Boeuf, roast duck, pan-fried sea bass and poussin with black truffle.
The beef was heaven and I have eaten beef three times a week, worldwide for 20 years. It went very well with a Gevrey Chambertain 2000, Domaine Louis Boillot. The fries are proper ones, just like McDonald's, and the puddings range from a trio of crème brulée to caramelised crepe with chocolate sauce.
Third, it's £35 for three courses. Fourth, the roomitself is almost edible. Ripe red walls, black glossy window frames, ornate architrave, a roaring fire and comfy club chairs.
The table cloths are starchy, the cutlery heavy and the glasses unfussy. Fifth, the chef is the modest Alexander Baillieu, 34, a former insurance broker who thought that was boring but cooking was fun.
"I tend to cook things my mum has taught me," he says. "We never really had pork so I don't do that." The young man who runs the joint is Louis Buckworth. He could keep Boots in business with the amount of hair products he uses but he is a talented host. Welcoming without being obsequious and clearly up for a good time himself. I can see him becoming the Mark Birley of his generation.
Talking of Birley, there is a whiff of his clubs - Mark's, Annabel's, George and Harry's Bar - in The Firehouse. In fact, Chloe's is named after Chloe Delevigne, Louis's fiancée. Annabel's was named after Birley's wife. The Firehouse has a rarefied, clubbable air but is a place, like the wonderful Bellamy's, that all can enjoy.
A word of warning. It must avoid becoming a den of braying teenage Sloanes and trust-fund twitterbugs. It deserves far more than that and it will be the job of Mr Buckworth to ensure it does.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
