Evening gentlemen´s venue in London

[castiglione]

My son is about to graduate in Bsc in London and would like to spend that evening with me in a suitable male atmosphere. I am familiar with the usual suspects, Rowley´s, good Indian or Chinese restaurants and so on. But a place to sit and discuss sorrounded by chester furniture while I-that is for the first time WE- sip an Armagnac or any other drink I admit I do not know. Would anybody of the London chapter (or assimilated) be kind enough to share with me any tip on the subject? Thank you in advance.

[hectorm]

Dear Castiglione, congratulations to you and your son.
It seems to me that the ideal venue for the rendezvous that you have in mind would be one of the famed London´s gentleman clubs. Since those secretive places are members-only and –without an invitation- out of limits for a mere mortal like me, in the past I have done some research trying to replicate the experience. The closest public access place -in ambiance and décor- that I can suggest is The Goring´s Bar in Belgravia. Deep leather Chester sofas, plush carpets, wood paneled walls, a fireplace and very peaceful. For a similar masculine environment, you might also like The Library bar at the Lanesborough in Hyde Park Corner. I´m sure that LL members will add to this list.
Please, let us know your choice and how it went.

[Rowly]

The Lanesborough +1
If you enjoy the occasional cigar?.....
http://luxurylanesboroughhotellondon.bl ... ot-to.html

I hope you have a great evening !

[aston]

Wonderful! I speak as a father of three daughters, so I envy you this wonderful occassion with your son. Dukes Hotel in St James', club atmosphere without the membership. Great martinis.

[Luca]

I agree about the Lanesborough in terms of 'reproducing' a gents' club.
In terms of smaller venues, have you considered the bar upstairs at Rules?
The Coburg Bar at the Connaught might also suit.
Lastly the SEPARATE, BAR portion of what is ostensibly a chinese restuarant at the Dorchester (ChinaTang) is, inf act, a real pearl of a bar with v.,v. good bar staff and impeccable art deco interior. In some ways the best elegant bar in London.

[davidhuh]

The Rules is a great venue, agree. Just keep you hat with you - it might walk away with another guest

A part from places already mentioned, the Durrants hotel bar is another rather cosy place.

cheers, david

[castiglione]

Hi gents, great tips thanks! It seems that neither of us, father and son, is really a great hard liquor drinker. Yet it will be a pleasure to try all of your venues. Will let you know. Leaving for London mid July. Thanks again.

[Luca]

Well, one of the subtle attractions of London is that, while there are now many, many bars that mix an excellent cocktail, if you do not care for spirits any decent place will have a very good wine and port list.

[castiglione]

Dear Members. Now that the heat has abated and the normal flow of thought resumes I think the time to tell has come. First and foremost thank you all for your kind tips, Hector, as usual the first obliging friend defending the fort: (nomen omen).
It was relatively difficult to make up my mind, I had no more references than yours. But since the Lanesborough got more than one mark I went there with my son Daniel. I could possibly not think of what to say for the occasion was unexpected, yes unexpected, all of a sudden your kid is a man and yes, there is denial involved. At the same time the moment was formal, possibly solemn, and words did not come up, let alone a suitable subject for the meeting.
Finally I opted to be honest and face the fact squarely. To pass the torch was the encounter´s main target. So I went for it.
To explain why my generation was so rambunctious and wanted to change the world from the privileged position it enjoyed was impossible. As impossible as it was to translate the London city image were people wore plus fours, drove a myriad of Made in the UK cars, ate rich huge breakfasts only, ignored cafés and croissants, and counted in carolingian pounds and shillings. It was simple to explain, though, that my generation expected a kind of epiphany, not so different from an utopia, able to blend the very best of Locke and Marx. It did not come to be for reasons too long to be posted here and which I only tried to broach superficially to my son.
Then came the expulsion from College, due consequence of my political pranks, and the acceptance of an everyday routine which excluded the pagan carpe diem presently and the consolation of a christian beyond afterwards. Other buddies were not so meek and ended up trying to create a revolutionary subject outside the marxian orthodoxy. Their end was not inspirational.
As to myself at the Lanesborough it was not very difficult to perceive the impossibility of transmitting this heritage in full. I saw myself as a medieval knight trying to explain to his son, all dressed in crimson velvet and able practitioner of the clavicord and the Italian rhymes, the tips for a succesful tournament. Being of literary persuasion I kept thinking of Turgeniev, "Fathers and sons" where the author depicts the spent generation of romantic elders when faced by the son´s nihilist generation.
The liquor to help to swallow all this (not an easy endeavour) was a pear eau de vie and the setting suitable to the most demanding standards of conventional britishness. An English gentleman club as seen by the very acme of the Hollywood production designers, say Sir Cedric Gibbons. I thank everybody for the advice, if I wanted a true gent´s club here it was, the right place. After the initial rounds we went to the Goring. The setting was a bit less regal but the eau the vie to which both stuck definitely better. I would recommend it to anybody too. And to make the picture complete I have to confess we went to these lovely places after a memorable chunk of meat at Rules. There, not to circumvent davidhuh´s advice, we went upstairs for a pisco before the real treat. It was an impressive experience, somewhat gothic, which made me think of the times of Jack the Ripper, dimmed lights and all. Victorian to the marrow of the bone. An unknown gent to my left invited me to a last drink before leaving, which I accepted, a superb Calvados. The rest of the venues will by tried on in a very short time and I promise to keep you posted. In the meantime thank you all again.

[Aristide]

Dear Members. Now that the heat has abated and the normal flow of thought resumes I think the time to tell has come. First and foremost thank you all for your kind tips, Hector, as usual the first obliging friend defending the fort: (nomen omen).
It was relatively difficult to make up my mind, I had no more references than yours. But since the Lanesborough got more than one mark I went there with my son Daniel. I could possibly not think of what to say for the occasion was unexpected, yes unexpected, all of a sudden your kid is a man and yes, there is denial involved. At the same time the moment was formal, possibly solemn, and words did not come up, let alone a suitable subject for the meeting.
Finally I opted to be honest and face the fact squarely. To pass the torch was the encounter´s main target. So I went for it.
To explain why my generation was so rambunctious and wanted to change the world from the privileged position it enjoyed was impossible. As impossible as it was to translate the London city image were people wore plus fours, drove a myriad of Made in the UK cars, ate rich huge breakfasts only, ignored cafés and croissants, and counted in carolingian pounds and shillings. It was simple to explain, though, that my generation expected a kind of epiphany, not so different from an utopia, able to blend the very best of Locke and Marx. It did not come to be for reasons too long to be posted here and which I only tried to broach superficially to my son.
Then came the expulsion from College, due consequence of my political pranks, and the acceptance of an everyday routine which excluded the pagan carpe diem presently and the consolation of a christian beyond afterwards. Other buddies were not so meek and ended up trying to create a revolutionary subject outside the marxian orthodoxy. Their end was not inspirational.
As to myself at the Lanesborough it was not very difficult to perceive the impossibility of transmitting this heritage in full. I saw myself as a medieval knight trying to explain to his son, all dressed in crimson velvet and able practitioner of the clavicord and the Italian rhymes, the tips for a succesful tournament. Being of literary persuasion I kept thinking of Turgeniev, "Fathers and sons" where the author depicts the spent generation of romantic elders when faced by the son´s nihilist generation.
The liquor to help to swallow all this (not an easy endeavour) was a pear eau de vie and the setting suitable to the most demanding standards of conventional britishness. An English gentleman club as seen by the very acme of the Hollywood production designers, say Sir Cedric Gibbons. I thank everybody for the advice, if I wanted a true gent´s club here it was, the right place. After the initial rounds we went to the Goring. The setting was a bit less regal but the eau the vie to which both stuck definitely better. I would recommend it to anybody too. And to make the picture complete I have to confess we went to these lovely places after a memorable chunk of meat at Rules. There, not to circumvent davidhuh´s advice, we went upstairs for a pisco before the real treat. It was an impressive experience, somewhat gothic, which made me think of the times of Jack the Ripper, dimmed lights and all. Victorian to the marrow of the bone. An unknown gent to my left invited me to a last drink before leaving, which I accepted, a superb Calvados. The rest of the venues will by tried on in a very short time and I promise to keep you posted. In the meantime thank you all again.

Thank you for the posting of your thoughts and experiences. As a "daft Yank",I had the good fortune to spend two consecutive evenings in the Library Bar and, you are right, it was an "English gentleman club as seen by the very acme of the Hollywood production designers", which is not to diminish the experience. I only wish my son had been there to share it. Again, your words and sentiments were appreciated.

[hectorm]

First and foremost thank you all for your kind tips, Hector, as usual the first obliging friend defending the fort: (nomen omen).

I´m so glad my recommendations were useful and helped you and your son in giving both the right environment for such a special occasion. I can´t help taking it personally when I dare to making suggestions. A matter of honor, perhaps.
I enjoyed your racconto very much, by the way.

[castiglione]

To Aristide or anybody else for that matter. What is a "daft Yank"? I never heard the expression. I remember vaguely from my days of youth "Don´t be silly", always in feminine tones, or "You fool" but "daft" never ever. Let alone with a Yank in mind.

[davidhuh]

Dear Castiglione,

you said it - "Daft" is a colloquial English expression for "silly" or "foolish".

cheers, david

[Luca]

I really liked your report and am very glad you enjoyed the locations suggested. All the best, old chap.

[castiglione]

The Rules is a great venue, agree. Just keep you hat with you - it might walk away with another guest

A part from places already mentioned, the Durrants hotel bar is another rather cosy place.

cheers, david

In my last visit to London I went to the Durrants. Nice and cosy place, the carpet thoroughly predictable. Made me think of my first night in London many years ago. All in all a very cozy and intimate place. Not romantic though, gents venue. Hope next time the fireplace will be lit. The other two recommended places will fall in due time. Thanks to all for your tips.