Esmeralda's combines cocktails, concerts and class.
Regent Street divides central London into two distinct camps: head east to Soho if you want a louche late-night music bar; west to Mayfair for discreet, understated luxury. But now these worlds collide in Esmeralda's in Mayfair. Previously reserved for guests of the Mandarin Oriental Mayfair hotel, it is now open to the public. So what’s it like?
You start off with the luxury at Esmeralda's. Step through the hotel doors into a white marble lobby overhung with miniature clouds of crystal lights. Descend a sweeping, glass-sided spiral staircase of green marble, down into the chasm of a dining room with double-height ceilings and sculptural shavings of wood sprouting from the walls like oversized tagliatelle flung onto a fridge door.
You’re shown to a tiny welcome desk by an unassuming little black door. They take your coat and bag and then, in the first hint of the Soho to come, they insist on applying a logoed sticker to the camera lens of your phone. The message is clear: what happens in Esmerelda’s stays in Esmerelda’s. But it’s more than that. It’s also: be present. Seize the moment. Leave behind your daily cares.
Later, when chatting to Nicky Caulfield, who co-founded the venue with his twin brother Lee, we discover there’s yet another reason. “We’re going to have surprise guest appearances by some pretty big stars,” he confides. “They won’t be announced in advance, they won’t be filmed. It’s such a small space; they can come for a quiet drink, get on stage for a bit – they’ll love it.”
It is indeed a small space – though the opposite of cramped. There are just over a dozen small tables, generously spaced, all with a good view of the stage. The walls are lined with red velvet curtains like in David Lynch’s topsy-turvy vision of the afterlife. The room has an unusual structure that reinforces that otherworldly feel: a gold pillar in the centre, geometric lights on the ceiling, a back bar at a diagonal angle to the front stage – and five walls rather than four. The vibe they’re going for is a golden-age New York jazz bar, but reimagined for Mayfair.
The hot dog comes in an upmarket cardboard box emblazoned with the Esmerelda logo, and a zigzag of mustard that turns it into Pop Art. The Beef Sliders are juicy, with perfectly square pieces of crunchy lettuce and a yielding yet firm bun. The Lobster Roll is not overly generous with the lobster, but it is moist and flavoursome, served on a buttered, fried brioche. The Dusted Fries are served on a silver platter. The Oysters and Chicken Nuggets topped with caviar had sold out by the time we ordered.
Aside from the mountain of fries (we ordered the portion for two, but really the single serving would have sufficed for us both), these are all little bites suitable for a light dinner or a midnight snack – after all, this venue stays open till 3am, which is no doubt why it opens only from Thursday to Saturday.
The cocktail list is well curated, though small: just eight of them. Purely in the interests of scientific enquiry, we sampled them all during our three-hour visit, and there was not a duffer among them. It’s hard to find a decent margarita this side of the Atlantic, so we’d single out for praise the Empire Margarita with Patron Reposado tequila, lime juice, yuzu, Cointreau and Ed Sheeran’s Tingly Ted’s hot sauce.
The Paloma-Politan is, as it sounds, the love child of a Paloma and a Cosmopolitan. The Patron Silver mezcal gives it a deep smokiness, while the cranberry and grapefruit soda, both strong tastes, are somehow mixed in perfect harmony. Old Fashioneds can be disappointing and harsh, but the Cigar Fashioned was delightfully smoky-smooth with its superior SirDavis American whiskey and just the right hint of spiced demerara.
The Espresso Martini was invented in Soho by the GOAT of London mixologists, Dick Bradsell, and Esmeralda's Dubai Layover gives it a Mayfair twist. Inspired by the latest trends, the Dubai Chocolate Espresso Martini is made up of Belvedere vodka, Belvedere Dirty Brew (an organic, chocolate-flavoured Polish rye vodka), pistachio syrup, dark chocolate and espresso, and has an intense, rich flavour – a perfect pick-me-up if you want to sing along to the music.
Because, yes, there is of course a live band. At 9pm, the velvet curtains part to reveal a tiny stage with drums, bass, keyboards and a chanteuse in a sequin dress. The setlist, says Nicky, changes every night. When we went on Friday, it began with some soul and disco classics – I’m Coming Out, Never Too Much, Say a Little Prayer, I Will Survive – before moving more modern with Olivia Dean’s The Man I Need, Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy and Prince’s Kiss.
“I just put into it everything I love about a night out,” says Nicky, who is also founder and CEO of Molto Music Group. A partnership with Bentley will soon see patrons conveyed here in chauffeur-driven luxury, which couldn’t be more Mayfair; but it’s the Soho in Esmeralda's that really makes it a night to remember.
GO: Visit www.esmeraldasmayfair.com for more information.