Le Salon Bar

Le Salon Bar is above the luxurious L’ Atelier de Joel Robuchon restaurant, so as you can imagine, it’s a very lavish affair. Coordinated black and deep reds, velvet and leather furniture, bowls of vintage roses and stems of Anthurium make the bar a very suggestive little space. A blend of decadent Orientalism and 80’s Manhattan super-​wealth, it bathes comfortably in it opulent ambiance.
Some aspects I approve of, such as the single rose petal on a black napkin that’s delicately placed on the table, waiting for your cocktail to join it, but the prowling puma statue on the mantle is a bit too American Psycho rather than tasteful sculpture. The lighting is key here and continuing with Robuchon’s interpretation of the pleasures of The Garden of Eden downstairs, the bar is the epitome of unabated indulgence. I wouldn’t say it’s verging on the contrived though, as Le Salon Bar looks and behaves effortlessly, I imagine rather like a high class French escort.
The intimate crowd is a mixture of die-​hard, mature and very French, Robuchon fans, city types, and with anywhere that’s currently in vogue, a few footballers and their girlfriends thrown in for good measure.
The cocktails are highly ambitious and very potent, some are served with cream, ices and marshmallow to balance the strong flavours and to introduce a twist on the drinking experience in line with the restaurant. I appreciate the fact that rather than act pompously as they serve you, the French waiters bend down to your seated level and explain the finer intricacies of what you’ve just ordered. Flash them a smile and you’ll get an equally flash one back. Speak French and they’ll be putty in your hands. They certainly have a sense of savior faire about them anyway.
Le Salon Bar is a very sensuous drinking experience. It’s the sort of place that you should visit with someone who you’d like to get to know a little bit better, for the type of evening where you don’t want dessert to be the last thing on the menu.
Just a word of warning though, the average cocktail price is around £14 and strangely when I’ve seen the bill, the prices are always a few pounds more than on the menu, not to mention the 12% serving charge that is automatically added. Though as nice as the waiters may be, Le Salon Bar isn’t the sort of place where you can quibble over a few quid.