Cocktails and sushi at Loungelover

Posted by Libby on Sep 22, 2010 in News | 0 comments

Located on what has been called the “voguest” street in London, Loungelover doesn’t look like much from Redchurch Street but a big red window. The front is tucked away on a side street and unless you are seeking it out, it would be easy to miss. Before I walked in the door, I knew it as the venue where Madonna hosted her 40th birthday party and of course as one of London’s top cocktail bars, but I can now safely say it is a great place to dine in the city if you’re looking for something sexy and trendy for a posh night out.

Loungelover is the perfect place to have drinks with girlfriends as well as on a date

Loungelover is one of those places where all of the staff are not just good looking, they’re hot – well dressed, well groomed and look like they belong in Hollywood instead of, well, what could be classified as Bethnal Green. The décor of the place is eclectic, dark and cosy with oversized everything and a mix of tables and chairs as well as giant sofas for those who, um, love to lounge…

As we sat down and ordered a few cocktails, I decided Loungelover is the perfect place to have drinks with girlfriends as well as on a date. The atmosphere is sophisticated, young and fun and the servers are all very attentive. You can really snuggle in and get cosy as it’s not too uptight. The ‘Love Letter’ cocktail comes highly recommended by yours truly – elderflower cordial and Citadelle raspberry vodka stirred with white grape juice; served straight up in a martini glass – and this was a very generous martini glass. It was light and delicious and I liked it to so much I had two.

We moved on to the food menu which was mostly sushi. After nibbling on the salmon uramaki roll with asparagus, the spicy tuna roll and the prawn and cucumber rolls, we decided to move on to the cooked items on the menu which stood out as the winners. The gyoza dumplings were perfectly cooked and the deep-fried soft shell crab was actually only lightly fried and not too heavy. The best dish of the night was the niku maki: sliced beef wrapped around roasted peppers and asparagus. It was just enough to fill us up without being too carbalicious.

Salmon uramaki roll

Our food and cocktails at Loungelover were delicious, the service was perfectly nice and the ambiance was good for a Thursday evening and girly chatter. My only gripe would have to be the bill: at £8-£10 a cocktail and between £4 and £8 for each item on the menu, if you plan to eat and drink a lot, you should also plan to pay a lot.

Photography: Thomas Hawk and Angela Keocharoen