8.0
Great
Restaurants

Hattie Lloyd 17/01/25


The Parlour

After installing half a dozen restaurants, a bar and a private cocktail lounge-slash-library on the ground floor of The Ned, the owners – that is, the Soho House group – were faced with the question of what to put down in the basement of their vast revamped Edwardian banking hall.

And so The Ned came to house a giant subterranean labyrinth patrolled by a terrifying half-man, half-beast; a creature of unrivalled strength that many have tried to conquer, yet none have lived to tell the tale.

Just kidding. It’s another restaurant.

But what a restaurant it is. The Parlour somehow manages to carve out its own niche in the face of competition from  other restaurants in the same building, taking the form of a dimly-lit, decadently styled cabaret bar and jazz lounge serving cocktails, seafood and live entertainment four nights a week.

The benefits of this decision over the installation of a bloodthirsty minotaur are threefold:

1)  It’s a bona fide date spot. You’ll lead your date down the sweeping marble stairs of The Ned’s ground floor, and into The Parlour: an intimate bolthole with low, gloss-painted ceilings; gothic chintz wallpaper; jewel-toned velvet seating and an array of round wooden tables lit by individual cabaret lamps.

the parlour at the ned

2) You’ll eat well. The menu here is pretty typical Soho House fare: old-school brasserie classics, executed decently enough (though with a price tag that’ll raise a few eyebrows). The key is to order carefully: don’t get the £40 crab salad, that’s insane. But do get the bone marrow burger with melted raclette and maple bacon for £25, or share the Lobster Thermidor (with parmesan and brandy) and a couple of sides. And do come on a Wednesday or Thursday night, when you can enjoy a three-course set menu, a welcome bellini and the evening’s entertainment for £80 a head.

3) The entertainment’s first class. Performances here range from live jazz and soul musicians to burlesque and cirque acts from the illustrious collective that is Black Cat Cabaret. They’re consistently fantastic, and will almost make you feel like going on a diet and learning to wrap your legs behind your head instead of reaching for another spoonful of chocolate cremeux. Almost.

live music at the parlour restaurant

Once the show’s over and you’ve wrapped up your meal, you can sit up at the bar for a Champagne cocktail or a Toasted Dream of aged rum, vermouth, bitters & burnt pineapple.

However…

…for one night only you will also be granted exclusive access to The Vault, a private cocktail bar set in the bank’s former high security storage facility. It was used as the setting for Fort Knox in the Bond films, and, generally being reserved for hotel guests only, it’s about as easy to get into.

Great place for a lock-in.

 

NOTE: The Parlour is open for drinks, dinner & entertainment Wednesday – Saturday. There is a cover fee of £20pp added to your bill which goes towards the performers. You can find out more, and book a table, on The Parlour website.

The Parlour | The Ned, 27 Poultry, EC2R 8AJ


Love dinner with a show? Take a look at London’s best restaurants with live music


The Parlour


The Ned, 27 Poultry, Bank, EC2R 8AJ

020 3828 2000

8.0 | Great