Smith & Whistle, bar review: a rare gem

There aren't many affordable bars in Mayfair, but Smith & Whistle is one – so it's all the more remarkable the food and drink is as wonderful as it is, says David Ellis
Delightfully deco: the bar feels like a modern riff on a glamourous twenties bar
David Ellis @dvh_ellis3 November 2015

What they say: Smith & Whistle, found at the Park Lane Hotel, is named for the fictional Detective Inspector Smith and the equally fictional Mr. Whistle, "a legendary high-class criminal" (read: crook with class). Drawing inspiration from the roaring twenties, the bar evokes vintage Mayfair in all its gilded glory. Both the food and drink menus are deliberately brief, to ensure everything is up to par.

What we say: Short cocktail lists are a difficult one: immediately, they’re a challenge (and one I never turn down, hating to leave even a single drink undrunk) and there’s no room for error. Given this, that S&W avoid even a single misstep is all the more impressive. With a separate entrance and a clean, modern take on art deco that avoids any hint of pastiche, there are no hallmarks of a ‘hotel bar’. There has been thought put into the place from beginning to end: drinks offer interesting flourishes (when was the last time you had goat’s cheese in a cocktail?) and service is swift but hands-off. And you needn’t be the kind of rich that uses a chaffeur for bar crawls either: drinks are £10 across the board. No risk of the barman being apprehended by Inspector Whistle for thievery, then.

Good for: Because of where it is, S&W will inevitably house an after-work crowd, but it could serve well for a date (though, if we’re being picky, the lights could go down a tad). It’s big glass frontage means it feels more like a lounge than a speakeasy, so it could work for a crowd of close friends, too.

Order: The drinks err on the strong side, with generous (though proper) measures of alcohol, which is good: there’s nothing worse than a drink where the spirit has been forced into hiding. We liked them all: the William Whistle (gin, St. Germain, vermouth) was simple but effective, the Mayfair Mystery (Vodka, Jägermeister, szechuan pepper honey, elderflower, chili pepper) was outstanding, and surprising (!), because Jägermeister is usually for cretins but here, transformed by the szechuan pepper honey, was herby and nicely bitter, and the Bee’s Knees (Tequila, Plum Wine, pork crackling syrup, goat cheese) was savoury and moreish. Drop the cheese in: the drink changes over the course of its brief, boozy life.

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By the way: With most ingredients locally sourced (very local – it’s all from Mayfair), the food is terrifically good and terrifically good value: pork crackling (£2.75) was so crunchy I worried my friend’s mouth had armed itself and was having a civil war, but flavoursome and salty enough that she didn’t care an iota. The steak sandwich (£12.50) was a full plate, plenty of beef and smothered in a warm red onion and tomato marmalade. And look, if you eat, you’ll probably manage another cocktail too, so do yourself a favour.

Find it: The Park Lane Hotel, Piccadilly, W1J 7BX, smithandwhistle.com

Follow David Ellis on Twitter @dvh_ellis

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