Latest opening: Three Sheets Soho
What: A vibey, casually elegant bar just off Charing Cross Road on the eastern edge of Soho. Unusually for a cocktail focused establishment, Three Sheets, Soho is open all-day; from morning coffee and pastries, through to lunch and into aperitif, dinner and nightcaps.
Who: Brothers Max and Noel Venning, who are known for their deceptively simple cocktails and clean flavours, are behind the launch. Their cocktails might seem quick to prepare (a good thing in a busy bar) but a lot of work goes on behind the scenes (they are pioneers of pre-batching). Three Sheets Soho follows the success of the pair’s debut cocktail bar Three Sheets Dalston, which launched in 2016. It is one of London’s highest-rated cocktail bars having made the World’s 50 Best Bars list a total of five times. It is currently ranked the seventh best bar in the UK by the Top 50 Cocktail Bars. The pair also run Little Mercies in Crouch End and have worked with a number of restaurants on their cocktail offering, including Tom Brown's recently launched Pearly Queen. The kitchen at Three Sheets Soho is headed by ex-Lyle’s chef and butcher William Blank.
The food: Blake has created a tight but effective food offer that’s focused on salt beef sandwiches, croquettes, triple-cooked chips and fresh oysters. A breakfast menu will soon be available from morning until noon.
To drink: The drinks menu is largely unique to Soho whilst still mirroring the Three Sheets signature style. Options include the brother’s famed carbonated take on French 75 (gin, clarified lemon, moscato, orange flower and verjus); Mango Ice Tea (pickled mango, cloud and lapsang teas and rum); and Scottish Coffee (buttered Scotch, salted coffee and shortbread cream). Alongside these is a concise but carefully thought out wine list that’s big on Champagne.
The vibe: On the recently redeveloped Manette Street, the space starts narrow but opens out towards the back. Design details include a centrepiece Calacatta marble-topped bar; dark-green leather curved banquettes; and an original skylight to the rear positioned over some more intimate round tables. Three Sheets, Soho looks set to be a prime spot for alfresco dining in the warmer months thanks to a fully-retractable facade and ample pavement space (the top of Manette Street is now pedestrianised).
And another thing: The Venning brothers aren’t the only cocktail specialists to look to move into serving food. Just last month, it was announced that the team behind acclaimed cocktail bars Oriole, Nightjar and Bar Swift would launch a restaurant and bar called Prelude by Oriole ahead of a permanent location that will launch later in the year. The team behind east London cocktail bar TT (formerly known as TT Liquor), meanwhile, will open a restaurant at its Kingsland Road site next month. Called TT Restaurant and Rooftop, it will be headed up by ex-Oren head chef Sam Lone and have fire-cooked seasonal produce as its focus.
14-15 Manette St, London W1D 4AP
www.threesheets-bar.com
