Last week I managed to get to not one but two cool venues in Hackney – and both for business rather than social reasons.
A creative client invited me to lunch at Shoreditch House as I was really keen to see that famous roof-top swimming pool. No one had told me that suits were strictly forbidden - lucky that mine wasn’t a pin stripe. Yet I still felt horribly overdressed. And old.
As refurbishment works forced everyone through the main entrance it was busy. I hung around self-consciously and no doubt conspicuously in reception and watched folk arrive and sign in. The stone floor and worn leather club chairs were in marked contrast to the smart reception desk – all modern black curves.
My host arrived and we huddled in the lift to the fifth floor. A short wander around here proved it a pleasant and relaxed space with a variety of interesting different areas. There was an open kitchen, a cornucopia of relaxing arm chairs and workmanlike tables and cosy open fires with sofas. I liked it. But felt that it was more for my children’s generation. And I could see why some might feel it a tad pretentious.
We took the no-nonsense stairs up to the sixth floor and checked in at the restaurant reception while trying not to stare at the brave souls who were out in the pool. Yes, in the water. Although most were perched on sunbeds (optimistic use of the word) fixated on their Macs. The restaurant is really airy and flooded with natural light and the windows provide a jaw-dropping vista of London’s skyline.
The menu was short and we both opted for the Cornish crab salad (£12). It was delicious – cool crab smothered over creamy avocado with a few leaves. But it was a tiny portion – more like a starter. We wished we had ordered some sides. So we felt justified in choosing some cheese and desserts to follow. My tiramisu was sizeable and served from a large dish. Moist. The coffee was excellent. As you would expect.
For a weekday lunchtime it was full to capacity. Really busy. And it’s a bit disconcerting that within the eclectic tables and chairs there are low coffee tables where people worked on those ubiquitous Macs. It was quite cosmopolitan too – none of the nearby conversations were in English.
So. A must-see venue at a private members’ club that I won’t be joining. I'm obviously a couple of decades older than their target audience. I'll stick to Soho House, Home House and The Hospital Club.
Later in the week I was invited to a social media legal event – surprisingly at the pop-up urban space venue BL-NK. It’s a hop, skip and a jump from Old Street tube station and tucked away amongst some unappetising offices. There’s a bijou wooden coffee hut on the stark pavement outside.
But inside it’s funky. Brick walls. Pipes across the ceiling. Discrete bar. And very high tech. All laser lights and fun mobiles. Loads more cool, young people – seems that the uniform black of the creative sector has been adopted by the young techs. And, I might add, the lawyers in this instance. Well done Withers and The London Strategy Unit.
BL-UK also hosts a regular Friday night Silicon Drinkabout for start-up businesses. And Tech City and London Fashion Week hold events here. I want my next event here too.
So forget West End glamour. And City slickness. It’s all about dress-down gritty grunge and super high technology amongst Silicon Roundabouts’ trend setters.
https://www.shoreditchhouse.com/
http://www.bl-nk.org/
