#FirstNightOut
I made the journey I always used to make. I got out at Green Park, walked up through Mayfair, then crossed Oxford Street, on my way to Picton Place. The last time I made this journey I was coming home from work, wondering when I’d ever come back into the office again – the UK went into lockdown just a week later. This time, the atmosphere was different. It was busy, and I’d honestly forgotten what that felt like. People weren’t worried - they were laughing and talking, for what seemed like the first time in ages. People were milling around, going at their own pace, soaking it all in; not fast walking away from one another, trying to determine what a safe distance should be.
(Credit: @aroundguides)
The anticipation leading up to this day was immense. Ever since Boris announced his “roadmap” out of lockdown, I’d been waiting for the day when I could just sit back in the sun with a cocktail. I’d arranged to meet my mates at Fam Bar, your typical cocktail haunt in central London. Just off Bond Street, to be precise. The décor was very cool, with vinyl plastered all over the walls, subdued leather bar stools, and a vibe that seemed to scream “New York in the 90s”. I would like to revisit this place when indoor hospitality is allowed again.
Sadly, we weren’t allowed to stay inside (for obvious reasons), but there was plenty of seating outside, and despite the fact it opened straight onto the road, I didn’t feel cramped or claustrophobic at all. My friends both had pornstar martinis, with peach instead of passionfruit - it was an interesting combo, but it worked - and I went for a margarita. It has been too long since I’d had a margarita. The cocktails were so yummy – the only fault I could find was that I wish they had bigger glasses! After that, we ordered a round of Bolivian Birds with dark rum – it was on their specials list, and it was absolutely delicious. And then we ordered another round. And another.
Then we became restless and decided to move on. None of us had been into central London since last year, and we were keen to explore. We knew it would be busy, but we had no idea what was in store for us. There were queues for EVERYWHERE, even places that you had never had to queue for before. Kingly Court was crazy. Carnaby Street was rammed. Luckily, I had been so starved of human contact, that I didn’t even care. I would happily walk around not getting into places all day, rather than go through months of no cocktails again.
We walked down Oxford Street, into Soho, and made our way towards Chinatown. We were looking for anywhere to sit and have another drink but we realised that if we wanted to eat, we better find someplace soon because otherwise everywhere would be full. We were beginning to regret ever leaving the safe haven of Fam Bar but luckily we found a table at this great little dim sum place called Tao Tao Ju. We ate as many dumplings as physically possible, and everything was incredible.
Afterwards, we were looking for something sweet, but instead we stumbled upon this bar called Le Beaujolais. We were drawn in by the old-world style décor of the place. The wine was very reasonable considering we were seconds away from Trafalgar Square, and we stayed there for the rest of the night!
I was giddy with excitement at the fact that we were just able to go wherever we wanted. It felt as if COVID had never happened, and if everyone hadn’t been wearing masks when they got up to go to the loo, then I don’t think we would’ve been out of place in 2019. It was quite a surreal experience, and one that I’m going to repeat again. And again. And again. Until clubs reopen, in which case, I’m swapping the pinot noir for sambuca shots. All night long.
Words by Rebecca Clayton