Sunday, July 01, 2007

Shoreditch House

At the Cartier Polo we all want to be in the Chinawhite tent. At Ascot it was the Movida after party. A few years ago we all wanted to find ourselves in front of the coveted unmarked entry to Milk & Honey, for knowing the exact address was a privilege on its own. Londoners crave that special tag. Why is that? Is it because all the best places require membership, or at the very least a reservation well ahead? Well ... yes!

The newest Soho House addition to the London private member circuit Shoreditch House. I keep thinking when will this city get tired of it all the exclusivity. Well ... never! It keeps it ticking. The harder it is to get into a place, the more you want to be there.

Shoreditch House is very much worth its membership fee and more. Nestled across the top three floors of an East London warehouse-like building (what is known locally as the 'TEA Building') it is like an utopia above all the hustle and traffic noise. My member friend tells me the gym is great and on par with his previous fitness abode. The rooftop heated pool is the gem at the top of the crown. It sits alongside an outside bar, where the tables are arranged around an open spit roast. And in between, the industrial space is full of cosy furniture. Open space, which despite the sheer size feels like walking in someone's home. The dining room has long tables with candle holders dramatically dripping scented wax. The french provincial sideboards laden with fresh bread reinforce the homeliness. If you are a local to East London, the call to be a member or not would have been an easy one.

We sampled it all ... caipirinhas, sunset on the roof, duck from the spit-roast, dessert in the candle lit dinning room later. Beautiful night! The setting was one thing, it was the company that really made!!


I am thinking that my persona may be far too fickle to commit to a membership at one place, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy the privilege any less. I loved Shoreditch House (if I am lucky I may be invited again) and look forward to gracing the mysterious Milk & Honey later this week.

4 Comments:

At Tuesday, July 24, 2007 4:03:00 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

The manager whatever his name is a rude twat...

 
At Tuesday, August 07, 2007 2:54:00 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

not only a manager is a twat there as commented by someone else. An application form of nearly 10 pages long with "passport" photos and signatures of 2 existing members plus a letter of recommendation from someone. And that is on top of fees! Is it really woth the hassle for an occasional drink with a friend. There are so many lovely places to have a drink that don't ask to fill 10 pages forms and complete a mortgage applications. Crikey, what a load of poop

 
At Tuesday, August 07, 2007 5:34:00 pm, Blogger AlphaChick said...

This post has generated quite a bit of interest, and not all of it positive.

Now, on my visit I didn't get to meet the manager, but the membership director seemed nice enough. However had he known that I actually work in the City, and am not a fashion stylist he may have been less keen to chat. But hey, this is how these places are ... they are after the artistic moneyed types, and these are far and few in between.

Unless you are a 'founding member' being accepted is a hassle ... the 10 page app form is to turn away only but the ones that really want it.

Luckily that clearly isn't us! I'll stick to being nice to my member friends.

 
At Monday, October 06, 2008 8:54:00 am, Blogger electricshame said...

Have you got your membership yet?

It is completely and utterly worth it...

 

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