Vanilla

Vanilla lounge brings the glamorous style of Miami Beach to London. With its discreet entrance at the north end of Great Titchfield Street, W1, the ultra-modern, all-white décor of Vanilla Bar oozes style and sophistication.

The cocktail menu is unique in that all the cocktails are named after the predominant flavour of the drink, such as Raspberry, Apricot, Pineapple, or Almond, with the ingredients of the drink listed below. All the cocktails at Vanilla are made using fresh seasonal produce with the list changing with the fruit-seasons. A special “Cocktail of the Week” is offered, as well as an excellent selection of wines and Champagnes.

The autumn/winter cocktail menu features the new trend for Dessert Cocktails. Priced at £8.00 each, these include: Tiramisu; Black Forest; and Choco Kanu. There is also a range of Espresso Martinis, which come in flavours such as: coffee; almond; cinnamon; vanilla; hazelnut; and gingerbread.

Seating 60 guests, the spacious white bar has a futuristic interior with damask pattern sandblasted mirrored walls, against a white resin floor. LED mood lighting subtly colourwashes the bar using an infinite palette of colour combinations.

The lounge is divided into 12 intimate seating alcoves, each with an oval table and white leather sofa, faced by white Panton chairs. Delicate drapes surround each table, providing privacy but allowing a view of the lively bar. An intimate ten-seater booth is available for larger groups.

One of the key design features of Vanilla is the beautiful hand-made crystal chandeliers, hovering over each alcove. These were designed and created by Laura Sole of Boushka (as seen in ICON, The Times Magazine, Grazia and the FT’s How to Spend It).

Music is a key element at Vanilla, which has an integrated DJ booth with resident weekend DJ, Nabalistik. The music style is chilled-out lounge funk and mixed entirely by Nabalistik who is responsible for Vanilla’s unique sound.

Vanilla Restaurant, London W1, strives to provide an experience for guests, not just another lunch or dinner. Since the arrival of the Head Chef, Izu Ani in early 2008, Vanilla’s reputation for offering inventive cuisine has gone from strength to strength. Izu brings with him four years experience from London’s two Michelin star, The Square, as well as six years in five Michelin starred restaurants in France and two in Spain.

Izu’s cooking style is clean, fresh and light in flavour, and is better suited to smaller dishes, hence the three new tasting menus replacing the à la carte. The Tasting Menus include: Just a Taste (4-course for £40); Taste Experience (6-courses for £50 or £75 with paired wines); and the gastronomic Journey of Taste (10-courses for £75).

Additionally, each of the Tasting Menus commence with a unique amuse bouche, ‘Kaolin Potato’, as well as offering a pre-dessert. Kaolin is edible clay sourced from Australia, which is proven to improve digestion. Whilst you may also see this ingredient in your spa face mask, at Vanilla it is used creatively to cover Ratte Potatoes and served with aioli and spicy salt. The Kaolin Potato is deliberately served as the first dish on the tasting menus to maximise its digestive health benefits.

The restaurant menu always works with the seasons and dishes are dictated and altered according to the freshest available produce. One dish which is consistently on the menu (but always evolving) is the signature dish, where Izu makes his own black pudding served with scallops, potato terrine and Chinese pear.