Chiltern Firehouse turns 10: why the celebrity favourite is still the hottest place in town

 (Matt Writtle)
(Matt Writtle)

The universe, ever rewarding. A recent visit to the Chiltern Firehouse led to a chance encounter with Le Manoir owner Raymond Blanc, one of my favourite chefs, and who passed by post-dinner to say bonsoir. To bump into restaurant royalty can be affirming.

Then again, Marylebone’s grandest hotel, restaurant, club is still the hottest ticket in town a decade into a star-studded reign. It’s still where Leo stays when in town; Taylor Swift partied there after finishing her London tour; Kate Moss, Rita Ora, and Cara Delavigne might be described as regulars.

So too the broadcaster Gizzi Erskine, who was an early adopter. “It cultivates a good crowd,” she tells me. “Cool people with money, which is quite a rare thing.

“Most of all, it’s fun. Something always happens. I went for dinner with Heston Blumenthal once and before we knew it there were people outside waiting, thinking we were going out. But I was dating Jamie Reynolds (from the Klaxons) at the time.”

Party palace: Sara Macdonald, Kesewa Aboah, Poppy Delevingne, Dynamo, Saffron Hocking, Adwoa Aboah, Tish Weinstock and Jazzy De Lisser (Dave Benett/Getty Images for Net)
Party palace: Sara Macdonald, Kesewa Aboah, Poppy Delevingne, Dynamo, Saffron Hocking, Adwoa Aboah, Tish Weinstock and Jazzy De Lisser (Dave Benett/Getty Images for Net)

Chiltern Firehouse was founded by the ludicrously connected hotelier André Balazs and opened in late 2013, though — and this might be arithmetic addled by too many late nights — is only this month celebrating its 10th birthday. Tonight, a typically feverish party with a frivolous dress code (can’t say, sorry). If you’re only learning about it here, now, you simply won’t get in.

In its infancy, the Chiltern Firehouse didn’t take long to fill column inches. It was and still is an alluring place of indulgence and excess, where feted crab doughnuts (bring them back, cry all) precede hours of dancing, drinking, smoking, and talking the night away.

A critical hit from the off — “the clientele are a lot of skinny, pretty, bo-ho, actory sorts”, wrote Grace Dent — those early reviews proved prescient: it's still full of beautiful people, starry eyed and drinking £35 margaritas. Paparazzi still lie in wait outside.

What sets the place apart might be its make-up. Technically, areas below the £720-per-night hotel rooms are come one, come all: the leafy courtyard, plump with oysters and sparkling with Champagne; the restaurant, where plates of vodka rigatoni echo New York hangout Carbone; and the Ladder Shed, where it all happens (sometimes until the saintly hour of 5am).

Star power: André Balazs, far right, has never had a problem attracting the A-list (Rex/Getty Images)
Star power: André Balazs, far right, has never had a problem attracting the A-list (Rex/Getty Images)

Still, there’s every chance the bar will be “full”, the restaurant booked to the rafters. And the Ladder Shed? It’s sort of invitation only, even though it isn’t, really; there is subtlety at play. It’s not how much money you have — middle-lane bankers are turned away with happy frequency — nor is it necessarily who you are. It’s what you bring to the party.

At least that’s what Allegra Handelsman says, the poet daughter of Harry, the developer, who helped transform a Victorian fire station, itself an architectural marvel, into a set worthy of the most elegant of plays.

“It’s big but feels small and intimate,” says Handelsman, who, at 22, was still at school when the Chiltern Firehouse launched. “I think the fact it’s not a members’ club helps. There’s this energy to it, especially around the circular bar [in the Ladder Shed]. The people on the door can reject anyone — no one is guaranteed entry. So there’s a thrill straight away.”

Handelsman might be among only a handful of people who would never be shunned. She has a point all the same: the door staff, the waiters and bartenders are always absurdly beautiful, discreet and discerning. It serves to fuel the attraction.

“It’s not about who you are or how much money you have,” Handelsman tells me. “It’s the vibe. No one wants anyone to make a mess. People get pissed off cos they spend big on dinner then don’t get let in. A banker might get turned away in favour of a 22-year-old painter who buys one drink and then blags the rest, as well as however many cigarettes.”

The Firehouse is almost self-deprecating. There’s a humour to it, a lack of earnestness only found in places far better on a Wednesday or Thursday night, much like anywhere in Soho or the best of London pubs. Nobody who is anybody goes out in London on the weekend, after all.

A banker might get turned away in favour of a 22-year-old painter who buys one drink and then blags the rest

Allegra Handelsman

One west London party girl, who insists on remaining anonymous, explains: “It’s probably the best night out in London on a Thursday, still to this day. It’s a sexy late night lounge for the badly behaved. They might say ‘hotel guests only’ one night, but let you in the next. It’s a giant house party with expensive drinks.”

Everyone I speak to also pays tribute to the smoking terrace, tucked away in the basement. It is a surprisingly friendly area, as if Britain’s evolving class system has been entirely done away with, and accessed through the loos, which arrived about the same time as Instagram truly took off. No wonder, on the mirrored doors, the words “cigarettes and men” are scrawled in faux red lipstick

The other things people all talk about? Glitz, glamour, cocktails and rock stars. None had really acknowledged the fact the Chiltern Firehouse has already been a part of London for more than 10 years. Relevance has been retained by way of intrigue and mystery. There are still rooms uncharted and drinks unspilled.

Night owls: The restaurant is filled through the night
Night owls: The restaurant is filled through the night

Big Brother’s Henry Southan, still at school when it launched, sums it up rather well: “I looked at it, heard about it, and it was where I wanted to go. It oozes chic. So I love going in now for a martini. Such opulence.

“And every night is a wild night. A friend of mine was invited in for a drink by Orlando Bloom once. He may or may not have been with Katy Perry at the time. It’s the scene. It’s what people want to be a part of. It’s the place to be.”

Patrick Powell, head chef for four years, adds: “It’s busier than ever. It’s flying. It’s the genius of Andre: he’s such a savvy operator. He is always working out how to make everything better — to a level I’ve not witnessed anywhere else.

“I think the place doesn’t get enough credit. The food is far better than Novikov or Sexy Fish. The service is excellent, as are the drinks.“It’s still the buzziest place in town. Places try to capture the crowd but haven’t quite got there.”