The Rooftop at Trafalgar St James: is this London’s coolest hotel rooftop bar?
“I spy, with my little eye, something beginning with N,” my partner, Mr E, teased me, grabbing a handful of wasabi nuts and brandishing a cocktail in the direction of London’s ethereal skyline.
Were we really doing this? Two twenty/thirty-somethings sharing a romantic evening in the city's hottest new rooftop bar and playing I-spy?
Yes. If there’s one thing Mr E. and I are both good at it’s how to make the most of a cracking view like this one. Peering over the edge of our table at The Rooftop, the sky-skimming bar at Trafalgar St James in London, I rose to the challenge: “Er, National Portrait Gallery? Nuts? Newspapers – No?” It took six minutes before he pointed towards Nelson’s Column. Right in front of me. So close I could practically chink glasses with his sword.
“Did you know,” Mr E. continued, “that people always assume Nelson is looking at Buckingham Palace, but actually he’s surveying his fleet of ships which sit on top of lampposts all the way down the Mall?” I observed the 52m-high statue, impressed by the trivia (and making a mental note to remember that for future pub quizzes).
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The setting sun was casting a tangerine glow over the hotch-potch of buildings that make London's skyline so compelling. No matter how long you’ve been in the city (or how old you are) it’s always fun pointing out iconic landmarks and famous buildings – and from up here there are plenty: The Shard, The London Eye, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, to name a few.
Chill-out house music was pumping in the background and we were surrounded by a small, vogueish crowd, ranging in age from late twenties through to forties, sipping sundowners and picking at sharing plates from the rooftop kitchen’s Asian-inspired menu. But I was transfixed by the view and the great vantage this spot offered for people watching. Below us, a mesmerising display of colours, movement and stories, each person, couple and group on their own journeys.
The setting sun had attracted quite a crowd. Although drinks at The Rooftop require being seated (table service and no standing), clicks to the rear of me and leaning figures in my peripheral vision told me that this moment in time was serious photo-fodder. Having been fortunate enough to grab a ring-side seat, I was very aware that parts of me – my head, my arms – were probably now in more shots than my family photo albums. Resisting the urge to photo-bomb each one of them, I sat up straight and reached for a drinks menu.
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Signature cocktail creations verge on the creative. We ordered a Skyline, a play on a pisco sour with pink grapefruit and lavender bitters that give off a wonderful, lip-smacking, citrus-y zing; and Turn a Blind Eye, a short and sweet orangey drink served in a champagne saucer.
“That’ll be a nod to old Nelson up there – he was blind in one eye you know,” I told Mr E., extremely smug with my verbal touché. “Originally the phrase was ‘turn a Nelson’s eye’ after he ignored a signal during a battle – which in the end won him the victory. Betchhyya didn’t know that, eh?," he replied.
The Trafalgar St James relaunched in summer 2017 after a multi-million pound facelift. The design was reimagined by a panel of influencers, from bloggers and wealth managers, to award-winning dating columnists. Bedrooms and suites are solid, modern and comfortable, in muted greys with the odd splash of colour in cushions and headboards, and framed artworks above the bed.
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Downstairs, The Trafalgar Dining Rooms, the hotel's all-day dining restaurant, is a smart-casual affair with moody-blue walls, brassy Art Deco accents, geometric styling and lashings of dusky-pink peonies. It feels livelier than the more private setting of veneered Biblio on the lower-ground floor, and with a strong wine list and Mediterranean-inspired British dishes that taste as good as they look, it’s easy to enjoy eating here, save for the slight draft that blew through the door and tapped me on the shoulder every so often.
In fact, not a table was free when post-rooftop-aperitif we tucked into tender burrata with heritage beetroots and lemon verbana, and delicately pan-fried stone bass with celery roots, samphire and a spiced broth that was so comforting you actually felt fuzzy. Desserts are sublime and as gluttonous as you could possibly hope for – the buttermilk panna cotta with clementines is a must.
But the rooftop stole the show. As much as Londoners and visitors love a good dimly lit pub, atmospheric wine lounges and fancy gin bars, rooftop bars are undeniably the city’s social Holy Grail. With each new opening comes a new way to look at London. The Rooftop bar is open year-round, with canopies for when it rains and heaters for when it's cold. And it was fun to rub shoulders (almost) with Nelson, of course. Who was busy keeping watch over his ships (50 points if you spot one).
Double rooms from ￡305, breakfast included.
Read the full review: Trafalgar St James, London