By Chrissy Iley
The Zetter Townhouse in Seymour Street is an amazing find. It is stuffed with Georgian style colour and artefacts. Dark green walls, red tapestried rugs, comfy armchairs. Think of it as a love child of Soho House Hotel and the Charlotte Street Hotel. Tony Conigliaro is the genius responsible for the cocktail menu; I first met him infusing cherries and roses into sochu at Roka in Charlotte Street.
The cocktails at the Parlour have been voted the best in London. My friend had the cocktail equivalent of an alcoholic Malteser called the Two-Penny Trash, made with rye whiskey, powdered malts & treacle. It sort of fizzed in your mouth like you were drinking something that was made of space. I had a Madeira Sour, like a Pisco Sour but fresher, with Cognac flashed madeira, lemon and walnut.
Next, I had a cherry-infused gin that was soda-ed up with something nutty. It was called Le Bon Ton made with Cherrywood gin, Ratafià, Cherry Orgeat & soda. It was subtle, ridiculously delicious and I could taste cherries long after the drink had gone. So I had to order another one.
The Parlour is cute, chic and stuffed with beautiful, quirky things. There is also a snack menu where you get the thinnest shaved, fried courgettes in the history of vegetables, a delicious beetroot pomegranate and parmesan dip and shrimps that come with nutmeg butter and walnut bread. More substantial fare is also available as well as an excellent trifle for pudding. I am still fantasising about that Conigliaro cherry concoction…
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