Frost Magazine, left the sunshine of Heddon Street Food Quarter off Regent Street to step into an environment where the walls, bar, tables and even one’s own personal hand-carved glass is made of the purest ice. Best not to slip one into your handbag as a memento. But absolutely best to go.
So what’s it all about?
ICEBAR LONDON is the UK’s only permanent bar made of ice and is kept at -5°C all year round but if that sounds a bit close to the bone, it isn’t. There are warm cloaks you can wrap around you, whilst you see London’s equivalent of Tom Cruise (in Cocktail), doing his stuff behind the bar to produce perhaps a Lavender Margarita at £8.70 or maybe a Walk in the Green at £9.50.
40 mins is the optimum time allowed in the Icebar, after which you can slip out and warm up in the Lounge Bar, move on to the theatre or club, or try the newly opened Restaurant downstairs offering great cocktails, a light snack or sit-down meal with a wide selection of modern British dishes.
The menu looks interesting: spring lamb belly with Jerusalem artichoke puree, gordal olives, tomatoes and preserved lemon at £18 sounds just the job for warming the cockles.
ICEBAR LONDON, which celebrates it’s 10th anniversary this year, is designed by ice artist Jens Thoms Ivarsson and created by a team of skilled ice designers and sculptors, using fresh ice from the Torne River, Northern Sweden, a source highly regarded for its unique purity. It truly is extraordinarily clear. Within the ice are flowing lines which are artistic features in their own right. I assumed these lines were a reaction to the artists and craftsmen wielding their chainsaws and other glinting tools but no, they are natural contours.
A new theme is created annually, and each new design is built on the tradition of the ground- breaking innovation and style for which ICEBAR LONDON has become famous. This year’s theme is‘Frozen Food’.
Jens Thoms Ivarsson and his team are obsessed with using ice to transform everyday products into something extraordinary. As well as creating this amazing bar and the world’s largest ICEHOTEL, Jens has even worked with ICEHOTEL to create catwalks for Chanel.
Matthieu Bourgogne, General Manager of ICEBAR LONDON says, ‘10 years from first opening its doors and ICEBAR LONDON is now firmly established as a permanently frozen feature on any list of iconic London venues. During this time we’ve created 14 incredible themed bars with the talented team from ICEHOTEL, imported and displayed over 1000 tonnes of beautifully pure ice from the Torne River in Northern Sweden, and welcomed over 1.8 million guests through our doors for a -5 ̊C ice cocktail experience.
Our current Frozen Food theme is one of our most popular ever, with crystal clear cupcakes, frozen fruit sculptures and a full-sized hipster food truck bar all carved from ice, and our newly refurbished restaurant and team of expert mixologists behind the bar means that, whatever the temperature, we’re more than ready to offer a warm welcome to our next 1 million guests.’
Minors are welcome to join during our daytime sessions (last entry at 17:45) accompanied by an adult, after that the age limit is strictly 18 and older. Children five years and over will require a separate ticket. Valid ID may be required. Management reserves the right to refuse entrance if guests are intoxicated or underage.
The nearest underground stations are Piccadilly Circus (on the Piccadilly and Bakerloo lines), Oxford Circus (on the Victoria, Central and Bakerloo lines) and Leicester Square (on the Northern and Piccadilly lines). The nearest rail station is Charing Cross.
@ICEBARLONDON Please see http://www.icebarlondon.com/ to book tickets
Photos courtesy of Peter Kindersley