PROFILE “A NEW BIGINNING – THE OFFICIAL OPENING”
WEDNESDAY 15TH JULY
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN
Well, it’s true to say that some things in life don’t change that much and you could be mistaken for making that judgment when looking around the scene in London. As a long standing friend of ours said when we met up last Saturday in Rupert Street, things looked pretty much the same for him, returning after a long break away in New Zealand. However, under the surfaces & if you look carefully, there have been some ring changes, some more subtle than others, although there has been one unmistakable shift, movement, whatever you want to call it, that has grabbed gAylist London’s attention.
Yes it is Profile bar, which having been launched to major accolade at its original home on Frith Street, has now made the perfectly sensible move across Soho, joining it’s slightly younger sister, Lo-Profile, at its location on Wardour Street, making the perfect marriage between the two elements of this popular brand, of course backed up by the might of Gaydar. In the words of the owners & management, “there’s been a change of plan…all 900 square feet of it” and we certainly wanted to take a look at the new combination, so what better a way to do it than at the official opening, labelled “a red carpet launch”, admittedly on a “school” night, but a temptation way too much to resist.
With plans made well in advance and deciding on new(ish) found clubbing pal Joel to be our partner in crime for the evening, we decided on a smart casual dress approach, starting the evenings proceedings off with some warm up drinks at Rupert Street. Joel was already in fine form, with a luncheon & then afternoon out with a friend under his belt, so we could already sense that we were in for an interesting time, not least that the invite indicated that complimentary drinks would be on offer. This always spells danger for us, but then with tastes from the delicious new menu providing balance, surely everything would be fine.
Arriving at Profile’s door at about 7.30 p.m., the first real statement was a massive extended New York cab outside, signalling the kind of style the team had developed for the new venue, not just a bar but a restaurant in the “diner” style, yellow being the bold colour (along with black of course), so nothing understated here! Greeting us on the door was Gaydar’s marketing mogul Simon Johnson, who ticked us off his rather extensive list and immediately pointed us in the direction of the bar. It was clear from stepping in, that this was going to be a busy event, as the space was already brimming with a truly cosmopolitan and very much gAylist tinged crowd of hopefuls, all eager to sample a slice of this new space on the scene.
With Joel grabbing us glasses of complimentary champagne & then spotting familiar faces all around, we decided to mingle and it was apparent that this was going to be a “who’s who” of gatherings, Mark M Forms being the first of many people we came across savouring the buzz and excitement of Profile’s launch. Then there was Jamie Head and pals stretching out in the one free corner just past the D.J. booth, Paul Heron in conversation with a female friend, Rob Sykes mixing in with a bevvie of beauties, all added to by the wave by wave arrival of yet more friends, including Sean Day, Clington Goldsmith, and then Evolved Events supremo Oliver Mohns accompanied by Romano Hendry & our close buddy D.J. Alessandro. Even the gay press gang were in attendance, Cliff Joannou & Stephen Vowles from Q.X. magazine, David Bridle & Luke Till from Boyz, all like us, mixing business with pleasure, reporting on the launch of the month so far.
Catching up with Oliver, who was unable to give us his characteristic hug as there was little or no room to move, a train of waiters kept slinking past, silver salvers held high, with delectable tasters from the bars brand new menu, although our endeavours were focussed on refreshing our glasses and watching over companion Joel, who was well and truly into the swing of things by now. Then, literally as we mentioned his name, Brent Nicholls arrived, camera in hand, looking over in-between the masses now assembled, in apparent amazement of the sheer numbers packing out Profile.
He joined us and the throng of D.J’s that had gathered by the booth, where Gaydar Radio star Phil Marriot was spinning the sounds, but with the feeling of being packed in like sardines and the service at the bar slowing dramatically, the team announced that the club, Lo-Profile, was opening downstairs, with more than a hint towards relieving the pressure the new bar space was under. So, with General Manager Rozella leading the way, dressed in a figure hugging/flesh revealing bright blue & silver number, we followed suit with Joel & Brent, Oliver & Alessandro in tow, bumping first into Stewart Who & then Gaydar pin-ups Dimitrious & Andy, leaving Brent momentarily while his camera clicked away and then winding down the stairs & into the familiar space of Lo Profile. Here, D.J. Nick Evans had kindly jumped onto the decks to mix some music, although with many now down in the club, the service pace behind the bar was just as slow as upstairs, then losing both Brent & a worse for wear companion Joel in the crowds, we decided to return upstairs, as after all it was Profile & not Lo-Profile we were here to review.
Back in Profile and making our way through the ever so slightly thinned out crowd, but with the bar still three deep, we first caught up with Mikey D, who had not long returned from Madrid, then with Steve Pitron, who was intent on oiling his gills, even catching SuperMartXe London promoter Logan Schmitz arrive, but finally heading for the sanctuary of the far corner by the entrance, where Oliver, Alessandro & Romano had settled. However, despite their intentions to keep us there, by now our exasperations on lack of being able to refresh our glasses overtook our emotions and when, after a less than cordial encounter with Gaydar big cheese Trevor, we thought better of searching out missing friend Joel, rather waving goodbye to a still hectic Profile bar, with the intention of returning another day to sample all of its delights in a much more relaxed and reflective mood.
And that is just what we did, Saturday signalling a real jaunt around Soho, Profile bar being the ideal warm up to the nights proceedings. Walking into the venue with pal Benoit not long before 9 p.m., we were immediately taken with the bright yet stylish décor, spacious booths lining each side, with the angular centrally positioned bar dominating the space. But with plenty of plush high stools around with yet more booths towards the back, there was certainly no shortage of seating, very much in the bar/restaurant style we had expected. Stark yellow contrasts beautifully with sparking black tiling, the theme running right through, occasionally broken up by wooden tan panels and a very smart “profile” logo, so the whole effect is one of quality and opulence in an American diner way, very impressive. What was not impressive however, was the kitchen being closed, so the whole reason for attending, to taste the food, dissolved (very annoyingly) in an instant, with little or no explanation from the bar staff, whom we had to say struggled with command of English. After a very hairy (and embarrassing) moment, General Manager Rosella explained that plans for serving food had been scaled back a little, with the full food menu now stopping at
6 p.m. (they start at 8 a.m.!), although they anticipate serving snack & light bites beyond that in the coming weeks. So, after repairing damaged egos, we, together with Benoit, sought to fill our empty stomachs around the corner at Balans café.
So what do we think of Profile bar? And did the “Red Carpet” event live up to expectations? Well, the launch night was clearly a P.R. success for the team, not least for the amount of scene faces, gAylisters, club promoters, D.J’s & paparazzi present, although we remain a little bemused by the sheer amount of people that were there. Given the fact our assumptions were that the crowd would be relatively exclusive, it actually turned out to be all inclusive, with the resultant pressure on the team to deliver drinks service efficiently, drastically affected. However, in our experience, all successful launch parties end up this way and we suspect no amount of additional staff would have made matters much easier. Plus, with the bar being free for well over two hours, with complimentary food nibbles & everyone having a superb time, what more could you ask for? Nothing!
In terms of Profile bar, our subsequent visit allowed us to take in aspects of the décor, the drinks offers, the staff & the surroundings (although sadly not the food offer) in a much more measured way and our verdict is we really like the venue. The marriage with sister Lo-Profile makes perfect sense and the feel of the bar will certainly attract, especially with the added bonus of D.J’s on certain days (we had the pleasure of enjoying D’Johnny on our Sat visit). However, we remain undecided on the food offer, not having been able to sample any, so cannot yet comment on that, but then if it turns out like all the other elements, it should prove a hit with gAylisters around, although only time will tell whether it is. (DISCO MATT)
WEDNESDAY 15TH JULY
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN
Well, it’s true to say that some things in life don’t change that much and you could be mistaken for making that judgment when looking around the scene in London. As a long standing friend of ours said when we met up last Saturday in Rupert Street, things looked pretty much the same for him, returning after a long break away in New Zealand. However, under the surfaces & if you look carefully, there have been some ring changes, some more subtle than others, although there has been one unmistakable shift, movement, whatever you want to call it, that has grabbed gAylist London’s attention.
Yes it is Profile bar, which having been launched to major accolade at its original home on Frith Street, has now made the perfectly sensible move across Soho, joining it’s slightly younger sister, Lo-Profile, at its location on Wardour Street, making the perfect marriage between the two elements of this popular brand, of course backed up by the might of Gaydar. In the words of the owners & management, “there’s been a change of plan…all 900 square feet of it” and we certainly wanted to take a look at the new combination, so what better a way to do it than at the official opening, labelled “a red carpet launch”, admittedly on a “school” night, but a temptation way too much to resist.
With plans made well in advance and deciding on new(ish) found clubbing pal Joel to be our partner in crime for the evening, we decided on a smart casual dress approach, starting the evenings proceedings off with some warm up drinks at Rupert Street. Joel was already in fine form, with a luncheon & then afternoon out with a friend under his belt, so we could already sense that we were in for an interesting time, not least that the invite indicated that complimentary drinks would be on offer. This always spells danger for us, but then with tastes from the delicious new menu providing balance, surely everything would be fine.
Arriving at Profile’s door at about 7.30 p.m., the first real statement was a massive extended New York cab outside, signalling the kind of style the team had developed for the new venue, not just a bar but a restaurant in the “diner” style, yellow being the bold colour (along with black of course), so nothing understated here! Greeting us on the door was Gaydar’s marketing mogul Simon Johnson, who ticked us off his rather extensive list and immediately pointed us in the direction of the bar. It was clear from stepping in, that this was going to be a busy event, as the space was already brimming with a truly cosmopolitan and very much gAylist tinged crowd of hopefuls, all eager to sample a slice of this new space on the scene.
With Joel grabbing us glasses of complimentary champagne & then spotting familiar faces all around, we decided to mingle and it was apparent that this was going to be a “who’s who” of gatherings, Mark M Forms being the first of many people we came across savouring the buzz and excitement of Profile’s launch. Then there was Jamie Head and pals stretching out in the one free corner just past the D.J. booth, Paul Heron in conversation with a female friend, Rob Sykes mixing in with a bevvie of beauties, all added to by the wave by wave arrival of yet more friends, including Sean Day, Clington Goldsmith, and then Evolved Events supremo Oliver Mohns accompanied by Romano Hendry & our close buddy D.J. Alessandro. Even the gay press gang were in attendance, Cliff Joannou & Stephen Vowles from Q.X. magazine, David Bridle & Luke Till from Boyz, all like us, mixing business with pleasure, reporting on the launch of the month so far.
Catching up with Oliver, who was unable to give us his characteristic hug as there was little or no room to move, a train of waiters kept slinking past, silver salvers held high, with delectable tasters from the bars brand new menu, although our endeavours were focussed on refreshing our glasses and watching over companion Joel, who was well and truly into the swing of things by now. Then, literally as we mentioned his name, Brent Nicholls arrived, camera in hand, looking over in-between the masses now assembled, in apparent amazement of the sheer numbers packing out Profile.
He joined us and the throng of D.J’s that had gathered by the booth, where Gaydar Radio star Phil Marriot was spinning the sounds, but with the feeling of being packed in like sardines and the service at the bar slowing dramatically, the team announced that the club, Lo-Profile, was opening downstairs, with more than a hint towards relieving the pressure the new bar space was under. So, with General Manager Rozella leading the way, dressed in a figure hugging/flesh revealing bright blue & silver number, we followed suit with Joel & Brent, Oliver & Alessandro in tow, bumping first into Stewart Who & then Gaydar pin-ups Dimitrious & Andy, leaving Brent momentarily while his camera clicked away and then winding down the stairs & into the familiar space of Lo Profile. Here, D.J. Nick Evans had kindly jumped onto the decks to mix some music, although with many now down in the club, the service pace behind the bar was just as slow as upstairs, then losing both Brent & a worse for wear companion Joel in the crowds, we decided to return upstairs, as after all it was Profile & not Lo-Profile we were here to review.
Back in Profile and making our way through the ever so slightly thinned out crowd, but with the bar still three deep, we first caught up with Mikey D, who had not long returned from Madrid, then with Steve Pitron, who was intent on oiling his gills, even catching SuperMartXe London promoter Logan Schmitz arrive, but finally heading for the sanctuary of the far corner by the entrance, where Oliver, Alessandro & Romano had settled. However, despite their intentions to keep us there, by now our exasperations on lack of being able to refresh our glasses overtook our emotions and when, after a less than cordial encounter with Gaydar big cheese Trevor, we thought better of searching out missing friend Joel, rather waving goodbye to a still hectic Profile bar, with the intention of returning another day to sample all of its delights in a much more relaxed and reflective mood.
And that is just what we did, Saturday signalling a real jaunt around Soho, Profile bar being the ideal warm up to the nights proceedings. Walking into the venue with pal Benoit not long before 9 p.m., we were immediately taken with the bright yet stylish décor, spacious booths lining each side, with the angular centrally positioned bar dominating the space. But with plenty of plush high stools around with yet more booths towards the back, there was certainly no shortage of seating, very much in the bar/restaurant style we had expected. Stark yellow contrasts beautifully with sparking black tiling, the theme running right through, occasionally broken up by wooden tan panels and a very smart “profile” logo, so the whole effect is one of quality and opulence in an American diner way, very impressive. What was not impressive however, was the kitchen being closed, so the whole reason for attending, to taste the food, dissolved (very annoyingly) in an instant, with little or no explanation from the bar staff, whom we had to say struggled with command of English. After a very hairy (and embarrassing) moment, General Manager Rosella explained that plans for serving food had been scaled back a little, with the full food menu now stopping at
6 p.m. (they start at 8 a.m.!), although they anticipate serving snack & light bites beyond that in the coming weeks. So, after repairing damaged egos, we, together with Benoit, sought to fill our empty stomachs around the corner at Balans café.
So what do we think of Profile bar? And did the “Red Carpet” event live up to expectations? Well, the launch night was clearly a P.R. success for the team, not least for the amount of scene faces, gAylisters, club promoters, D.J’s & paparazzi present, although we remain a little bemused by the sheer amount of people that were there. Given the fact our assumptions were that the crowd would be relatively exclusive, it actually turned out to be all inclusive, with the resultant pressure on the team to deliver drinks service efficiently, drastically affected. However, in our experience, all successful launch parties end up this way and we suspect no amount of additional staff would have made matters much easier. Plus, with the bar being free for well over two hours, with complimentary food nibbles & everyone having a superb time, what more could you ask for? Nothing!
In terms of Profile bar, our subsequent visit allowed us to take in aspects of the décor, the drinks offers, the staff & the surroundings (although sadly not the food offer) in a much more measured way and our verdict is we really like the venue. The marriage with sister Lo-Profile makes perfect sense and the feel of the bar will certainly attract, especially with the added bonus of D.J’s on certain days (we had the pleasure of enjoying D’Johnny on our Sat visit). However, we remain undecided on the food offer, not having been able to sample any, so cannot yet comment on that, but then if it turns out like all the other elements, it should prove a hit with gAylisters around, although only time will tell whether it is. (DISCO MATT)
1 comment:
Do you just write the one script and change it around a bit each week ? Your writing is boring. Like reading the same book over and over again but with the pages in different orders.Lots of mentions of your "friends" all the time. Name drop here, name drop there.It's all very sad.
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