PROFILE BAR - FRIDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN
There is no escaping the fact that since its launch back in 2007, Profile bar has certainly made waves across gAylist/land London, in the main for all good reasons, being an opulent alternative to the likes of Soho's Shadow Lounge, Escape, Barcode & Rupert Street, who seemed to have developed a stranglehold over gay bar culture in the West End. Spread across three (or was it four?!) floors at its original location in Frith Street, with its clubbing sister Lo-Profile hitting the headlines and attracting considerable attention as a sleek clubbing experience in the heart of London's biggest gay village, the joining of the two venues was inevitable. We were there to see the official launch of Profile at its new home in Wardour Street, atop its sister venue and were impressed by the polished, smart and quality feel of the diner themed/styled bar, returning just days after the party to see the venue in its true light and pick up on much more of the detail, even if our plans to sample some of the food offers were not fulfilled.
So, it was just a matter of time before we made another re-visit, this time choosing a Friday night, which has recently proven a very popular night for us to end our week within the clutches of Soho, whether it be our regular haunt, Rupert Street, or our newly found favourite bar, The Box, our connections with the staff & management of both venues proving a real draw after a hard few days on London's roads. But having spotted in dispatches that Brent Nicholls was D.J.'ing at Profile bar, as a preclude to the duo of Steve Pitron & Mikey D, who were to perform downstairs in Lo-Profile, we threw all our woes aside for one night and in anticipation of some magnificent music, headed around to Wardour Street, not before making a visit to pick up some bags of sweets (or should we say candy!) that having become a bit of a tradition when spending an evening of musical entertainment with Mr Nicholls (quite how it started we don't remember).
Arriving at Profile's doors at just turned 8.30 p.m. there was already a reasonable crowd gathering, some taking up the seating booths and indulging in the enticing food on offer, others taking to the large stools surrounding the centre console bar & surrounding waist height seating areas. Being just our third visit, we still remained impressed by the shiny decor of black & yellow tiled walls, Profile glass motifs & modernistic brick work, all combining to provide a most welcoming & sumptuous feel, if but a little stark & bright, but nevertheless a refreshing alternative to other bars around. Grabbing refreshments, we turned and spotted Brent behind the makeshift D.J. booth, somewhat tucked up in the corner and out of sight of most of his audience, although he was already consumed with is music choices when we bounded up to say hello, immediately digging out our sweets, sorry candy, to share with him.
Looking round, there was definitely a hive of activity to and from the kitchen and whilst we have still not been privy to the menu, the food being produced and then delivered looked very appetising indeed. Further round towards the back of the bar, people were gathering in numbers, the enclave proving an ideal spot for what turned out to be a special birthday celebration. Catching up with Brent on all sorts of news, not least the successes and failures of Soho Live & associated parties the Sunday just gone, but also our other exploits across the weekend, including our fetching outfit we wore behind the bar when on duty at Rupert Street, we really began to feel right at home in Profile's surroundings and as we talked more, the candy was going down rather too well, but it probably wasn't the best idea mixing liquorice allsorts with our lager, but just can't resist a good chew on the black root.
With Brent turning out a superb sequence of scintillating house hits to really warm up the atmosphere, the beer soon evaporated from our glass (well that was our excuse), so arming ourselves with a healthy refill, efficiently served by the very friendly bar staff who were dealing with an ever increasing crowd really in a speedy and polite manner, we took a wander around the bar and soon bumped into a host of familiar faces, including Industri pal and fellow South African adorer, Sofie, who was looking very glamorous in a sparkling blue number and soaking up the party atmosphere developing in the corner, introducing us to the birthday boy himself and to a collection of her other friends. Not realising Brent was D.J'ing, I tore her away for a moment so she could say her hello's, before leaving her & her mates to their devices and returning to the fast disappearing bags of candy.
By now the night was in full swing and the music was gathering pace, as was the building crowd, beginning to pack out the available spaces, many in anticipation of Lo-Profile's opening, but others simply wishing to soak up the atmosphere in this most unique of spaces. Then as if we weren't enjoying ourselves enough, first the arrival of pal Nik Ripley with a gaggle of friends heightened our mood, then Brent pulled out and played our favourite record, Zoe Baldwin's "Release Me", which sent us wild with excitement, dancing merrily on our spot and then showering thanks on him for choosing this most fabulous of tunes. But our night was not yet over as the enjoyment, merriment & magnificent music continued right until the 11 p.m. calling and we had to then hold ourselves back from the temptations of Mikey D & Steve Pitron in Lo-Profile below, rather choosing to depart with Brent and then head off to the comfort of our own bed to reflect on another fantastic Friday, not in the hands of Rupert Street or The Box, but courtesy of a puissant Profile Bar.
So, what was our verdict on our third outing to this Wardour Street wonderland? Well, it is fair to say that with a few hiccups on the launch party, particularly with the slow service and then on a second visit, the issues with lack of food service, we were reluctant to return, especially as our last encounter with the General Manager was far from cordial. However, we have to say that on this occasion, there was none of that. Not only did we spot changes to the compliment of staff who came across far more friendly than before, but it was clear the team of waiting staff were handling the pace of food service well. The added inclusion of a D.J. really heightened the mood and Brent Nicholls performed superbly, adding to what was an all-round amazing atmosphere in smart surroundings that proved a perfect alternative to the norm. In its new guise and home Profile bar has all the ingredients attract an ever increasing, quality & discerning crowd, so on the basis of our visit and having had such a good time, Profile bar certainly gets a big thumbs up from us and we are sure we will be paying the venue a visit very soon. (DISCO MATT)
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN
There is no escaping the fact that since its launch back in 2007, Profile bar has certainly made waves across gAylist/land London, in the main for all good reasons, being an opulent alternative to the likes of Soho's Shadow Lounge, Escape, Barcode & Rupert Street, who seemed to have developed a stranglehold over gay bar culture in the West End. Spread across three (or was it four?!) floors at its original location in Frith Street, with its clubbing sister Lo-Profile hitting the headlines and attracting considerable attention as a sleek clubbing experience in the heart of London's biggest gay village, the joining of the two venues was inevitable. We were there to see the official launch of Profile at its new home in Wardour Street, atop its sister venue and were impressed by the polished, smart and quality feel of the diner themed/styled bar, returning just days after the party to see the venue in its true light and pick up on much more of the detail, even if our plans to sample some of the food offers were not fulfilled.
So, it was just a matter of time before we made another re-visit, this time choosing a Friday night, which has recently proven a very popular night for us to end our week within the clutches of Soho, whether it be our regular haunt, Rupert Street, or our newly found favourite bar, The Box, our connections with the staff & management of both venues proving a real draw after a hard few days on London's roads. But having spotted in dispatches that Brent Nicholls was D.J.'ing at Profile bar, as a preclude to the duo of Steve Pitron & Mikey D, who were to perform downstairs in Lo-Profile, we threw all our woes aside for one night and in anticipation of some magnificent music, headed around to Wardour Street, not before making a visit to pick up some bags of sweets (or should we say candy!) that having become a bit of a tradition when spending an evening of musical entertainment with Mr Nicholls (quite how it started we don't remember).
Arriving at Profile's doors at just turned 8.30 p.m. there was already a reasonable crowd gathering, some taking up the seating booths and indulging in the enticing food on offer, others taking to the large stools surrounding the centre console bar & surrounding waist height seating areas. Being just our third visit, we still remained impressed by the shiny decor of black & yellow tiled walls, Profile glass motifs & modernistic brick work, all combining to provide a most welcoming & sumptuous feel, if but a little stark & bright, but nevertheless a refreshing alternative to other bars around. Grabbing refreshments, we turned and spotted Brent behind the makeshift D.J. booth, somewhat tucked up in the corner and out of sight of most of his audience, although he was already consumed with is music choices when we bounded up to say hello, immediately digging out our sweets, sorry candy, to share with him.
Looking round, there was definitely a hive of activity to and from the kitchen and whilst we have still not been privy to the menu, the food being produced and then delivered looked very appetising indeed. Further round towards the back of the bar, people were gathering in numbers, the enclave proving an ideal spot for what turned out to be a special birthday celebration. Catching up with Brent on all sorts of news, not least the successes and failures of Soho Live & associated parties the Sunday just gone, but also our other exploits across the weekend, including our fetching outfit we wore behind the bar when on duty at Rupert Street, we really began to feel right at home in Profile's surroundings and as we talked more, the candy was going down rather too well, but it probably wasn't the best idea mixing liquorice allsorts with our lager, but just can't resist a good chew on the black root.
With Brent turning out a superb sequence of scintillating house hits to really warm up the atmosphere, the beer soon evaporated from our glass (well that was our excuse), so arming ourselves with a healthy refill, efficiently served by the very friendly bar staff who were dealing with an ever increasing crowd really in a speedy and polite manner, we took a wander around the bar and soon bumped into a host of familiar faces, including Industri pal and fellow South African adorer, Sofie, who was looking very glamorous in a sparkling blue number and soaking up the party atmosphere developing in the corner, introducing us to the birthday boy himself and to a collection of her other friends. Not realising Brent was D.J'ing, I tore her away for a moment so she could say her hello's, before leaving her & her mates to their devices and returning to the fast disappearing bags of candy.
By now the night was in full swing and the music was gathering pace, as was the building crowd, beginning to pack out the available spaces, many in anticipation of Lo-Profile's opening, but others simply wishing to soak up the atmosphere in this most unique of spaces. Then as if we weren't enjoying ourselves enough, first the arrival of pal Nik Ripley with a gaggle of friends heightened our mood, then Brent pulled out and played our favourite record, Zoe Baldwin's "Release Me", which sent us wild with excitement, dancing merrily on our spot and then showering thanks on him for choosing this most fabulous of tunes. But our night was not yet over as the enjoyment, merriment & magnificent music continued right until the 11 p.m. calling and we had to then hold ourselves back from the temptations of Mikey D & Steve Pitron in Lo-Profile below, rather choosing to depart with Brent and then head off to the comfort of our own bed to reflect on another fantastic Friday, not in the hands of Rupert Street or The Box, but courtesy of a puissant Profile Bar.
So, what was our verdict on our third outing to this Wardour Street wonderland? Well, it is fair to say that with a few hiccups on the launch party, particularly with the slow service and then on a second visit, the issues with lack of food service, we were reluctant to return, especially as our last encounter with the General Manager was far from cordial. However, we have to say that on this occasion, there was none of that. Not only did we spot changes to the compliment of staff who came across far more friendly than before, but it was clear the team of waiting staff were handling the pace of food service well. The added inclusion of a D.J. really heightened the mood and Brent Nicholls performed superbly, adding to what was an all-round amazing atmosphere in smart surroundings that proved a perfect alternative to the norm. In its new guise and home Profile bar has all the ingredients attract an ever increasing, quality & discerning crowd, so on the basis of our visit and having had such a good time, Profile bar certainly gets a big thumbs up from us and we are sure we will be paying the venue a visit very soon. (DISCO MATT)
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