A press release that describes interiors as “edgy” when they are frankly as edgy as a plastic spoon, really get our goat at We Heart, which isn’t to say that rock and roll resto-bar Honky Tonk off London’s Fulham Road doesn’t deserve a gold disc on our hallowed pages. It’s rather like the band that recorded the song that inspired the name of the place. You can’t dispute the quality of the music (unless you just want to pick a fight for the sake of it), but even Keef Richards isn’t going to pretend the Stones are at the cutting edge of musicianship any more. Comfortable is more the mot juste.
What we have here, in essence, is a very nicely done Americana hangout from restaurant consultants The Cocktail Service and owner Mark Cutler, one of the men behind Notting Hill’s supperclub London. There are some nice touches to Honky Tonk – see the brown Chesterfield-style banquette booth seating and reclaimed Japanese ship lights as examples – plus the inevitable smattering of music-related paraphernalia dotted around, and there will be live music in the form of blues, jazz and rockabilly to entertain while the Italian-American food is going down. Honky Tonk is less MGMT, more Bob Segar. But we do love that old time rock and roll…
