Chinawhite on Air Street in the Nineties and early Noughties was an institution - a stuff of legend. Well, a gloriously tacky fable at least. Does the new version live up to its notorious reputation as the king of celebrity hang outs, or has it just become another faceless London club?

The Venue
Located on a side street off busy Oxford Street, transport links to this club are great. The venue itself is impressive but confusing for die-hard Chinawhite fans as there are no more iconic parasols, Chinese dress uniforms for the waiting staff and many of the other timeless features that made this club what it was. Instead, the decor incorporates influences from South East Asia with high-spec luxury. There are highly polished wooden floors throughout, an intricate bamboo-style walkway and a slick club area in black. One thing it has over its previous incarnation is a greater feeling of space.

The tables are spacious and have wide, square, booth-style seating with chic Oriental-style coverings and they have joined the trend for ice buckets set within the tables. The downsides? They need to get the balance of lighting right; the staircase is too dark rendering the edges of the steps virtually invisible whilst the lighting near the tables at the back of the room is as migraine-inducingly bright as the music is loud.

The VIP room is a small, intimate space with the same decor as the main club area but most of the star spotting and socialising seems to be done in the VIP unisex toilets with the split-doors that were so recognisable in the original venue.

The Atmosphere
If it can regain its crown as the place to be on a Wednesday night then it will keep fans of the old venue coming back for more. The crowd is diverse and there's a surprising mix of young and old; although, the ladies are more likely to be attractive, young WAG wannabes whilst the guys lean towards older, richer types.

The door staff have the typical 'power gone to their heads' attitude and they soon forget their manners when there's a queue of more than about five people. The waiting staff inside are helpful though, even if service can at times come across as confused when the club is packed with people. One big saving grace of this club is it doesn't feel the need to play the ridiculous Star Wars song when someone orders a bottle of Champagne, although there are still sparklers.

The Music
The music is deafeningly loud by the tables at the back of the room and it isn't necessarily the Wednesday night play list of old – rather cheesy but fun. Instead, you can expect a slightly more progressive mix of funky house and RnB with a few retro club classics thrown in to get people on the dance floor.

The Food
Food is available upstairs in Chinawhite’s pan Asian restaurant; however, if you’re partying in the club then snacks are available from 10pm. They include dishes like sashimi of yellow fin tuna (£12.50), miso marinated belly pork (£9) and Chinese spiced fries (£5). Certainly no spicy wedges and ketchup.

The Drink
The drink list isn’t as wallet-busting as you might fear, it’s certainly competitive with other similar clubs. Of course, Champagne dominates the list with one variety available by the glass – Veuve Clicquot priced at £14. Otherwise, bottles range in price from £85 to £6,000 for the Krug Clos D’Ambonay. The ubiquitous Cristal is also on offer, a vintage bottle coming in at £450. If you’re in a group then magnums, jeroboams and even methuselahs are available to buy.

If you’re looking for something lower key then there’s a decent selection of classic and long cocktails (£10.50), a whole array of martinis (£11) and well priced Champagne cocktails (£12). They even serve cocktail carafes (3 pints) of mojitos, daiquiris and cosmopolitans for £75.

Popular bottles of spirits include a range of premium brands with everything from vodka, rum and gin to whisky, tequila, cognac and armagnacs coming in at £150-£600 a bottle. Rounding up the list is a decent selection of wine, starting at a more than reasonable £25 for a bottle of Chilean Valdevieso Merlot 2008, rising to £445. There are three of each colour on offer by the glass if you’re watching the pennies, ranging in price from £5.25-£9.

The Last Word
Chinawhite fans will be hoping that the relaunched club doesn't merge into the swathes of faceless party spots that end up being refurbished and rebranded every other year. As a concept, it’s always been brilliant which is why it managed to remain unchanged for over ten years. Die hard fans of its predecessor won’t be disappointed as they’ve retained much of the original Chinawhite formula and new, younger clubbers will appreciate the sleek, modern look. Let’s face it, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. If they take that to heart, Chinawhite mark 2 could be onto a winner.

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