Grafton House is a sleek, beautifully designed bar, restaurant and lounge in Clapham Old Town where you can settle in for a mid-week dinner, lively Saturday night cocktails or relaxed Sunday brunch.

The Venue
When you enter Grafton House you know you are in an A-List venue from the minute you climb the slate front stairs. Through the double glass doors you enter the bar, which is a large expanse of ivory marble tiles broken up with various seating areas. The large curved bar is something out of the Jetson’s, punctuated with plush cream and metallic ‘60s-style bar stools.

For something more intimate, russet-coloured velvet booths snake their way around the room and even come with diaphanous floor-to-ceiling drapes for seclusion. Lovely dark wood tables dot the length of the front of the bar where you can people watch, or be watched, through the large windows. In the summer, these are thrown open, creating a great indoor-outdoor space to eat and drink.

The restaurant is a separate room but is equally elegant and welcoming. Dark-stained floorboards, washed ochre-coloured walls and mellow lighting create a divine space to kick back for dinner. Low-hanging drum lights hang above the semicircle leather booths - perfect for groups - and plush cream-coloured Louis XIV chairs stand to attention at the dark wood tables in the centre of the space. The dining room looks out onto the garden, which is a wonderfully tropical combination of limestone paving, dark wood decking, oversized rattan furniture and leafy plants.

The Atmosphere
The atmosphere at Grafton House is sexy and soothing, attributed as much to the decor and the music as the crowd within. During the day, the lounge and restaurant are bright, airy and comfortable, and the chilled-out atmosphere could lead you to believe that Bondi Beach is across the road. When the sun goes down, so do the lights and the bar becomes a wonderfully ambient and sensual place to enjoy Champagne with a loved one or a pint with the boys.

The Music
There is live music every Thursday from 7pm-late and Grafton House’s resident DJs hit the decks on Friday and Saturday nights, when the place is at its busiest buzzing with crowds of drinkers.

The Food
Grafton House is famed for its food, and it’s no wonder - it’s ambitious, perfectly executed and adventurous. Entrees start at £6 and combine Mediterranean and classic British cuisine.

The roasted baby beetroot with goats cheese and port-soaked figs will leave you licking the plate as will the grilled halloumi with red onion jam. For mains, choose a dish to share like a pot of mussels or seafood platter. The restaurant offers some of the most rich and luxurious pasta dishes you’re sure to find; try the braised rabbit tagliatelle with lemon and thyme cream, or the lobster and artichoke penne. An aged sirloin steak will set you back £17 and for traditionalists, the roast herb-studded English partridge is £13. There is a selection of mouthwatering seafood mains from John Dory poached in oyster and lobster bisque (£22) to battered cod with chips and mushy peas (12.50).

Those with a sweet tooth wont be left disappointed, either. The dessert menu covers all things cocoa, creamy, cheesy and fruity and desserts are £5.50 each.

The Drink
The bar serves a great variety of wine, Champagne, beer and cocktails, all of which are available at the restaurant. There is a good selection of wine from Europe, South America and Australia. Glasses of wine start at £4 and Champagne at £8.50. Expect to pay around £40 for a bottle of house Champagne and at the other end of the spectrum, a bottle Krug is £190.

Bottles of beer are around £3 for a Guinness or Kasteel Cru. The large bar is home to an impressive selection of vodka including Ketel One, Wybrowa, Grey Goose, 42 Below, Belvedere, Skyy and that’s not even starting on the colourful array of flavoured vodkas. The cocktail list is comprehensive, a few highlights are the Latitude 42 (passion fruit and 42 Below passion fruit vodka over prosecco), Lancashire Rose (rose petal vodka, pomegranate and apple juice) and the Apple Sour Martini). Cocktails cost around £7.

The Last Word
When you want to experience great food and top-class drinks in a comfortable, ambient venue, make Grafton House your home away from home.

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