Orchid brings laid back sex appeal to Leicester Square; however, it hasn’t quite bloomed into its full potential.

The Venue
Orchid is a huge basement space with room for 1,000 revellers at full capacity, located just off Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus.

Descend the stairs into the cavernous space, and the tacky neons of Soho will feel miles away. Inside, everything is muted blacks, greys, midnight blues and creams, with comfortable leather sofas and trendy Conran-style soft furnishings, plus decadent inscribed lampshades and huge flower displays. They’ve definitely got their interiors right, with long muslin drapes dividing what would otherwise feel like an airy conference space.

The Atmosphere
Orchid is going after a market that doesn’t usually make its way towards venues in Leicester Square, and they’ll need to pull out all the stops to drag the Mayfair types away from more familiar haunts, perhaps to its eventual downfall. So far, not so good – the crowd is a bit unfriendly, probably as a result of queuing for too long at the woefully inadequate bars. A venue of this size simply needs more than two long bars at either end of the room, and the staff need to pull their socks up quickly, too.

The Music
The music is nothing unusual, with a blend of commercial dance, house, R’n’B and a few slower chill out tunes thrown in to add to the calm feel. That said, it’s something that everyone can enjoy and nobody can find offensive, so there’s little to fault.

The Drink
For a venue that boasts about its carefully crafted cocktails, you might find it surprising if your bar tender needs a bit of guidance on how to produce a Mojito and then takes ten minutes over it. The drinks at Orchid are pitched at the top end price-wise, at around £8 for a cocktail, and when you’re spending that kind of money you just don’t want to queue then be confronted with poorly trained staff. Hopefully as the venue becomes more established this can only improve.

The Last Word
In spite of incapable bar staff and queues at the bar that go on forever, you could have a great night at Orchid if you come with a crowd of friends. Even with its flaws, it’s a more attractive place to spend a night than most of its nearby rivals.

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