The Firehouse offers its members and guests three venues in one – a bar, a nightclub called Chloe, and a restaurant. With an emphasis on discretion and luxury, this historical private members club is great whether you’re out for a romantic date or partying with friends.

The Venue
This classic Edwardian townhouse, which once played host to Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones and Tom Jones, is located at 3 Cromwell Road, opposite the Natural History Museum, and is easily reached from South Kensington tube station. It can be hard to locate due to its lack of signage or anything to distinguish it from the similar buildings around it, so look out for the address and heavy black door. Once inside, you’ll find the cosy, cushioned Firehouse Bar, which opens up to a decked terrace in the summer, with trendy red cushions and bench seating. On the first floor is the dark wood dining room, which creates an illusion of faded glamour with scarlet walls and open fireplaces. The intimate nightclub of The Firehouse, Chloe, is found in the basement and is decked out with dark walls, black leather sofas and luminous blue lighting.

The Atmosphere
The Firehouse is diverse enough to keep most people happy – whether you need a quiet corner of the bar to talk business, a table in the restaurant to refuel, or a boogie on the dancefloor to let off steam. The clientele are urbane sophisticates in the know, happy they’ve stumbled upon one of London’s better-kept secrets, and largely consisting of City wide boys, Chelsea It girls and the trustafarians. Space is at a premium in Chloe, the nightclub, so it gets packed quickly, which helps it to feel buzzing and lively, though the mood can be dampened by queues at the bar and short-tempered bar staff.

The Food
The first floor dining room offers panoramic views of the South Kensington museums, and offers a series of differently priced set menus for you to choose from. Again, space is at a premium, and service can be slow and unapologetically rude. Expect to pay £30-£60 a head for the totally unexceptional food (excluding wine), though there is a cheaper bar food menu in the Firehouse Bar downstairs.

The Drink
There’s a great range of cocktails, wines and champagnes available in Chloe and in the bar, with prices pretty typical of the South Kensington locale, with rivals such as the Collection and Boujis just minutes away. Worth the price is the SW7 cocktail, which mixes tanqueray, mint leaves, lime juice, sugar and soda water. Make sure you try one!

The Last Word
The Firehouse offers relaxation and downright hedonism all under one roof, but this place gets packed and the staff are grumpy. The glamorous crowd of Chloe make up for it somewhat, and the cocktails are not to be missed.

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