The Player sums itself up better than we ever could, as ‘one of the originators – a place where great drinks were invented, women arrested, morals affronted, romances started and marriages ended’. Poetic. But is it actually any good?

The Venue
There’s no doubt that in its day The Player had a ground-breaking decor that was considered stylish and sexy. Now, it looks a little dated as it’s been copied by a hundred other chain bars since, but its attitude maintains its too cool for school appeal. Black leather sofa seating dominates the surprisingly large and airy basement space with neat little round wooden tables and round leather stools on a borderline-ugly black and grey patterned carpet. There are a few semi-glamorous light fittings that stand out and when the lighting is kept low it manages to look almost sexy. Almost. It just doesn’t live up to the trendier, funkier bars that have cropped up all over London in the last couple of years.

The Atmosphere
The Player is a members' bar but, although it may have been strictly enforced in the past, it’s now a very laid back policy and non-members are allowed in until 11pm, and it’s probably easy enough to blag it after this time. Back in the day it was THE place to be seen in and celebs mixed at launch parties. Nowadays it’s mainly the domain of the after work crowd, albeit the trendy Soho media after work crowd. The style is smart casual - think, ‘I don’t give a damn about my appearance although I spent 2 hours making myself look like I just rolled out of bed and put on the first outfit I came across’. But this was a place that always prided itself on its more laid-back cool appeal, in contrast to the more pompous bars and clubs of Soho, and it’s an attitude that prevails today. The staff are very friendly and welcoming and they know and love their craft. And that’s to their credit.

The Food
The food menu contains just seven dishes, all simple bar food for when you get the munchies and crisps just won’t do. Pork pies, sausages, lamb chops, fries, all priced between £4 and £12. Job done.

The Drink
The Player does its own-label house champagne, which is certainly an impressive boast, but it’s the cocktail menu that dominates. There are a lot to choose from and they start at just £6 a drink, which is incredible value. And they’re not pretentious cocktails, they are tasty, easy to drink and have cute names. Although the London cocktail scene has moved on towards speakeasy style, molecular mixology and simple cocktails where the flavour of the alcohol is all important, it is nice to sometimes forget all that and just enjoy a tasty drink.

A prime example of this is their Pina Colada (£7), which is unashamedly old fashioned and OTT with the flavour of the pineapple juice and the double cream hiding the kick of the rum. But, you know what? It tastes guiltily delicious – just don’t tell any purist mixologists I said that. Even the martini comes with cream and has a ‘girls only’ warning. A nice touch, however, is the in flight upgrade section where you can choose your cocktail and make it an economy (£7), business (£9) or first class (£11) version depending on the spirit you use. And the traditional Moscow Mule with Wyborowa Exquisite premium spirit is worth the extra pennies for the clean taste of the alcohol minus that painful kick.

The Last Word
The Player would have been a top cocktail bar a few years ago, but cocktail bars have come on so far now that it has been left behind. It still makes for an excellent post-work bar with friends, particularly girlfriends who enjoy sweet, creamy drinks.

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