Happy birthday Piano Works!
By Sophie Parkinson
Happy birthday Piano Works! Not many of us are fortunate enough to remember our first birthday – the one where your parents are still really excited about you being around, (trust me, they still are – ed) and make a big deal of it – but the celebrations last night at the Piano Works will more than compensate!
With a 400 person capacity, plenty of bar space and decked out with comfy big boy bar stools flown in especially from Chicago, this is the liveliest place in Farringdon. Innocent enough for work drinks with colleagues that will inevitably turn into a fun evening (thank goodness!) and vibrant enough for (birthday) celebrations, Piano Works is still the “it” place to be a year on after it’s conception.
Delightful drinks, novel cocktails and zingy twists on the classics – think Espresso martinis flavoured with your choice of vanilla/hazelnut/caramel; Lady grey gimlet (we’re talking violet, lady grey tea and Bombay Sapphire); American iced T – a cherry twist on the classic; Rose and raspberry cosmos, and the must try: Almond and Hazelnut Sour, we’re not going to ruin the surprise, but boy it’s a good ‘un!
Ok, that’s enough about the food and drinks (– said no one ever!). Piano Works’ main attraction is the live band playing music on request. A human jukebox that actually stocks the songs you want to hear, performed impromptu to the highest standards by some unbelievably talented musicians. We danced to Paolo Nutini, Nina Simone, Alicia Keys, Adel, Toto, that 1 good Justin Bieber song…you name it, they’ll play it. Even the barmen will be playing guitars by the end of the evening! Do yourself a favour, reserve a table for you and some friends and get down there – no friends? No problem! Plenty of fun people to chat to, not least Tristan, the delightful General Manager.
Oh, and did we mention that Beyoncé’s band popped in last Friday to jam – but shhh, we should probably be keeping that on the QT!
Sophie Parkinson: twitter @sophie_t_p