The credentials
High Road House – Soho House’s Chiswick members’ club – has an intimate restaurant, a members’ bar and lounge area, as well as 14 bedrooms and a brasserie open to members and non members alike.
Sleep
We were given the Playroom, an airy 334 square foot affair with muted olive-toned wood-panelled walls, huge, ridiculously comfortable bed with standard issue billion thread-count Soho House sheets, freestanding tub, improbably effective AC (it was one of July’s scorchers), Robertson radio conveniently tuned to Radio 4, and enough space to swing a cat.
The bathroom was typical Soho House; loo with high porcelain cistern and proper pull chain, warm considered lighting (I took a picture of the bedside lamp bulb), walk-in shower filled with every Cowshed product under the sun, razor for pre-romance emergencies, and of course – being a playroom – condoms, skincare products, and anything else one might want for a dirty stop out.
Perhaps best of all, the room was kitted out with a Victorian cocktail making kit with everything from mixologist-grade shaker, to bitters to obscure artisanal spirits to create home-from-home-mixed delights. But if one was feeling lazy, the fridge was stocked with hand-labelled, freshly pre-mixed glass bottled cocktails, which couldn’t be further from pre-mixed supermarket cocktails in a can if they tried. In short, it was wonderful.
Dine
We took supper at the ground-floor brasserie, reminiscent of Portobello’s Electric House brasserie before its reincarnation as a diner, and every bit as delicious. Being a balmy evening, we chose to eat on the terrace, sheltered from the bustle of Chiswick High Street but with all the people watching one could wish for.
After a wonderful night enjoying everything the Playroom had to offer, we were awoken at 11am with the most fantastic Eggs Florentine in bed, fresh orange juice, aromatic coffee and bellinis, quite possibly surpassing their inventor, Harry’s Bar in Venice (it was my boyfriend’s birthday).
Who goes there?
Upstairs is the members’ club room and bar, which, incidentally served us the best Pisco Sours this side of Peru – better even than the ones we had later that day at London’s only Michelin-starred Peruvian.
In the day, the club room is filled with typical Soho House media-types lunching with friends, working alone, catching up on the papers, basically doing everything Soho Houses do best. But come evening, the ground-floor restaurant is full to the brim with the great and good of Chiswick and beyond.
I’ve had many a friend move their local house membership from Soho House proper or The Electric to High Road House upon reaching an age where buggies and square-foot-to-property price-ratio became a priority. And if I’m honest, I rather had the impression High Road House would reflect the Notting Hill set I used to party with all settled down.
But how wrong I was. High Road House was as buzzy (if you’ll forgive the term), as well-heeled, and as exciting as any of the other houses, and as it’s slightly more out of the way, it almost felt more exclusive.
Out & about
Bang in the middle of Chiswick’s High Road, we took a passeggiata before bed to explore the leafy surrounds, which at night – once the bustle of the high road had subsided – are remarkably peaceful.
The best thing
I’d say the freestanding tub in the bedroom, and the ample selection of oils with which to fill it. Listening to Radio 3 at 3am, cocktail in hand, in a steaming hot bath with my favourite person in the world is as close to perfect as it gets.
Followed shortly by the wonderful breakfast in bed, which they now offer from Friday to Sunday, automatically included as part of your stay!
The worst thing
That we couldn’t move in for a week.
