Mint Leaf Lounge, The City

The City

Mint Leaf Lounge

venues, September 2008, COMMENTS

Rather than being the spirited, yet predictably less fulfilling sequel to the original Mint Leaf (Restaurant) in Haymarket, the second, arriving some five years after the original, is more like the equally talented, but firmly differentiable cousin. The adaptation of the name in the latest instance to Mint Leaf Lounge does, in itself, indicates that the lines of separation are open to a little blurring here and there. And the employment of Julian Taylor Design Associates, who exquisitely crafted Mint Leaf Restaurant in the West End, signifies that comparables are deliberate.

In fact, the Mint Leaf team and Julian Taylor Design Associates pinpointed three core elements to link two venues that essentially, by the nature of the structures in which they reside, are very different. Gerard McCann, general manager of Mint Leaf revealed: “It was decided we’d take three core elements. We took the back bar display, which is backlit in both venues; three backlit steps going up from the bottle display on the bottle bar, which is fantastic. We took the partitions, the wooden partitions and the metal partitions and they are the three core elements that you’ll recognise in each venue.”

Interestingly, and quite indirectly, both venues are set in former bank buildings, but the spaces are very different. Whilst Mint Leaf Restaurant occupies a basement, one of the challenges of creating Mint Leaf Lounge was to impress the Mint Leaf signature on a much airier room within what used to be Natwest Bank’s headquarters, positioned behind the Bank of England. Comparing the two, Arnaud Bucher assistant manager said: “Here we have a very high ceiling, in that respect the two are like night and day really – the Haymarket restaurant has a very low ceiling, it’s very dark, a lot like a club. And here at Mint Leaf Lounge we have the daylight, bay windows, high ceilings, chandeliers and the wood is not as dark, it’s clear; the colours are lighter. The stone walls as well, they have river stones, basically pebbles along the wall with nice lighting effects.”

Set over two floors, main floor and mezzanine, Mint Leaf Lounge bares its history proudly with two original pillars reaching from the ground, breaking up seating aligning to the sixteen-metre bar, and stretching the dizzying heights to the ceiling. The bar is backed by a feature wall made up of alternating thick strips of exposed light slate and detailed pebble formations wedging neatly between, dramatised by stark uplighters.

Anthony Taylor, project leader for Julian Taylor Design Associates explained the design’s aim: “The client wanted to create an exciting new bar and restaurant in the heart of the City in keeping with the design ethic of the previous Mint Leaf site. Our challenge was to create a sexy, intimate dining and lounge experience without the feel of the obligatory bank hall. We wanted to make the space memorable.”

Seating on the main floor is split into an open area and an enclosed space defined by a maze of wooden partitions. Target Furniture has supplied dark wood tables and contrasting cream leather fixed and moveable seating. The open area has a range of smooth, dark brown and cream leather seating, with small round tables finished with a wide dark wood border, light wood centre and ‘60s style, chrome mushroom lamp. An oversized lighting feature reminiscent of a bamboo wind chime hangs from the centre of the ceiling, which works, along with the partitions to break up an expansive space.

Lighting by Darren Orrow at Into Light is flawless throughout, emphasising captivating design features and creating a warm finish to a demanding venue.

The mezzanine champagne bar offers up similar themes to the main body of the venue but is given a more intimate feel by tall, translucent, beige drapes. Whilst this section provided one of the trickiest design elements, recreating a section of balustrade, the result is opulent, as Anthony explained: “The champagne bar sits on the mezzanine level looking out over the main space. Its luxurious snake skin booths provide a sexy retreat from the main area; this is an understated space that blends American walnut with river washed pebble wall cladding.”

Gerard reflected on working with Julian Taylor again: “It’s fascinating; although we had contact with Julian periodically, to work on a new project has been good. Obviously as a designer he’s moved on, he’s become aware of new finishes and textures and colours, he’d got new ideas. To do it again with him in a very different space was great.”

Absolute Audio Systems has complemented the design work by integrating aesthetically astute Martin Audio AQ6 range enclosures within the main bar, accompanied by Bose 251 and Freespace 3 speakers throughout the main bar and the mezzanine champagne bar, selected for their crisp and even sound distribution. Amplification comes courtesy of QSC CX404 multi-channel amplifiers, with processing via the BSS Soundweb.

Commenting on the sound installation, it is clear Arnaud is pleased with the result: “We have a very, very professional sound system, it’s a Bose system; I’m not sure how many speakers we have, but it’s a very nice system. Because of the high ceilings and the size of the building, it sounds like in a church; very nice.”

By setting up stall in the City, Mint Leaf has achieved an aim that has long been in the pipeline. It was fundamental to its success that the necessary time was taken for the right site to be found and although at first glance, the space within the old Natwest building may not have been an obvious candidate, the end result works perfectly. The coherence between the two Mint Leafs is upheld by Julian Taylor Design Associates, whilst the dimensions allow for grandeur in the design. Mint Leaf’s focus is very much on fine cuisine and drinks expertly crafted by skilled mixologists and with the latest string to their bow, they have created the perfect playground for elegant, sophisticated social gathering.

Words: Michael Nicholson

Images: Jim Ellam

From: September 2008 Issue

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