Steam & Rye: Gatsby-style bar and restaurant coming to London

14-Oct-2013 - Last updated on 15-Oct-2013 at 15:56 GMT

Steam & Rye has been inspired by America’s Gilded Age; a time of glamour, decadence and idealism

Nick House, the entrepreneur behind famous London nightclubs Mahiki and Whisky Mist, has teamed up with model Kelly Brook for the launch of Steam & Rye, a Prohibition era-themed bar and restaurant in the heart of the City.

The 550-capacity venue will open on the former Bank of New York building on Leadenhall Street on 21 November, comprising a classic diner, basement cocktail bar and live music and dancing hall styled on scenes from American novel The Great Gatsby.

“It was love at first site when I set eyes upon the old Bank of New York and the concept immediately sprung to life in my hand,” said House. “In a few seconds, an amalgamation of movies ranging from Hugo to Gangs of New York started to take form and I knew that I had to make Steam & Rye a reality.

“My journey started also a year ago as I began to source film set designers, alternative thinkers, illustrators, chefs and mixologists who could help shape my vision into something special and incomparable.”

Grand Central Station

Brook, who is a partner in the business, added: “I have always been inspired by the glamour and opulence of 1940s Americana and I’m thrilled to be collaborating on this project with Nick.

Steam-and-Rye — The basement '1st Class Cocktail Carriage' is ideal for private parties and events

“This is my first venture into nightlife hospitality and we’ve teamed up to deliver something extraordinary – there’s nothing like it in London.”

Steam & Rye’s restaurant and bar, named the Main Hall and Station Gardens, are modelled on New York’s Grand Central Station, featuring a sculpted bar, a stage, living clock and a ‘steam train’ dining carriage.

Wealthy eccentricity

Andrew McLeish, chef-patron of the Michelin-starred Chapter One restaurant in Kent, has been brought in to oversee the new venue’s food offering, which will include grain-fed beef from Greater Omaha, BBQ spare ribs, crab cakes, clam chowder, smoked pulled pork and steaks cooked on a Josper Grill.

The bar will be managed by Andy Mill, formerly of London Cocktail Club and a finalist in the Diageo World Class competition, who will serve up a mix of classic and bespoke cocktails. The basement bar will take a 1st Class Cocktail Carriage theme, with velvet and leather-lined booths creating a more intimate area for private parties and events.

And for the venue’s design, House and Brook have enlisted the help of production designer Jonathan Lee, who has an array of TV and film credentials. “The design theme that I developed is based on wealthy eccentricity from a period of great invention, exploration and decadent style,” said Lee.

“As in designing a film, I set out to have the ‘audience’ immersed in this world and take them on a journey through it.”

Steam & Rye will open at 147 Leadenhall Street on 21 November.