It would be foolish and rather naive to believe that other UK towns and cities can't compete with uber cool places in London, like Hackney and Shoreditch, and Cheltenham is living proof of that.
131 & Crazy Eights puts me in mind of the Soho House group - well thought out, well executed and never simply a case of style over substance. All strands are cohesive and seemingly effortless. In the past, I've had low expectations from the food in highly styled places like this; and yet, so often lately I am pleasantly surprised. London may be the food capital of the world but there has been a huge rise in the level of cooking coming out of villages and towns for a long time now, with so many chefs realising they can make their mark elsewhere once they've nailed a few tough years under the watchful eyes of their role models . And so many of these places don't simply deliver on the food front, they're throwing money at interior design and creating opulent havens for an ever-growing band of discerning diners.
If eating out has replaced clubbing, as we're now frequently told, here you don't have to choose. You can do it all at 131 - sip cocktails in their sexy, dimly lit lounge, wander through to the restaurant for a lovely meal, then nip downstairs for drinks and dancing in the bar, where cool club classics, played by their in-house DJ, will encourage you to burn off calories you've just consumed! We didn't have too many calories to shake off; we chose light dishes like Tuna Tartare, Salmon Sashimi, Mussels and Cod - nothing too remarkable or individual, but all equally delicious. The next morning, our only regret was not eating more.
131 isn't just a great choice for dinner, it's a whole night out. A one-stop shop. A destination hot-spot, or perhaps just a pleasant surprise. read more
