Page 137 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL MAGAZINE SUMMER 2023 LISBON EDITION

floor of 17 Sloane Gardens. It’s fitted with crys-
tal chandeliers, silk and velvet fabrics, one-and-
a-half bathrooms, and a kitchen with a dish-
washer, washer/dryer, small refrigerator, Ne-
spresso coffee maker, and—the ultimate amenity
for this tea-loving nation—a tap dispensing boil-
ing water at the ready. My car-crazy husband is
even more excited by what he sees outside our
door—namely, Chelsea’s steady stream of
purring Porsches, Bentleys, Aston Martins, and a
neon-green Lamborghini.
Fortunately, we don’t need to get behind the
wheel to reach several appealing watering holes.
One of our first stops is Bluebird, a restaurant
and café frequented by Prince Williams’ wife
Catherine when she was just plain ol’ Kate Mid-
dleton, living on Old Church Street near a now-
defunct studio where Pink Floyd and The Who
used to record. We also wet our whistles at the
Chelsea Potter pub, whose erstwhile regulars
included The Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix,
and the Cooper’s Arms, where we sip pricey
pints beneath a disembodied moose head.
Our favorite meal is an eclectic selection of
yellowfin tuna filet tataki, chickpea and feta
wontons, and duck spring rolls at Sloane Place
Restaurant, on the ground floor of The Sloane
Club’s sister hotel, Sloane Place. Afterwards, we
get cozy in The Hideaway, an intimate, subter-
ranean speakeasy beneath the restaurant, sip-
ping cocktails expertly crafted by Eric, our
charming Italian bartender. When we finally tear
ourselves away, we’re grateful we have only a
two-minute wobbly walk home.
If you fancy fast food, the King’s Road Mc-
Donalds, with its futuristic 60s facade, has an
unexpectedly illustrious history. “This was the
Chelsea Drug Store, which The Rolling Stones Crystal chandeliers and luxurious
sang about in ‘You Can’t Always Get What You fabrics lend an elegant ambiance to
The Apartments by The Sloane Club.
Want,” notes Mark Barber, a guide with British Top: The Hideaway at Sloane Place
Tours, who leads us on a two-hour walk. Its
has a cozy, speakeasy feel and
shiny, Technicolor interior, sadly long since re- features live music weekly.
placed, also featured as the record store in Stan- Opposite: The Apartments by The
ley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange. Sloane Club encompass a trio of
adjoining Victorian brick mansions on
At 138A King’s Road, Barber points out a Sloane Gardens in Chelsea, London
plaque above a juice bar which states that de-
signer Mary Quant opened her Bazaar boutique

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