Eighty-Six, Fulham Road's hottest hangout

People will never stop wanting to eat and drink on the Fulham Road, whether it’s ‘The Beach’ strip by Pizza Express and the Goat and Boots or the swankier South Kensington end, it has always been and will remain to be an aspirational and popular destination. However, one venue which has struggled to retain a consistent brand is the beautiful Georgian house, now home to super sexy bar come restaurant ‘Eighty Six’. Previously a naff and garish restaurant called Cactus Blue this spot has never been one that people have travelled back to week after week to eat, drink and party. How things have changed...

                                       

Kate Middleton put this place on the map when she had her hen night here and named it her favourite bar. Since then marketing guru Charlie has provided the essential injection of fresh blood to bring the young fulhamites back to this destination. I was amazed at how he effortlessly he and manager Remi worked the crowd in the dining room, striking the perfect balance between being earnestly engaging yet charming (the perfect amount of schmooze) they made my girlfriend and I feel as important as the Duchess of Cambridge ourselves.       

We started with champagne and half a dozen oysters; having not seen each other for three months with hours of gossip to catch up on we were in a spoiling mood and luckily for us could not have picked a better venue. French poet Léon-Paul Fargue, described eating an oyster as “like kissing the sea on the lips”, if this is the case then the sea at Eighty Six had the Julia Roberts of lips, the oysters were exceptionally delicious. Feeling somewhat giggly after my three oysters and two glasses of champagne, we decided if we were to splurge then we might as well really splurge and so our delightful waitress Linda carefully recommended the Lemon Sole for my friend and a Sirloin Steak for me.

                                       

Before long the entire dining room, a space set on the first floor with a hollow centre to reveal the hubbub of the bar, became packed with glamorous guests of all ages. Not only was this wonderfully reassuring for a Tuesday night, it made for a lively Friday night ambience. This led me to question what it must be like on a Friday night, sublimely atmospheric I would imagine. Suitably people watched out we turned our attentions back to the matter at hand, devouring a succulent, juicy, perfectly cooked steak and beautifully light lemon sole. Both dishes were generous portions and cooked to perfection, sadly the pretty presentation didn’t last long as we devoured every last mouthful in a matter of moments.

                                       


Eighty Six has got it bang on the money, from the imaginative cocktail list to the excellent service, everything about this suspiciously cool venue makes you want to revisit. Perfect for a romantic supper a la deux, especially a first date (take note boys!) yet also perfect for cocktails and mayhem with the girls on Friday night.