Set right next to Mansion House station, Vintry & Mercer creates a feeling of grandeur mixed with a little millennial quirkiness. Every little detail is extremely aesthetically pleasing, whilst the ambience is so relaxed and refreshingly un-corporate that it feels more like a luxurious modern home than a hotel right in the middle of London.

Opened in February this year and named after the two commercial wards on the hotel's doorstep (Vintry where fine wines would be delivered from France and Mercer which is the former haunt of noble merchants who traded in high-quality silks, damasks and linens), the hotel’s lavish décor celebrates London’s trading links. Fusing the past with modernity, the 92 sumptuous bespoke rooms and suites (which come in 5 categories) take inspiration from Mercer and feature deep blue, maroon or mustard-coloured velvet headboards, leather door handles, framed London street maps and wallpapered walls. A flatscreen TV, minibar, tea and coffee facilities and an exquisite marble bathroom finish off each room, making it so cosy and homely that leaving it for the hustle and bustle of London feels like a ludicrous idea. And if you do decide to simply stay in, the rooms have a ‘do not disturb’ button (as well as a ‘make up my room’ button) instead of a card to hang on the door – we did warn you that the hotel is brand new and super modern.

For dinner, head down to the ground floor where you’ll find Vintry Izakaya - an Asian tapas eatery where wine plays an important part and is poured straight from large barrels lining the gantry. The menu oozes with bold Asian flavours and offers anything from classic steamed buns and shrimp tempura or Wagyu katsu sandos, through to more inventive dishes like beef rib teriyaki arancini or kimchi and blue cheese fries. Our personal favourites were the miso and sesame seeds Padron peppers and the cooked to perfection sweet miso glazed aubergine. The saddest thing about tapas dinners is that you often order so many small plates of food to share that you could potentially end up feeling too full for pudding, which is a pity when the restaurant offers dangerously inticing desserts like Vietnamese espresso mousse or matcha Opera cake with berry sorbet. All is well though – I suppose this would be a good enough excuse to visit again and hopefully order less this time around. Breakfast is also served at Vintry Izakaya and comprises of a continental buffet and cooked-to-order dishes like traditional full English, but also Asian options like eggs Florentine on steamed bao buns.

After dinner, move to the dimly lit Do Not Disturb cocktail bar inspired by the clandestine bars of 1920s New York and finish off the night with a barrel-aged glass of Manhattan.

Most wow-worthy, however, is Vintry & Mercer’s rooftop terrace and the stunning views it boasts. Filled with light thanks to the glass-panelled roof, the restaurant promises to be a popular dinner spot for Londoners this summer. The menu focusses on modern British cuisine, introducing guests to fresh meat and fish from the British Isles. Dishes include mouth-watering Cornish crab, British asparagus, oysters and lobster, as well as hay-smoked beef tartare and Tomahawk steaks. The atmosphere is vibrant and lively and the décor is ridiculously instagrammable.

For those willing to break a sweat after all the beautiful food on offer at Vintry & Mercer, the hotel also has a small gym equipped with the latest Life Fitness workout equipment — a treadmill, exercise bike, cross trainer and rowing machine, as well as an integrated digital screen with Internet access and an iPhone dock.

And if you need any more reasons as to why Vintry & Mercer needs to be your home away from home when you next visit London (not that you probably do), the newly-built hotel is functioning solely on renewable electricity, sourced from wind, solar and biomass generators. It has solar panels on the roof toe, ensuring a minimal effect on the environment.

 

For more information and to book your stay, please go to https://www.vintryandmercer.com/