Aura Mayfair

 

Mayfair's intimate hybrid venue Aura is part cocktail bar, part club and part restaurant, serving contemporary European cuisine with a Pan-Asian twist. Despite the slick décor - which includes cutting-edge lighting and colour changing ceiling coffers - you'll certainly notice the cosy (that's to say slightly cramped) nature of the place when it's at its 250-capacity limit). The menu contains hearty dishes such as fillet steak with hand-cut chips, a Béarnaise sauce and salad (?22) and teriyaki tuna on a lobster, spring onion and spinach mash (?23). The bar serves a rare selection of spirits, carefully selected wines, bottled beers and cocktails, such as the Russian Spring Punch (raspberry puree, lime juice, elderflower cordial, raspberry vodka, Chambord, gomme syrup and champagne). As befits a place located in the shadow of The Ritz, there's a compulsory service charge for all drinks (which cost around a tenner in the first place). With prices on the plush side - ?110 for a bottle of vodka with complimentary mixers, champagne from ?160 - it seems only natural that Aura's clientele consists of designer-conscious suits, wannabe WAGs and the odd celebrity.