Eclectic Bar Group is set to unveil its new bar and restaurant concept Dirty Blonde which will be hidden behind a pawnbrokers shop in Brighton.
Opening on March 27, it has been created within the former Madame Geisha bar in East Street. Inspired by New York City, it will bring “an injection of vintage styling and 1920s decadence”.
It is set to be a new brand for Eclectic which also operates 21 venues including the tiki-themed Lola Lo, Po Na Na clubs and Japanese-inspired Sakura bars and restaurants.
The bar and restaurant will be hidden behind a pawn shop which will sell or trade vintage ephemera, from guitars and brooches to cigar cases and perfume bottles. The shop operates as a separate business in the care of specialist vintage buyers.
The 320-capacity bar and restaurant will open six days a week from midday until 3am and from midday until 11pm on Sundays.
The bar is named after a cocktail found in New York by Eclectic’s chief executive Reuben Harley and designed by hospitality specialists Julian Taylor Design Associates.
Dirty Blonde’s cocktail menu will have up to 30 speciality drinks, including recipes from before and during Prohibition, aged cocktails, Martinis and signature blends.
The bar food offer will include the Dirty Brunch served from midday to 3pm. Dishes will include pancakes, waffles, muffins, truffle-and-chive scrambled egg on a toasted bagel and the Yanki Mini Dog with mustard, smoked ketchup and crispy onions. Other bar dishes will include small plates, burgers, dogs, sandwiches and salads.
From 3pm to 6pm, Dirty Blonde will host the Boston Tea Party, an afternoon tea featuring Moët & Chandon Rosé champagne, chocolate strawberries, spiced lobster blinis and a selection of pastries and cakes.
For a more formal dining experience, the restaurant menu will be classic New York fusion, drawing inspiration from the immigrant cuisines of New York City’s five boroughs.
Dishes will include General Tso’s Sweet and Sour Salmon with Furi Kaki Rice, grilled chicken breast with New York bacon waffles, pan-fried Maryland sea bass and Pomander Walk polenta cake.
Desserts will include baked chocolate fondant Big Chocolate and The Little Apple to Morningside Strawberry Shortcake, which will be served in a variety of guises including vanity cases.
After 9pm, the pawn shop becomes a meet-and-greet area for a late-night experience until 3am. With VIP booths available, Dirty Blonde will play a classic music mix of resident and big-name DJs, complemented by a regular dose of live performances.
Lee Nicolson, Eclectic’s operations director, said: “Dirty Blonde clearly illustrates Eclectic’s plans to continually enhance and evolve its portfolio. We are currently looking at several potential sites for Dirty Blonde venues across the UK.”
Click here to see the latest news stories from Barmagazine.co.uk
