Concealed within the bowels of the former Old War Office, which reopened in its new guise of Raffles London, The Spy Bar is an underground ode to author Ian Fleming, who is said to have dreamed up his fictional icon James Bond while wandering its cavernous corridors – in his role as personal assistant to the director, Rear Admiral John Godfrey in the Secret Service Naval Intelligence during WWII.
Heralding a new era of super-luxe hospitality, this den of inequity, formerly rooms 006 and, of course, 007, is accessed via an unmarked door and is for hotel guests and invitation-only in order to preserve the discreet nature of the space – with no photography allowed. Entrance is via a succession of structurally reinforced underground corridors, where guests are greeted by vintage furnishings and antique rotary-dialled telephones I hadn’t seen since childhood. It serves as a tribute to the countless number of spies who once worked within these hallowed walls. Star of the show, perhaps unsurprisingly given the room number, is a silver Aston Martin DB5 luxury grand tourer, reportedly the stunt car from No Time to Die shorn in half and wall-mounted behind the bar – in all its lights-on, iconic spoked-wheel glory. High-gloss bordeaux-red bar stools shimmer like moonbeams while guests talk in hushed tones in discreet corners to complete the covert world of espionage vibe.
The Spy Bar is headed up by former Galvin at Windows and Coq d’Argent alumnus Sotirios Konomi who’s orchestrated a 16-strong cocktail offering, evoking different chapters from the building’s storied past. A great introduction is via the Spy Bar Tasting Experience, where guests get to sample three secrecy-meets-sophistication themed cocktails. The signature Vesper martini, infiltrated by a house-made honey distillate and named after Bond’s love interest Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, is one of the highlights the bar’s mixologists will guide you through, while they perfectly pair canapés to enhance the experience.
Open Tuesday-Saturday, 5pm-2am; The Spy Bar, Old War Office, 57 Whitehall, London SW1A 2BX; theowo.london; for reservations email undercover.london@raffles.com
Lee Osborne is creative director of Secret Trips
