24/11/12: After a successful launch night a couple of weeks ago, the men at Manbar invited us back to see how they were getting on.
And with a full bar before the night had barely kicked off, pretty well, by the looks of it. As we salontro’d through the doors on Charing Cross road (picture the Plastics from ‘Mean Girls’ strutting slow motion through the school hallways), with more than a few glances, we wondered if we looked more boy band than Manbar.
The crowd itself offered a variety of men; masculine, mature, and we certainly spotted a queen or two in the corner. After seeing the colourful artwork of buff men upon the walls, we could only hope we’d find one similar in real life.
Did you see the bar made both the Evening Standard and Daily Star newspapers last week for their Prince Harry mural? With even a mention of QX Magazine, too!
As we got the shots lined up – what better way to start – we overheard “I’m hopin’ ta get ah shag tanight” in a broad Scottish accent, knowing there was more than just drinks on the table that night, there was an eager Scotsman bent over it!
Grabbing beers at the bar, we’d decided to enjoy the boozing downstairs and leave the cruising upstairs to the other patrons. A change from the usual hustle and bustle of Soho, it was a really fun but relaxed way to start our Saturday night before we left the late night action to the other men.
79 Charing Cross Road, Soho, WC2H 0NE
Words by Anthony Gilet
Photos by Chris Jepson
