Occupying the unit vacated by the late Rinky Dink on Clapham’s Hedonism Boulevard (aka the High Street), this is the celebrated house music label’s premier venture into the bar scene. The 6pm- ‘til late venue’s Ibiza 60s moderne, neon-lit, night-clubby decor is as stylised as Hed Kandi’s instantly recognisable CD artwork, blown up and used here as art. A dress code that stipulates ‘no bling/ no baseball caps/ no loud sportswear’ speaks volumes about who they don’t want to entertain, although the sight of Bianca Gascoigne and that duck-faced bimbo from The Only Way Essex (who can tell them apart?) the night I attend, might deter fussier types. Bottle service (that night-club pose again) is significantly cheaper than West End prices: £65 (includes mixers) for Buffalo Trace. Cocktails such as Kandi colada, coco’licious and twisted disco (a citrus and dark rum mule) at £6.50 reflect the 20-something party crowd’s tastes. Wines start at £13.95, champagne from £8.95 (Mumm): Wave your hands in the air and p-aaaa-rty. It's Hed-y stuff. Oi! No shagging that bird from Billericay with the Battenberg tan you just met; you're in genteel Cla'am, not Benidorm I'll have you know.
38 Clapham High Street SW4 7UR 7627 1036 http://www.hedkandi.com/bars
Taken from my review at www.squaremeal.co.uk
