DestinAsian – August 01, 2019

18

DESTINASIAN.COM – AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2019

COU

RTE

SY^ O

F^ V

INT

RY^ &

ME

RCE

R

A FINE VINTAGE

A new boutique hotel in the British capital

offers style, substance, and striding distance to

some of London’s best-known landmarks.

BY CHRIS KIRKPATRICK

What’s in a name? In the case of Vintry & Mercer, which debuted

earlier this year on the doorstep of London’s financial district, the

moniker references the hotel’s location near two ancient guild halls,

ones founded to trade wine and fine textiles, respectively. Both en-

riched this historic quarter of the city in medieval times, just as they

now inform the offerings at this smartly designed 92-room hotel

within a stone’s throw of St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Situated at the end of a narrow cobbled lane next to the church

of St. James Garlickhythe—another Christopher Wren landmark—

Vintry & Mercer brings to the neighborhood the same sort of pa-

nache (courtesy of the same design firm) that earned accolades for

its seven-year sister property in South Kensington, The Ampersand.

Here, the plush contemporary look nods to the area’s mercantile

heritage, with digitally printed wallpaper depicting old nautical

charts or London street maps; velvet bedheads and drapes in ma-

rine blue or claret red or saffron; palm-leaf wall prints alluding to

the East Indies, and, in the light-filled lobby, potted plants and green

accents meant to remind visitors that when the guilds were founded

centuries ago, the countryside was not far away.

Standard rooms are a little snug, but not poky, and like the

rest of the accommodations they come with herringbone-tiled

bathrooms, luxe toiletries from a Greenwich Village apothecary,

patinated brass  accents, and niches stocked with books and faux-

vintage objets. The best suites feature glass-paneled balconies; mine

looked straight across to the slate rooftop of St. James Garlickhythe,

which takes its name from the medieval jetty where French garlic

and wine were once unloaded.

Breakfasts are served downstairs at Vintry Izakaya, which serves

Asian tapas (think miso-glazed eggplant or octopus okonomiyaki)

for lunch and dinner. The restaurant that’s getting all the attention,

however, is the Mercer Roof Terrace, which crowns the six-story

building. Here, chef Chris Golding turns out mod-British dishes like

snail-and-bacon pie and halibut with anchovy butter in a conserva-

tory-like space whose open terrace affords equally impressive views

of the dome of St. Paul’s and the Shard across the Thames. There

is no such scenery in the hotel’s underground, vintage-glam speak-

easy, but there is plenty of eye-candy, from the bar’s gorgeous ma-

roon banquettes to the images of Ziegfeld Folly girls hand-beaded

with thousands of Swarovski crystals. Barrel-aged cocktails are the

order of the day—try the Sazerac.

Two nearby tube stations (Mansion House, at the top of the lane;

and Bank, a six-minute stroll away) make getting around London

easy. But one of Vintry & Mercer’s greatest assets is the plethora of

attractions close at hand. Apart from historic pubs, there’s Sweet-

ings, the city’s oldest fish res-

taurant, just around the cor-

ner on Queen Victoria Street.

A six-minute walk will bring

you to St. Paul’s; nine minutes

in the other direction, and

you’re at the Royal Exchange

or the Monument to the Great

Fire of London. Or cross Upper

Thames Street, pass the Vint-

ners’ Hall (the current building

dates to the early 19th century),

and cross the Thames at South-

wark Bridge to visit the Tate

Modern, Shakespeare’s Globe,

or anywhere else your feet

might carry you.

20 Garlick Hill; 44-20/3908-

8088; vintryandmercer.com;

doubles from US$272.

18 GOOD TO GO CHECKING IN

Clockwise from this

picture: The hotel’s

speakeasy–style

cocktail bar, Do Not

Disturb; vintage

stylings in a guest

room; sunset views

from the Mercer

Roof Terrace.