Diversity. Inclusion. Equality. These emotive words have been doing the rounds lately, quoted by every business from tech firms to toothpaste manufacturers, says James Lawrence. There is a mad scrabble to prove how inclusive you are, and no one wants to be left out.
Older citizens of London tend to greet all this with a wry smile. Their city is the seminal multi-cultural melting pot – it practically wrote the book on diversity way back in the 1960s. Indeed, switched-on locals don’t proselytize inclusion, because it’s old news. Been there, done that, got the Instagram
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Take Park Row. One manager described the restaurant as a rainbow, and he’s spot-on; the crowd was so eclectic that it made the United Nations look like a hamlet in Gascony. People of all nationalities, ethnicities and sexual orientations just having a damn good time.
Yet Park Row, just off Piccadilly, doesn’t hammer the point home. Welcoming everyone is an integral part of the venue’s DNA – just like angry receptionists at GP surgeries. There is no need to promote something that comes as second nature.
However, the basement destination proudly touts its relationship with Warner Bros’ Batman franchise. Park Row is a themed restaurant in the best sense of the word: the quirks and references to the DC Comics creation enhance the dining experience, rather than overwhelm it.
You enter the venue through a faux bookcase, descending down a spiral staircase, before arriving at the main dining hall called Pennyworth’s. (That’s a homage to Batman’s butler, Alfred Pennyworth, in case anyone is wondering.)
Thereafter, Gotham’s presence lurks in every corner, from the cocktail names to the lavish décor and slick service worthy of Alfred himself, whether that’s played by Michael Caine or Michael Gough. And by Jove, there is plenty of theatre at Park Row; an imposing sculpture of a penguin emits dry ice, while a gigantic fountain will dispense cocktails on demand.
Of course, it would be so easy to let the spectacle do all the talking, relegating the culinary art to an afterthought. Thankfully, the nosh is as satisfying and well-executed as the aesthetics. After some cocktails, came a delicious Mulligatawny soup, as richly flavoured and satisfying as any I’ve tried. Rib-eye steak was soft and juicy – don’t we all hate desiccated meat! – and ditto the duck breast.
There was also a surfeit of tasty sides: crunchy French fries and squidgy soft macaroni cheese. In lieu of my health kick, we also sampled some veg. Our one concession to good behaviour.
Happily satiated, we skipped dessert. More cocktails beckoned, made all the more pleasant by the excellent live music. Park Row thronged with energy peculiar to London: exhilarating; uplifting and life-affirming. It’s a poster child for everything I love about our capital.
Another visit beckons.
What: Park Row
Where: 77 Brewer Street, London, W1F 9ZN.
Web: ParkRowLondon.co.uk
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