Martin Brudnizki has left quite an imprint on London and the designer‘s newest and brightest project may be the most Martin Brudnizki of all. The Coral Room in The Bloomsbury Hotel is nothing short of luminous. Playing out like a Pinterest page of Art Deco influences, the room is replete with shimmering chandeliers, chic wall sconces, brash bankers lamps and a gorgeous marble bar. Of all the features the most notable is the colour – a bold, bright coral. But the most powerful asset is likely the bar‘s bartender par excellence – Giovanni Spezziga.

We‘ve known Spezziga for some time – following his progress from the W to Benares to Scarfes Bar. The sparkling wine list is one of the longest in London and breaks bottles out by country – we were particularly won over by a Brightwell Vineyard Sparkling Chardonnay 2009 from Oxfordshire – however Spezziga‘s cocktails were the most memorable beverages of the evening.  The C O P P E R A L L E Y blended Hayman‘s Old Tom gin with pisco, aperol, lavender syrup, lime juice and egg white to delirious, delicious and sour effect whilst the W I LT S H I R E W A R R I O R was freshness incarnate, blending Sipsmith vodka with lime juice, agave, melon balls and sparkling wine.

There‘s a veritable cornucopia of nibbles on offer. Of all sampled, our favourites were the king prawns with aioli; truffle and parmesan fries; and tenderstem broccoli with kale, cashews, roasted squash and toasted seeds. There‘s a dessert menu with chocolate truffles and lemon cheesecake which matches up well with a number of the libations. We really can‘t say enough about the Coral Room – it attracts a sophisticated set that know what they want from a cocktail bar.