20 years of Bistrotheque: the fashion set’s favourite restaurant

And so, in 2004, Bistrotheque was born. Taking its name from the DJ Martin Green, who gave Flack and Waddington the idea while they were catering Jarvis Cocker’s wedding, on the first floor the restaurant promised refined cocktails, white tablecloths and French-inspired fare to the tinkle of a piano. Downstairs, meanwhile, the cabaret room offered lively, modern drag shows by up-and coming performers such as Jonny Woo. ‘”I think what set it apart from restaurants at that time was that we had this kind of high and low culture going together,” says Flack. “Downstairs it was really young and East End — a lot of the queer community and a mid-20s kind of crowd — which was wild and fun and not traditional, but then you would come upstairs and have great food and service, where you’d find a slightly older crowd. That mix was very unusual at the time.”