Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all? The former Crystal nightclub is looking good in its new incarnation as Merah but with celebrity guest DJs and a door picker fresh from St Tropez’s Les Caves du Roy, you’d better make sure that you look and act the part.

The Venue
High end venues in Central London tend to be a little precious with their furnishings. Who knows, perhaps it’s the million pound kit out costs but they seldom smile about anyone throwing a few shapes on the tables, much less encourage it. Merah on the other hand are so confident that on any given night they’ll have picked the right mix of clubbers that they’re happy to let you do just that. They’ve even gone so far as to opt for tables with drawers designed for holding glasses of Champagne so that you don’t have to risk your drinks being spilt no matter how enthusiastic your gyrations. Refreshingly for a club of its ilk, there is a dance floor right in the middle of the room and plenty of standing room at the bar so that you if you don’t choose to part with the minimum spend for a table you won’t feel like you’re missing out.

The Atmosphere
At Merah you’re treated like an old friend and it’s likely that a large proportion are but even if you’re a newcomer every effort is made to ensure that at every stage of your night you feel like you’ve known them for years. From the friendly staff behind the bar to the cloakroom attendants taking your fingerprint when you check in your coat, the emphasis is on ease. Mixed groups of friends are the norm and the acres of sunkissed skin are testament to an international party crowd who flit between the beach clubs of St Tropez and the ski slopes of St Anton.

The Music
There’s no cheesy apres-ski music though, in fact the emphasis is on hosting credible events such as the official BRITS 010 after party and quality DJs especially on Wednesdays when the likes of Razorlight and Duran Duran get behind the decks. The crowd may have cut glass accents but the conversation is more likely to skip from Strangeboys to Vampire Weekend than Pixie Lott and Lily Allen and the hip bending and hair thrashing wouldn’t be out of place in a muddy festival field.

The Drink
However, when it comes to the drinks, in general tastes are more pedestrian with Bellinis and glasses of Champagne (both priced at £17.60) the norm - a shame as the other cocktails showcase the bar staff’s skills more. Even the male models standing around the dance floor sipping bottles of water have smiles on their faces – proof if it was needed that you don’t need to drink excessively at Merah to have fun.

The Last Word
High end Central London clubs do tend to have a reputation for charging a lot and delivering very little and Merah is certainly expensive. However, with the likes of Duran Duran and Razorlight taking turns behind the decks and a fun, friendly crowd, if you want to splash out this is a good place to do it.

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