Nightlife review: House of Wolf and Dirty Little Secret

This week we have two venues that cater for your slightly more mature party-goer…

House of Wolf (Islington)

House of Wolf is a visual feast. The apothecary room, laden with lotions and potions of all varieties, prescribes you any cocktail your heart desires.

Housed in a Dickensian domicile, the Medicine Bar, as it was formerly known, retains original features aplenty.

Over its four rooms (and one hidden one) you’ll find gourmet food, experimental dining, live music, performance and aperitifs, all attracting a more sophisticated Upper Street crowd.

Chandeliers and opulent copper wallpaper do err slightly on the side of pretention but HofW has never pretended to be a shrinking violet and nor should it.

There’s a real feeling of decadence within its four walls, making it the perfect escape to remedy these awfully austere times.

Dirty Little Secret (Hackney)

Dirty Little Secret proffers a winter-warming home from home for all who ­enter, thanks in the most part to its lovable proprietors and real-life partners Melvin and David.

The two-some treat customers like long lost relatives, putting good old fashioned hospitality firmly at the forefront of their gin-bar-come-living room.

Cosy, snug as a bug, retro furnishings and warm lighting, coupled with trendy exposed bricks and ambient house make DLS a definite one to watch since opening its doors little more than a month ago.

Situated on Stokey High Street, the bar attracts an older crowd of late-twenty/early-thirty somethings seeking solace from Dalston’s rowdy youngsters.

Its basement, taking ­inspiration from City Road’s East Bloc, is the perfect setting for debauchery galore. And with plans afoot to host a mixed bag of club nights for gay and straight revellers, chances are Dirty Little Secret won’t stay ­under wraps for long.