Las Vegas Style Casino Arrives In London
This June will see the arrival of Las Vegas glamour to London’s West End. The Casino at The Empire will be London’s largest casino, offering a modern and sophisticated gaming, drinking and dining experience all under one roof. The Casino at The Empire will be a welcome addition to the West End, which has never seen an opening on such a scale before. The team behind this eagerly anticipated project is London Clubs International, whose recent projects include the acclaimed private member’s club and casino Fifty, and Manchester’s most sophisticated casino, Manchester235. The Casino will offer its guests a unique entertainment concept, including an impressive array of gaming facilities, two restaurants, a destination bar, ice creamery, nightclub, dedicated poker room and VIP Room.
Set over a vast 50,000 square feet, and situated on the former site of the renowned Empire Ballroom, The Casino at The Empire will offer two spacious floors of entertainment. The ground floor will house the main body of the casino, offering 30 sleek gaming tables, a private poker room with its own bar accommodating up to 80 players and state of the art electronic gaming machines.
The bar will provide a focal point to the entire space and the talented bar team will serve up an inspired selection of drinks. Flanked on both sides by a stunning central staircase weaving between floors, and with a separate seating area, it will be a destination venue for all visitors, whether they choose to gamble or not. Membership to The Casino will be complimentary and instant, on display of either a valid passport, driving licence or credit card, if you are registered on the UK electoral role.
Both restaurants will be situated on the second floor, and offer diners a wide range of choice. The first will be called Flame and will be a grillroom, serving the highest quality of meat, as well as lighter alternatives in the form of pancetta wrapped yellow fin tuna with seared scallops. The restaurant will accommodate up to 65 covers and have a classic and intimate feel, with dark wooden tables, black marble surfaces and luxurious carpeting.
The second will be a noodle bar, Fu Lu Shou, an informal restaurant offering delicious and uncomplicated Pan-Asian dishes. Sourced from the four corners of Asia, the restaurant will offer everything from Thai Green Curry to Peking Chilli Prawns, as well as an enticing selection of exotic teas. Diners will experience the visual delight of seeing their meal prepared by authentic Asian chefs through the open kitchen.
Striking wall hangings, low backed tables and chairs alongside long dining counters will all serve to create a chic Oriental space with 45 covers. The second floor will also boast a stylish member’s lounge with a dance floor where resident djs will play music to keep people dancing into the early hours.
One of The Casino’s most interesting attractions will be an ice cream parlour and coffee space located on the second floor named Mocha. Inspired by the ice cream boutiques of America, which offer a bespoke ice cream service, guests will select their own flavour combinations. Choosing from an array of unusual and amusing ingredients, including jelly babies and cookie crumbs, guests will then look on as their ice cream is mixed together with them on a sleek slab of marble.
The ice creams themselves will be homemade and the customised flavours will mean that every bowl or cone of ice cream offers a unique tasting experience. Diners in the restaurants will be invited to round off their meals in the ice cream parlour, which will also offer a selection of freshly baked pastries, cookies and muffins, as well as a range of flavoured coffees.
A VIP lounge will be situated at the front of the building, with an outside balcony offering the perfect vantage point over the West End. The lounge has been designed in a style reminiscent of a French boudoir. Chandeliers in all shapes and sizes will abound, an entire wall will be covered with ‘floating’ candles placed at different heights, and antique wallpaper offset by crimson furnishings will create a sultry and decadent ambience.
The whole building has been designed by The Paul Steelman Design Group. This Las Vegas based firm is a leader in the entertainment architecture field and Paul Steelman is widely accepted as the authority on casino architecture. His projects include The Mirage and The Sands Macau, which he designed along the principles of feng shui and Las Vegas glamour. Creating a space for entertainment and fun whilst never losing sight of attention to detail and a respect for the finest materials are behind Steelman’s work, and these elements are all apparent in The Casino at The Empire’s design.
As the profile of casinos continue to rise in the light of the relaxation of the gaming laws and recent films such as Casino Royale, The Casino at the Empire promises to whisk its guests away to the bright lights and excitement of Las Vegas for a truly memorable experience.
THE CASINO AT THE EMPIRE
7 Leicester Street, London, WC2H 7NA
Thecasinolsq.com
Opening Times: Sun-Fri 12pm-6am, Sat12pm-4am
