If you’ve ever braved the bustle of Oxford Circus and come away needing a stiff drink, Tarek Farah has created the ideal getaway: Encore. It’s an underground speakeasy-style listening bar tucked below Toum, Farah’s recently opened Lebanese rotisserie restaurant on Maddox Street – and just a few doors down from his well-loved debut venue Aline. It’s designed to transport you away from the melee with cocktails and retro Arabic sounds.
Whilst there’s no shortage of listening bars vying for audiophiles’ time in the capital right now – from old favourites like Spiritland to Chelsea’s New Forms – Encore’s calling card is its sonic niche. Tying into the culinary culture of Toum, and Farah’s own French-Lebanese heritage, the walls of Encore are lined with Habibi Funk records, a label specialising in Arabic funk and soul dating from the 1960s to 1980s. Encore has a resident DJ, Walter Parreira, but, “because the space is so small, we want it to feel like an ongoing conversation between DJs, bartenders and guests”, says Farah. While many listening bars have a strict no requests policy, Encore is happy to oblige. “We want it to feel especially intimate – cosy, warm, and welcoming, almost like being in someone’s living room,” Farah tells Broadsheet.
All deep reds and dark woods, with room for just 20 to 25 people split across high leather bar stools and corner nooks, Encore might feel like a living room but it’s an impressively high spec one. Designed for optimum sound quality, the acoustic ceiling and wall panelling bring to mind an after-hours bar in a ’70s recording studio; Farah also acquired refurbished Little Gold Monitor Tannoy speakers “to deliver a raw, authentic listening experience, perfect for vinyl”.
Where Toum specialises in juicy spit roast and bigger plates, Encore will use similar flavours and ingredients but present them primarily as finger food: barbeque beef short rib shawarma becomes a dainty trio of tacos, while its steak tartare is served as bite-sized brioche canapes. Meanwhile, leading Lebanese bartender Jad Ballout (Beirut’s Dead End Paradise and Social Paradise) has designed the cocktail menu, with a focus on both French and Lebanese ingredients, as well as tarte tatin and black forest cake reimagined as cocktails.
“Since Encore is primarily a post-dinner bar, Jad created a signature list of darker cocktails built around spirits like whiskey, bourbon and rum,” says Farah. “They’re richer, more complex, and perfect for late-night sipping.”
Encore
18a Maddox Street, W1S 1PL
Hours:
Thu to Sat 6pm–midnight
