House party concept Little Door & Co has opened its fourth site in Soho
Little Door & Co has opened its fourth site in Soho. Co-founders Kamran Dehdashti and Jamie Hazeel tell how they transform flats into bars
Tell me about the concept of Little Door & Co and how it all started
Jamie Hazeel (JH): It's a good story. It started almost eight years ago after myself and Kam worked on a pop-up together, and through an old boss of Kam's there was the opportunity to rent a bar above Notting Hill Gate tube station. We spent two days trying to work out what to do with the space. There were lots of features – a fireplace, cornicing, moulding – and it was obvious it had been a living room. We kept coming back to this idea that we could return it to a living room, adding stuff from our own homes. We called it Little Yellow Door.
Kamran Dehdashti (KD): We create venues that feel like you're going into a home – we create them in flats in different areas [of London] and we throw house parties and dinner parties. They are all very different and are reflective of the neighbourhoods they're in.
Your newest venue, Little Scarlet Door, is your most central. Why did you want to open in Soho and how is it different from the others?
KD: This is the first site we've built from scratch, so from that perspective it has been the largest undertaking. In terms of how it differs, we always dreamt of having a flat that was more industrial but it never felt quite right. In central London we could work on that concept, with concrete flooring, industrial finishing and a New York loft vibe. It gave us a chance to playfully remind everyone our concept has more legs than just maisonettes. We also believe the best house parties are the ones where you have the best melting pot of humans and Soho offers that in abundance.
We also believe the best house parties are the ones where you have the best melting pot of humans
JH: We were also set in our minds that Soho is a less residential area of London compared to where we have opened before, which have been neighbourhood venues. They follow a similar theme as the homes that would be in that area, but Soho is totally different.
What does the drinks offering look like?
JH: All the cocktails are named after films. We have classics and house specials, and we have also brought on some new cocktails that represent Soho. A lot of inspiration is from the heyday of New York parties, so for example we have a sharer served out of a soup tin called Studio 54. We like to do things that have a sense of fun and humour and work thematically for us.
We made our drinks menus for Scarlet Door more refined – we had the chance to play with some higher-end spirits and gave them a more elegant and contemporary energy.
KD: One of the things I love is we have fun sharing serves. At Little Yellow Door we have a glitter disco ball with straws, while at Little Blue Door in Fulham you can drink out of a large vase full of flowers.
How easy is it to train staff in that house party environment?
KD: First and foremost we ask people to be themselves. Hospitality is about welcoming people into your own house and treating them like your family, so we do not follow the standard steps of service, but behind all of that we have to know our product.
JH: One thing we like to say is that if there is a table full of people and one seat free, sit down at the table to take that order. It is a rally good example of how we want people to treat customers.
How have you grown your business?
KD: After the pilot pop-up we took on an investment partner and they have helped fund our growth, but it is also tied into each venue being successful.
JH: It's also been important never to have a scattergun approach. Opening a new venue is a thought-out and considered process – the design, the brief, we even write a story – which we never share – of the flatmates like who would live in the venue, what music they listen to on the way to work, what car they drive, how they know each other, and that dictates the brief.
Can we expect any new Little Doors soon?
KD: Funny you should ask – we spent this afternoon debating that as we have three areas we're looking at: one is west, one north and one east. We're having a lot of conversations and one of the beautiful things is that we don't truly believe there is a limit as so many areas in the four quarters [of London] are different.
JH: It's continually exciting. When we first opened Little Yellow Door after a few months I think we realised it was a big concept. There's definitely scope to create homes outside of London too.
Seasonal food and drink pairing: Grouse + Tanners Red Burgundy
Here comes game season, and grouse is just one of the many game birds that will be popping up on menus. This rich and gamey bird goes perfectly with a red Burgundy and this one from Tanners, made by Nicholas Potel, is the ideal match. Ripe damsons and black cherry on the nose is met with more spice and lovely tannins on the palate.
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