An Eighties Summer with Maggie's Club & Bluebird Chelsea

I don’t think I could have kept up with news of yet another another rooftop bar, springing up as they have been across London this summer. But news of the 80’s-inspired haunt Maggie’s Club hosting a retro – and yes, al fresco – pop-up at Bluebird on the King’s Road? Now that had me grabbing my neon, ready to swing back in time…

Typically, British weather lived up to its fickle reputation on the evening of the launch, and so the party was moved to Bluebird’s large and airy first floor brasserie. That entrance though…

The Maggie’s bar team were out in full force, getting us into the spirit of the iconic decade with signature cocktails including the likes of Pac Man Tinis and Rubik’s Cubes – served in some seriously creative eponymous cocktail ware.

Breezy and refreshingly light with a subtle sweetness, these cocktails are the ideal summer quenchers. The Rubik’s Cube, a fruity concoction of belvedere vodka, fresh mint, mango puree, lime and mango juices topped up with bubbles; while the Pac Man Tini (meant for sharing) brilliantly bound together belvedere vodka with chambord, lime and cranberry juice, vanilla syrup and blackberry puree. Maggie’s famous mugs were thrown in the mix too!

For bar snacks, 80s style canapés were finding their way around, the truffle pork sausage rolls and chicken kiev lollipops definite crowd pleasers. Veggie options were limited – but the wild mushroom vol au vents were just delightful. Delicate little puffed pastries, generously overflowing with a herby mushroom mix.

What I really love about events like these, is that they are also a great opportunity to get to know some incredibly fun people. After many a food-centric conversation on social media, it was a pleasure to finally meet the lovely Colleen in person on the evening. While I also made a new friend in Steph, also known as the Blondoner on the charismatic blog, Being Blonde (it is a Lifestyle)! As you can tell, we settled in well…

Friends/ regular readers know that there’s nothing I like more that rounding off a good evening on a sweet note… In this case, with the dreamiest banoffee ice cream sandwiches with cookie dough and a smidgeon of salted caramel on top for good measure. We may have lost track of how many we had.

You can find Maggie’s pop-up at Bluebird throughout the month of August. Expect Rubick’s cube tables, bean bag chairs, 80’s arcade games and even a ping pong table!

A snapshot of the fun evening we had: