Chelsea has its own Eclipse

The year 2000 saw quality bars opening at the rate of two a minute and servicing a seemingly insatiable clientele. Last year, the effects of the 'technical recession' kicked in right royally and the bar market virtually stalled. London, it seemed, was on the verge of losing the plot.

But judging by the huge number of 'stiffys' in my in-tray - all announcing the next best thing to hit London - the recession, technical or otherwise, would appear to be over.

Take Eclipse, the cocktail bar people who expanded their original Chelsea outlet in Walton Street with ventures in Wimbledon, Fulham and Cape Town. Last month they added two more London venues - one in part of what was known as Cafe Med in Notting Hill's Kensington Park Road, the other in Old Brompton Road. This, their second Chelsea site, is in the former premises of Catch, a fish restaurant which struggled to make its mark on the local community. But this sparklingly modern ground floor cocktail bar has already begun to attract a following of City Sloanes who bray rather loudly over a glass or two of the short, sharp strong stuff.

The cocktail list is as eclectic as it is long, with fruit fusions that divide neatly into 'Martinis', 'short' and 'tall' drinks. Of the Martinis, the passion fruit cocktail was the best we tried (£6.50), the Warsaw Pakt, a honey vodka with ginger, apples and pears came up trumps on the list of 'shorts' (£6.50), and from the 'tall drinks' the eponymous Eclipse (also £6.50) has a delightful combination of Jack Daniel's with raspberry liqueur, lime and cranberry juice. We didn't try any of the shooters, but it doesn't take a great imagination to work out what the Stealth Bomber of absinthe, Baileys and Kahlua will do to you.

If I have a criticism, it's that most of the drinks are designed for a sweet tooth, with little in the way of 'manly' drinks even though most girls I know prefer the latter. But there is a short wine list of six reds, six whites and one rosé, and just one beer in the form of a Lapin Kulta (from Finland) at £3.75.

There was no food other than bread and olives on any of my visits, which seems extraordinary given that this was once a restaurant and you'd expect to find a kitchen hanging around somewhere, but a range of - wait for it - sushi dishes (like the world needs another sushi gaff) is apparently planned for the New Year.

The best bit about Eclipse is the basement bar (open Wednesdays to Saturdays). It's got the feel of a nightclub and some interesting little hideaways that can be booked for private parties.