New hotspot over-Shadows rivals

Situated in the altogether more louche environs of Brewer Street, the "gay Groucho", as some have dubbed the private members' venue, is attracting the attention of an unlikely but newsworthy mix of gay royalty, gossip columnists, TV presenters and visiting American stars. On any given night you may chance upon Cilla Black and her new BF Nicky Haslam shaking their aching limbs to hard house beats, or Paul O'Grady, aka Lily Savage, hollering show tunes from atop one of the banquettes.

Among those watching them carrying on could be regulars Graham Norton, Janet Street-Porter and Alexander McQueen. Big Brother Brian ekes out the last drops of his fame there. Britney Spears's entourage popped in two weeks ago, presumably having checked that rival US diva Pink hadn't got there ahead of them, though Liza Minnelli did. And Martine McCutcheon has been known to drop by, as have Lil' Kim and Beverley Knight, reflecting the Lounge's location in that grey area between out-and-out gay and mix'n'match.

An average night is a split of roughly 70 per cent guys to 30 per cent dolls, with a smattering of hetero males making up the numbers - all enjoying the frisson (and freedom from pressure) that such a cosmopolitan grouping offers. A similar appeal may explain the presence at Heaven last week of the hitherto shy and retiring Chelsea Clinton, going radically against type by roughing it behind Charing Cross station.

Bangs for bucks, what draws Cilla and her ilk to Brewer Street is the chance to let their hair down in a surprisingly intimate space, which has none of the cold, meat-market atmosphere that so blights many venues on the club scene. Indeed, the Blind Date presenter, enjoying something of a second wind after the death of her husband Bobby, has apparently even been known to indulge in a spot of pole-dancing (the Lounge is situated on a site once occupied by the Astral Club, and one pole survives as a reminder).

Yes, all the bar staff look like Gareth from Pop Idol, and the greeters wear tops that show more cleavage than Vanessa Feltz, but, barring a too-camp-for-words VIP "snug" fronted by earpiece-wearing leviathans, the overall feel is inclusive, unpretentious and discreet.

Thursday night may be the new Saturday night in Soho, but even Tuesdays see the Lounge's relatively small capacity of 280 stretched to bursting point, proving that doubts about the club's future after the recent departure of founding promoter Paul Richardson are unfounded. Richardson's successor, Guy Monkhouse, is quietly pleased with things, but he's all too aware of the precariousness of the business he's in.

There is something about the Shadow Lounge that sets it apart from the usual velvet-roped see-and-be-seen haunts that litter the West End. Moreover, as the appeal of The Ivy wanes (Not the Beckhams again), central London needs somewhere new to draw the in-crowd, while the rest of us indulge in a little discreet rubbernecking and chuck back the cocktails. The Shadow Lounge may just be that place. But get down there sharpish, before Posh and Becks discover it.

The Shadow Lounge, 5 Brewer Street, Soho (020 7287 7988).