The connection:

Ian Fleming was a regular diner at the United Services Club, known then as the ‘Senior,’ when he was Lieutenant Commander RNVR in the Naval Intelligence division.

The Senior was also mentioned in Ch2 of You Only Live Twice, when Bond was referring to M;

He rarely used Blades, and then only to entertain important guests. He was not a clubbable man and if he had had the choice he would have stuck to The Senior, that greatest of all Services’ clubs in the world.

Match report:

Champagne tasting, the wife said . We can do Champagne tasting.

Are there any two words in the English dictionary better conjugated than ‘champagne tasting’ ? The answer is no lad. Simply no. There is not.

The menu

I ordered a couple of Sazeracs and caviar with crackers. Just north of the Caspian I said to myself and guffawed audibly like a complete twat.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by London Bond Map (@londonbondmap)

Everybody lies

Nora, the Spanish barmaid, showed us round. She had Everybody Lies tattooed on her neck, and she implicitly told me it was only a matter of fact, and not intended as something negative.

The Dark Knight..

was filmed in Cafe Duke, where the Joker kills Gambol and delivers one of his ‘why so serious’ lines.

Café Duke at 116, once the site of the club’s washrooms, has been carefully preserved. The tiles are protected by the building’s listed status and cannot be removed or altered.

The magnificent staircase..

is perhaps one of the most spectacular features of the building. Its position at right angles to the main entrance is often a surprise. In fact, the original intention of the building planners was to have the entrance to the (then) United Service Club at the foot of the stairs, opening direct on to Waterloo Place.

The staircase is made even more notable by the 15-foot, original, hand-made Regency chandelier which was presented as a gift to the club by George IV in the early 19th century to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo, amongst other areas in 116, the staircase is now licensed for civil wedding ceremonies and has proven very popular with couples getting married in the building.

With thanks to Nora for showing us round. You have to be a member to visit the club, more details available through the club’s website here.