Company for two, a companion made welcome by both of you
Couples write to this desk for all sorts of reasons. An anniversary in a city they already love, a birthday that wanted something other than another restaurant, or simply the pleasure of adding a third person to a dinner that would otherwise be the dinner they had last month. Whatever the reason, it works when both of you have chosen it together, and everything the desk does is arranged around that fact.
It costs what any other evening costs, because the figure is for one companion's time: £250 for an hour, £500 for two, or £900 for the four hour dinner date. It can happen at your hotel, at home or out in the district, and the confirmation comes back in writing exactly as it would for any other night.
Suited to company for two
Planned with both of you
The first message can come from either of you, and the desk will want to hear that you are both comfortable with the plan before anything is held. Describe the evening you imagine, the pace you enjoy and anything either of you would rather leave out. Couples new to this often begin with a drink and a long table, expecting nothing beyond good company, and that is a perfectly sensible way to start.
What to tell the desk
Three things help more than anything else. Which of you is writing, and that the other has read the message too. What the evening is marking, if anything, because an anniversary and an ordinary Thursday want different rooms. And where you would like the evening to finish: a quiet table, a hotel bar, or a walk back through the lanes off Camden Passage at Angel, which is Molly's corner and very good at the late part of a dinner. Couples who describe the evening in their own words get better suggestions than couples who send a list.
An evening in three parts
A drink somewhere public first, because three people sharing a table in a hotel bar needs no explanation at all and it takes the edge off the first twenty minutes. Then a table, ideally a round one. Then whatever the three of you would rather do with the rest of the hours, at your own pace.
In Hampstead the village version of that runs early and ends quietly. Around Finsbury Park it runs considerably later, and Green Lanes is still cooking at eleven with the bread coming out of the oven.
Companions who are good at three
Nora is plain and easy and takes the temperature out of a room without appearing to do anything. Molly is talkative and warm and will have both of you laughing before the first glass lands. Thea is soft and unhurried, which suits a couple who would rather nothing was rushed. Rosa is warm and expressive and particularly good at the part of an evening where nobody is performing any more.
Everybody comfortable, the companion included
In a booking made by two guests everybody's comfort counts equally, and hers counts as much as yours. She follows the lead of both of you rather than the one who sent the message, and it is always her choice to keep an evening to drinks, a table and conversation. Being plain and kind with one another, before and during, is what makes these evenings worth arranging at all. Nothing beyond time and companionship is offered here, to one guest or to two.
Notice, addresses and changes
Midweek often works on the day itself; a weekend wants a day or two. For a private address, tell the desk about the buzzer, the side entrance or the gate that sticks, because that is far and away the commonest reason a start time drifts by five minutes.
Plans that change are treated gently and the terms are the same for everybody on the rates page. If the two of you would rather have two companions, that is arranged as two names, one evening instead, and the whole list takes couples bookings.
Two sheets worth reading first
Company for two, in detail
Does it cost more for two guests?
No. The figure is for one companion's time, whether she spends it with one person or with two, and it is quoted in writing before you confirm.
Which of us should write?
Either of you. The desk will simply want to hear from both that the plan suits you both before it holds anything in the diary.
Could we just have dinner?
Yes, and it is a gentle way to begin. The four hour dinner date leaves room for a drink, a table and a long hour once the plates have gone.
Is this only for visitors to London?
Not at all. An evening at your own home is arranged exactly as a hotel evening is, with the address confirmed once and nothing else needed.
What if one of us changes their mind?
Then you say so, and nothing is held against you. Cancelling with three hours in hand costs nothing, and the desk would far rather hear it early.
How long should a first evening be?
Two hours at £500 suits a drink and a table. The four hour dinner date at £900 is better for couples who already know they want a long evening out, with a walk either side of the meal.
Other evenings we set up
The sign stays lit
Give the desk an hour and a street, and the rest of the night is arranged quietly, anywhere from the lock at Camden to the Broadway on the ridge.