Sycamore - Dublin's Next VIP Club...

First there was Lillies Bordello, then Renards, and then Krystle soon followed by The Residence... For a small town Dublin sure has a lot of VIP haunts looking to cater for the refined 'Members Only' brigade. Hold that thought. Last night 'The Sycamore Club' just threw its hat into that crowded gilded ring...

Dearbhla Hogan

For years and years Lillies Bordello dominated the celebrity and socialite scene as the only VIP club on Dublin's horizon. Sure Lills was given a good run for her money by Robbie Fox's Renards, but for well over a decade The Bordello ruled the roost...

Hayley Rock

That was until very recently when two young upstarts, Brian O'Malley & Conor Buckley, started managing a new club on Harcourt Street called 'Krystle' and soon enough the great and the good flocked there in throngs bidding adieu to poor Lillies. Well, they are a fickle bunch of so-in-so's.

Gavin Lambe Murphy

But not too soon after Krystle grasped the VIP club mantle, the Stokes brothers took a shot across their bow by opening what in affect is a 'members only' club on St. Stephen's Green. ‘The Residence’ was their ambitious venture, but didn't really have the hype nor the capacity to trouble Krystle's weekend dominance. Instead they catered for a daytime and evening crowd - offering meeting rooms, fine dining, and a late club if one should want that type of thing...

Demelza DeBurca, Joe O'Shea

Last night saw a launch preview of The Sycamore Club which is perched over three floors above The Purty Kitchen in Temple Bar. But with the smell of wet paint wafting-up the many stairs and the lift out-of-order, it certainly was merely "preview" of what’s to come... Those who attended the sneaky-peek included Demelza De Burca, Joe O'Shea, Gavin Lambe Murphy, Dearbhla Hogan, Hayley Rock, Sasha Fusco, Maria Fusco, Jason O'Callaghan, Imran Zaman, Hannah Louise Dunne, Catriona Gaffney, Declan Leavy and many more...

John Grehin, Jason O'Callaghan, Imran Zaman

Spread over the top three floors of The Purty Kitchen the new venue features relaxing lounges, an art gallery and an impressive open air penthouse bar. But the entrance isn't via The Purty Kitchen as we thought - it's actually around the side opposite Eden Restaurant on Sycamore Street. Hence the name. Duh.

Sasha Fusco, Maria Fusco

From what we could make-out from the 'work in progress' club, it's going to be visually stunning and a high standard venue when it comes to fruition in the coming weeks. We hear it's going to be even open during daylight hours to give a very select membership somewhere to bring their clients and pals for a private drink and meal before and after the sun goes down...

Paul Smith (manager)

The BIG question is can Dublin's already dwindling Social Scene handle another VIP Club when there are so many now vying for the same market position in these economically challenging times? That folks, remains to be seen... But from what was suggested to us at the preview last night is The Sycamore isn't putting all-its-eggs-in-one-basket and relying solely on Friday & Saturday night trade like so many nightclubs. They intend offer a similar all-day-every-day service as The Residence, then pump-up-the-volume for the weekenders ala Krystle. Let's hope they get the balance right.