The Old Truman Brewery,
15 Hanbury Street,
London,
E1 6QR
0872 148 3728
Note: Calls cost 10p per min plus network extras.
The ViewLondon Review
1 Corbet Place might not be as well known as some of the neighbouring bars, but it offers a gentle introduction in to the area's buzzing nightlife.
The Venue
1 Corbett Place Bar and Lounge describes itself as a ‘warehouse bar’ but in actual fact it’s just another nice, stylised bar with some exposed brick. And so what? Why is there a preoccupation of east London being edgy [read: a dive]?
The space is sprawling and comprises of a long room with lots of exposed brick, a bare industrial ceiling with bare beams and simple wooden high bar stools sat against the equally minimalist bar. However, it’s all enlivened and ‘styled up’ thanks to the pretty leather sofa seating, flashes of foliage, twinkling fairy lights and strange chandeliers that look to be made of antlers instead of crystals. And don’t get us started on the non-sticky, seamlessly glossy wooden floors. Grungy it is not. And then there’s the frankly huge outdoor area in the courtyard. Hardly slumming it, is it?
The Atmosphere
While all the genuine trendsters have flocked to the next underground spot in Dalston, this area is nicely mopping up the ‘yeah we’re kinda cool but we don’t want to REALLY slum it’ crowd. And it caters to them perfectly. Checked shirts, skinny jeans and moderately silly haircuts are on display, sure, but the labels are more Topman than genuine vintage throwaways. Even the music nights are edgy but not TOO much with an easy mix of indie, house and bass nights with live music and even dance classes – salsa, anyone? The service can sometimes be a little snippy but the staff just don’t ‘not care’ enough to be genuinely arsey.
The Drink
As with many places in Shoreditch and around Brick Lane, drinks aren’t high on the agenda of 1 Corbet Place Bar and Lounge and you won’t have masterful cocktails, fine wines or unusual world beers. But that’s not why people come here. Instead, bottles of Becks for a little over £3 keep the punters happy and simple spirits and mixers fill glasses. They do offer a rather lacklustre choice of cocktails but that just seems like peer pressure as everyone else is doing it nowadays. Keep it simple, that’s your best bet.
The Last Word
This is east London for beginners. If you want to check out what the area has to offer without veering into the grimier side of the scene then 1 Corbet Place Bar and Lounge is worth a punt.
1 Corbet Place Bar and Lounge has been reviewed by 2 users