With low-calorie cocktails for the girls and pie and mash nights for the lads, this lavishly decorated retro-style lounge bar is definitely trying to appeal to everyone.

The Venue
On entering Annies Bar, the decor will immediately take you aback. It spells out everything a lounge bar should have and more. Think stunning chandeliers, trendy textured wallpaper, large pieces of Renaissance art, luxurious vintage-style seating, patterned sofas, long draping curtains that look as if they belong in a pre-theatre bar, huge mirrors, a wooden floor and funky occasional items such as large cocktail glass with flower arrangements sat on the bar. There's even a glossy white Elton John style grand piano at the back, which is used for their weekly jazz and open mic nights.

Downstairs you'll find a cool cocktail bar with comfy, patterned seating, which can be hired out for parties of around 70 people. Apparently it's soundproof but if the singing is loud enough it can be heard from upstairs. You'll also find the toilets downstairs and ladies will love them – there's a lot of mirror space and a GHD straightner machine, which costs £1 for four minutes. Sat right on Kentish Town High Street, this place is undoubtedly easy to find from both Kentish Town and Kentish Town West underground and overground stations.

The Atmosphere
You'd think the expensive-looking interior would only attract trendy North London ladies in their twenties and thirties on a girlie cocktail night, but you'd be surprised. Yes, Annies Bar attracts these women, but there's also a selection of other people mooching around such as business types taking advantage of the WiFi facilities. It’s surprisingly unpretentious; a lot of people look as if they've dressed up to fit in with the lavish surroundings, but it's not entirely necessary and nobody is staring that hard at you if you're in more casual attire.

To add to the rich and luxurious theme this bar develops through its decor, and in keeping with the lounge bar theme, the baby grand piano plays host to pianists a few nights a week. When this isn't happening, the music appeals to the wide-ranging clientele with subtle pop music in the background. The bar also hosts open mic nights and burlesque events, which sometimes have a door charge.

The Food
It's nice to see that a contemporary bar like this doesn't overcharge on food. Main dishes are all under a tenner (but often require a side dish of vegetables) and starters, which include fish cakes (3.95) and a Caesar salad (£4.95) are all under a fiver.

There's a pie night that aims to appeal to popular demand and all pies are £5.95, which is really good value for money considering there are not a lot of places you can get a meal for this price in London. Beware, however, if it's been really busy, don't order too late as they may run out of food. However, they'll always try to offer something similar.

The homemade vegetarian pie (£5.95) is fantastic value for money as the portion is huge. The pie's pastry is nicely flaky without being too dry and the large slice you get is packed with fresh English vegetables - mushrooms, carrots, parsnip, courgettes, red peppers and new potatoes, which could be a bit of a carb overload considering it comes with mash or chips. The vegetables are cooked to perfection - nicely soft, but not overdone so they lose their goodness. To accompany the dish, you get a fresh green salad made of tomatoes, peppers and mixed leaves and a choice of homemade chips or mash. The salad is refreshing and complements the pie well and the mash serving is huge and isn’t sloppy or too dry, and comes with leek pieces to add a nice aftertaste and texture. That said, the pie is a little bland and could do with an extra zing, maybe by incorporating sweet potato or butternut squash for added sweetness.

From the main menu, the white snapper and couscous (8.95) is a good choice if you're looking for a lighter dish. The white snapper has a subtly sweet flavour and the flaky texture melts nicely in your mouth. Whilst the couscous looks a little dry, it's actually suitably fluffy and has a slight lemon zest. The snapper is served with a few red peppers, which have a faint, sweet flavour but ideally you'd need to order a side dish of vegetables to complete the dish.

There are also sharing platters, which would be ideal to have alongside a cocktail. These cost £10.95 for a vegetarian one and £12.95 for meat. Bar snacks – nachos, olives and cashew nuts are also reasonably priced at £3-£5. There aren't any obvious desserts on offer.

The Drink
Annies Bar unquestionably has a huge, well-stocked bar and all drinks are priced in a similar fashion to most of the other bars in Kentish Town. Whilst the beer selection isn't anything special, the wine and cocktail list is great – prices start at £12.95 for a Montemarino Chardonnay and a Chilean Merlot and go up to £23.95 for a mellow and lightly-spiced French Chateaunef-du-Pape Preference. There's also a lot of sparkling, rose and vintage Champagnes, which cost from £14.95 for an extra-dry sparkling Italian Champagne and go up to £149 for a vintage Dom Preignon Brut.

When it comes to cocktails, this really stands out as a bar for the ladies. There's a regular cocktail list, which serves up martinis, Irish Specialities, short drinks and champagne cocktails (all priced £5-£8), shorts (£3) and non-alcoholic cocktails (£4). Uniquely, Annies Bar also offers a special menu of low-calorie cocktails, which include the measures of what goes in as well as the number of calories contained within each - a dangerous activity if you consider how many 'regular' cocktails you've sipped in the past. If you don't have obsessive tendencies, try these. They come in really funky-shaped glasses.

The Flirtini (250 calories, take note) is a light and refreshing choice. The fresh pineapple slice on the side nicely complements juicy vodka, cointreau, pineapple juice and Champagne. For a richer taste, the Cartini or Lovers Club (both 180cal) are great. The Cartini, consisting of raspberry vodka, chambord, lime and pomegranate with a few fresh raspberries on top is a deep red colour and tastes really zesty. Don't be afraid of the Lover's Club because it contains egg white – it's delicious. The muddled fresh raspberries, gin, lemon juice and egg white bind together to make something that has the strength of a double, but tastes as good as smoothie.

The Last Word
Whilst the decor and general OTT lounge-bar style at Annies Bar may not be to everyone’s tastes, this place is undoubtedly great for a novel night out whether you fancy cheap pie and mash or low calorie cocktails.

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