25 Canonbury Lane,
London,
N1 2AS
0872 148 0160
The ViewLondon Review
It’s reasonably lively in here most nights of the week with a friendly crowd of all ages and species, who come for the cocktails and the atmosphere.
The look is what I might christen neo-baroque anti-minimalism, or maybe Marie-Antoinette on acid. A couple of large and ornate chandeliers hang from the ruddy, gilded ceiling. The walls are a striking combination of eau de nil wood panels and wanton scarlet, studded with winking gilded mirrors.
Large pink lilies in vases and leather sofas emphasize the opulent look. But what are the bizarre large curly spokes next to the flowers in the vases for? In case Marie-Antoinette suddenly gets drunk and aggressive and wants to point and shriek ‘Off with her head!’ at someone better dressed? Or for goring people who tell bad jokes?
It’s quite small, which means you may be in close proximity to the chatter of others. This is often a hazard when leaving the house.
In this instance, the others in question are thoroughly amiable. There’s spiky hair, quiffy hair, floppy hair, long black gothic hair, receding hair, and no hair; and all these follicular types coexist happily.
The bar staff seem to know a lot of the customers and appear to enjoy themselves, which always helps.
What the regulars seem to particularly appreciate is the fact that they can go to a bar which is a bit more exciting than a pub, and have a cocktail should they desire, but be treated with as much respect if they simply drink beer all night.
The bar snacks also came highly recommended-all are a fiver or under, and depending what you’re drinking there should be something to suit most tastes, from satay to quesadilla to tortilla.
The cocktail list is about 35 drinks long, but bar staff can blend to your taste, and the bar manager invents new drinks on the basis of what fresh fruit he can get hold of-e.g. delicious Watermelon Martini.
A fun local venue which does its regulars proud