The Lamb Tavern proves to be an attractive proposition for the refined tastes of those around Leadenhall Market.

The Venue
Two stories and part-mezzanine, packed with old glossed wood and wrought black iron, the Lamb Tavern may correspond to the style of the rest of Leadenhall Market on the outside but it’s a doozy within.

The Lamb dining room is a little more interesting than the standing arena in the bar below; chairs of black cushioned leather are pushed up to solid looking tables and it is reached by a spiral metal staircase that corkscrews upwards. This area is grand and comfortable, and is a good bet for a seat if the bar is full. The dining room on the top floor is a little stuffy and offers an a la carte menu - it is the most lifeless part of the building and has nothing on the ground floor bar’s lunchtime buzz. There is also a cellar bar for heathens to indulge their consumption in a dark den of the underworld.

The Atmosphere
Unsurprisingly for the area, the clientele of the Lamb Tavern is made up purely of City types. The only way to tell the punters apart is by the colour of their ties because on top of that everyone has a dark suit, ranging from midnight blue to charcoal black. There is a busy flow throughout the day so either the lunches in The City are staggered from morning to night, or traders are stuck for things to do as the office machine has run down its batteries.

This place certainly isn’t for everyone and you might feel a little uncomfortable in these surroundings, a little like you’re drinking in the teachers lounge at school, eyes boring and tongues wagging about the boy with the Nikes and the tight jeans in the corner. If you can get over this self-awareness, then gate-crashing the Lamb Tavern will bring the type of juvenile fun you might be missing.

The Food
There is a traditional pub menu consisting of home cooked favourites like the award-winning range of sausages (£11.95) or 10oz rib eye steak (£19.95) to tempt, but it is the lunchtime carvery that’s got it going on. The wheelie meatery is pushed into the bar and the smells of cooked flesh waft over the airwaves. There is a choice of meat and crackling on request to complete the classic pub lunch.

The Drink
Expensive Champagne is encrusted like diamonds within the large fridge that weighs heavily on the bar’s shelf on proud display. There’s no hiding it away like your average boozer - the palates here are refined and at the ready for the bubbles.

There is also a rich range of ales including Youngs Special, Youngs Bitter and Bombardier. The choice of draught beers is better than average with a range from cheap Carling through Heineken and Kronenbourg to the expensive Peroni.

The Last Word
There is a gentlemanly feel to the Lamb Tavern and whether or not you subscribe to the airs and graces of such City gents there is fun to be had at the carvery, on the mezzanine and generally people watching in one of the area’s most interesting pubs.

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