Attempting to shy away from being another standard Central London bar, this modern-looking venue serves Thai food alongside its selection of cocktails and wine.

The Venue
Sat on High Holborn, Brown Sugar is a stone's throw from the hustle and bustle of Covent Garden and Soho, but nicely detached from the area so it's not as frantic and unpleasant as some of the more centrally located bars.

On approach, the bar looks very appealing – there's a selection of covered outdoor tables and chairs and, weather permitting, the shutters open out so those sitting outside feel a part of the atmosphere within. Once inside, you'll see a selection of high and low seating and a range of tables, including larger ones for big parties. In keeping with other venues of this type, the walls are covered in trendy character wallpaper and the floor is wooden and shiny. The funky boho-style lampshades on the ceiling and the stylish picture frames on the walls spice up what would otherwise be a pretty generic Central London bar.

The space isn’t massive, so it feels full quickly and on Friday and Saturday nights you might struggle to find a seat. The shiny black tiled toilets are funky and spacious, although there's no mirror in the men's, which could annoy vain guys.

The Atmosphere
Due to its size, Brown Sugar only takes a few people to create a lively atmosphere, helped by the cheap weekday drinks. The DJ takes requests on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, so you're able to have some say over the music played. There's no real theme to the tracks – you'll hear everything from ‘80s classics to the newest indie song. Unlike some Central London clubs, the music isn't blasted out so you're able to have a chat with friends.

Expect to find a mix of workers from the surrounding offices having lunchtime and after-work drinks, students from the nearby universities and the odd tourist who has happened to pass by. The landlord prides herself on providing a great service to those people lucky enough to be local to the area. What's great about this bar is that unlike other Central London hotspots, there's no dress code so you don't feel as if you have to be super smart to drink here. As with all venues that cater to the after-work crowd, a few drinkers can get a bit rowdy, but it's never unbearable. Staff are friendly and helpful, many of them have worked at the venue since it first opened.

The Food
Food is served at Brown Sugar between 11am-9pm Monday to Friday and can be ordered at the bar. Attempting to be a bit unique, the bar has opted for a menu of simple Thai food. Although in principle this sounds great, you have to bear in mind that the bar is skewed more towards the art of drinking and isn’t a specialist Thai restaurant.

There's a selection of a starters on the menu (£4.50), including two soups and a sharing platter – ideal if you're out for drinks with friends and you want to have some nibbles rather than a full meal. The vegetarian spring rolls are a well-sized portion for a starter, with six mini rolls served with a token bit of salad and sweet Thai chilli dip. While it's great that the rolls aren't greasy, they could be criticised for being a bit dry although the dip does well to balance the dish. Unfortunately, the Thai fish cakes are also lacking in flavour although the sweet Thai chilli dip does help to spice them up.

There's a good selection of main courses on the menu and all are priced between £6.50 and £7.50. Choose between chicken, beef, vegetable, duck or king prawn and then pick whether you want a traditional Thai dish with rice or a large noodle dish. The chicken Thai green curry (£6.50) is great value for money when you consider the portion size and contains large succulent pieces of chicken. The bamboo shoots, orange, red pepper and sugar snaps are all delicious and well cooked, but the dish lacks much in the way of zing. The dish comes with steamed rice, which is fluffy and soft – surprisingly well made for a bar.

If you're after a spicy vegetarian dish, the Pad Kee Mau fried noodle dish with chilli, Thai basil, vegetables, egg and soy sauce is tempting. The portion is huge and great value for money – you may even struggle to finish it. The vegetables include carrots, sugar snap peas, carrots and peppers. The vegetables are full-flavoured and probably the best part of the dish. Although it states that this is hot on the menu, even a sensitive palate should be able to cope with the chilli flavour, as it's quite mild. The egg noodles are cooked well, so they're not too soggy or dry, and are given a subtle salt flavour courtesy of the soy sauce. However, there's not a lot of egg in the dish and it could be improved by adding more protein – perhaps some tofu.

The Drink
There's a well-stocked bar and a reasonable wine list, which starts at £3.40 for a small glass of wine. The vintage Sauvignon Blanc, whilst not cheap at almost £22, is probably the best wine on the menu. It's light and easy to drink and adds that extra bit of flavour to the meal.

The bar also has a cocktail menu that, although small, contains all the classics priced at £5.50, which is pretty good for the area. The Brown Sugar cocktail is the house special and contains brandy, amaretto, mint, lime, orange juice and crushed ice. The sweet-tasting brandy and amaretto go well together and the tangy lime and orange juice muddled in the ice balance it out. The caprioska made with vodka, lime, sugar and crushed ice is strong and the sugar perfectly complements the sour zest of the lime.

There’s also a choice of branded beers on offer and pints of lager are priced at £3-£4, which is good for the area. Spirits and mixers are the same. Brown Sugar has something called Happy Days on Mondays and Tuesdays when drinks are reduced in price considerably.

The Last Word
For casual drinks and nibbles, Brown Sugar is worth a visit. One of the more wallet-friendly bars in the area.

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