Tipped

Elegantly Wasted

October 02, 2008

Set in the charming cobbled streets behind Spitalfields, just off Shoreditch high street It's a popular favourite with city suits and market-goers alike. Tardis-like, it's a lot bigger inside than it seems from the outside. The front bar spills into another larger space, with 2 rooms off it, a dining room cum bar, and a pool room, all imbued with a warm, casual decadence imparted by the natural wooden floors and the eclectic collection of seating and decor, from gilt filigree-framed mirrors to ceramic statuettes, chesterfields to church pews, chandeliers to leather sofas to stucco angels. A lovely spot to get elegantly wasted of an evening, it's hard to think of another bar that does food so well, making you wonder if it's actually a restaurant in disguise as a bar, but then the extensive drinks selection convinces you otherwise.

Best of all, there's a large secret beer garden at the back, very sunny and famous for it's BBQ's in the Summer, with a covered section where you can actually sit outside and watch a game on the telly while you smoke if you so wish! Such decadence, I tell you! The nice thing about it all is that when the sport is on it's not intrusive if you're not into that, but on the other hand, should you want to watch something obscure like the Super-14 rugby on a Friday night (as we once did) they are only too happy to put it on for you (prior requests taking precedence, of course)

The loo's are a bit hard to spot, being downstairs from a staircase tucked away in a corner, but that's hardly a drawback. Down there is also another room where the comedy nights take place.

Tags: pool tables, bar that does food, comedy, beer garden, sky sports tv, barbeques

Suitable, even with the suits

November 19, 2007

Definitely a nice find, and even when you are surrounded by the suited after-work drinkers, you get a feeling that they left the daft co-workers behind and brought only the reasonably interesting ones along. Tucked down a narrow lane off of Shoreditch High, the Water Poet is a surprisingly cavernous place, with several rooms including a billiards room and a dining room, plus a downstairs performance room (there are comedy nights) and a spacious smokers garden in the back.
Lots of mismatched armchairs and couches give this place a kind of vintage atmosphere, but it is far from pretentious. There is a fully fledged kitchen, turning out real meals whose aroma have tempted me more than once (although I have to admit I've never succumbed to the temptation) and there are mix-and-match bar snacks on offer as well.
Basically this is a great place to catch up with some friends or co-workers before you or they catch a train out of Liverpool Station. I'd also like to check it out in the later evening when I imagine that the suits may largely have carried on, or at least loosened the necktie. Definitely worth a look.

Tags: after work drinks, food, smoker-friendly

Smokers Unite!

November 05, 2007

Look, I could write a good couple of hundred words about why this pub is amazing just based on the amazing outdoor space but I won't bore you - its a really nice pub, spacious (but it can get busy although not on a Sunday), they serve food (I haven't tasted it but it looks standard pub fayre - Nachos etc) and they seem to lay on lots of extras (today was Jazz, the other day was stand up comedy - downstairs).

Oh ok, one more bit about the smoking outside, they have heaters, a solid roof, loads of tables and even some sofas!!

If you don't smoke this is just off the beaten track enough to make it a great post Brick Lane Sunday respite.