The Castle, Farringdon  

After an M&B makeover, the Castle follows a now familiar pattern. In come the mishmash furnishings, the decent range of beers - traditional hand-pumped ales and continental offerings such as Budvar dark, Leffe and Fruli, a much-improved wine list, a coat of dark paint etc etc. It's now a much, much better place than it used to be. The service is fast and friendly - it's not a bad place by any means now. The odd thing, however, is that during the day it doesn't seem to be overrun customers - although plenty of people hurry by doing whatever it is they do in Farringdon - but in the evenings, especially towards the end of the week (and especially when the weather's warm), they do tend to spill out onto the pavement.