Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen, Shoreditch  

Aggressive bag searches in the quest for illicit alcohol is never going to endear a reviewer to a bar. Necessary at International Airports, in a pub filled with harmless Hoxtonites at 7pm on a Friday night, it was rather sad. Putting this aside, the bar itself, due to its long, thin, sunken aspect looked like it was built in a motorway underpass or underground car park. This impression was magnified considerably by the large window at the back of the bar, which opened onto the road behind. As such, we were frequently bathed in the blinding light of car's headlights on full-beam as they drove directly towards the bar, before turning 90 degrees around the corner. Topping it off, the music was utterly forgettable, save for the fact it was loud enough for conversations to involve lots of shouting. Despite all this it was pretty busy, so they're clearly doing something right; we just can't figure out what it is.