New Rose (ex-Half Moon), Islington  

This former old man's local is another addition to the I-spy book of trendy Essex Road bars and now sports the name of our favourite Damned tune. The old primary coloured facade is now more subtle and inside the atmosphere is moody, with a dark wooden bar and a plethora of up-lighters and tea-lights. There's lots of exposed brickwork, but the look is elegant and upmarket, rather than industrial. The toilet signs however, titled George and Mildred were probably a joke lost on anyone under 25. A few locals from its previous incarnation still hang on, but as the place gets ever more popular with newer locals, it seems their appetency to drink here is diminishing. We're happy to see that after encountering lacklustre service on a number of previous occasions, more enthusiasm is now evident. We also liked their unusual methods to encourage customer participation on a Friday night: a competition involving drawing a matchstick man comic strip and the chance to nominate albums to appear on their (already good) jukebox were both amusing distractions. Who knows? Perhaps we might see our choice of albums appearing here soon.

reviewed:
27/01/2006

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