Apples & Pears

I never even knew that this place existed until I stumbled across if and decided to check it out. It can definitely go onto the hidden gem list.
In midweek they have a range of different events on to try and mix things up a bit and it was the songwriters corner when I was there. 4 singer songwriters sitting around talking about their inspirations and processes before treating the audience to some very good entertainment. I’ll all for venues doing something a little bit different and this was right up my street.
Luckily their cocktails made me want to hang around to listen to the music. After all, that’s why we were there. I went for the Hanuman which was a bourbon and rum old fashioned and I would highly recommend it. A good hit of booze but not too harsh that it wasn’t an absolute pleasure to drink. Hannah plumped for the Nuclear Colada which was actually a lot tastier than it looked given that it was served with about half a glass of squirty cream on top of the alcohol. Cream fans would probably love it but this one had to be drunk quickly to make sure that the alcohol wasn’t tainted!
The menu is pretty extensive and they are willing to make you up a classic if that’s what you want. I’ll definitely be back to sample a few more!

Booooze!
Wandering round this area we passed a couple of pubs before being lured in by the promise of cocktails. It’s a nice space, modern funky vibe to it (not quite hipster but on the verge of it) with a cracking menu of cocktails which put a twist on the ‘usual’ suspects.
Kirsty spotted the French 86 and given the list of ingredients — Fords Gin, Lychee, Benedictine, Mint Bitters, Prosecco — I plumped for that too!
A few moments later we sat down with two martini style glasses full of light green liquid, rimmed with desiccated coconut (a new experience that one) with some trip hop on the playlist.
The drink was pretty good and after a couple of mouthfuls the bar manager wandered over to ask how they were as they were new additions. After a few more mouthfuls we agreed that it could stand a little more sweetness, but that didn’t stop both drinks disappearing pretty quickly!
Definitely somewhere I’d pop in on the way past again!
They do more than just cocktails, beers, wines and spirits and whilst we didn’t try it there is food available too. Worth a look.

Good bar/​club combo serving tasty cocktails.
On weekends they usually have a DJ both upstaits and downstairs and play some great r&b! The punters is a mixed bunch which makes for good.
The cocktails are good (come in jars though which is a personal dislike).
I’m not a massive fan of Brick Lane on a weekend but this place ain’t half bad!

A cool little ground floor bar — or two small original rooms joined together imaginatively, with a busy weekend basement dancing area and small back patio with occasional BBQs. A relaxed Shoreditch vibe, with easy music to match, although its at the ‘wrong’ end of the Lane for such cool-​ness! You might miss it. And all the better for it. They still do an amazing two wines or two pints for £5 from after work weekdays until 8 or 9 (depending) which makes it a great start to an evening, meeting place for work mates whether the next step is to north Lane art/​music place or south Lane curry house!

wow, kudos to this place for my first attempt on downing a long drink in one go…
i dont know what time the previous reviewer have been to this bar, but i went there just before midnight on a saturday night purely out of curiosity and hell what an experience awaited me.
firstly i can’t fault the décor and the layout of the place, but then you move on to the ‘music’ and the ‘people.’ hmm. well the music is just wrong. you know the stuff that is under the 5£ mark on itunes — that is pure gold compared to what my ears were hearing. the people… hmm i am not a judgmental type and also very tolerant and open-​minded too, but with the majority of the ‘all day in gym all night on coke’ male types supersizedeyeing the ‘high heels before bare feet after’ female types i felt like i was in a ZOO with the exhibit 1 and the exhibit 2 just released from winter hybernating cage area to a free-​run zone…
all i wanted to do was to hide in a safari jeep and drive off.
don’t feed the animals!

What a fab place to relax away from the hussle and bussle of Brick Lane. They have a Bamboo Garden at the rear, which will be really great in summer.
Our cocktails (Itchachoo Park and Fashion Fizz) were made by Richard, the friendly Venue Manager. My Itchachoo Park one had a good mix of alchol and a fantastic taste of fresh passion fruit, which brought back memories of holidays on the beach.
Cocktails are £7.50 mark, and they do pies for £7.95.
Friendly staff, and would definitely recommend a visit if you are in Brick Lane or around East London.
Good place for a small party in the summer — Richard’s email is:

Will be going back (and am considering it as one of the venues for a friend’s 30^th birthday celebrations).