Rudds, EC4

It's hard to imagine that up until about ten years ago, this was a real pub called The Baynard Castle. Well it's certainly not a pub anymore, looking more like some sort of wine bar that might be frequented by second division footballers in an affluent area of Essex or Cheshire; Quinno's not wrong when he describes the upstairs rococo chairs as looking like they'd been upholstered with the contents of Marlene's knicker drawer. Seating on the ground floor has textured stripy material or mushroom brown leatherette low and high chairs with tables of matching heights. The bar back is bathed in purple light with cocktail and spirit bottles. The floor is bare boarded and there's a cream colour scheme illuminated with sconce lights. There's an upstairs mezzanine with at least one pool table. At least one TV was spotted showing sport with the sound off and music was muted. The Thai bar snacks weren't good and out front you endure the aural assault that is the virtual dual carriageway called Queen Victoria Street. Ales: Sharp's Doom Bar or Hobgoblin. I don't know which I had as my friends were on a mix of the two and they got mixed up, but whichever it was, it was drinkable. No chance of a return visit.