The Oak & Pastor, Archway, N19

A wittily refurbished street corner boozer, now kitted out with church fittings, including a "confessional" (two stools, a table and a curtain placed by the now-defunct side door) and a "vestry" (a curtained stairway leading to the function room). Square tables fill most of the room, set out in a diamond pattern, and the back yard has been spruced up into quite a nice garden. All this effort to impress, but they were blasting out some dreadful music that may have been to somebody's taste (not mine) but was surely not much appreciated by the people who were trying to have a conversation. (I was OK, just having a half while I wrote my notes for this review.) Beers on hand pump were St Austell Tribute, Black Sheep Bitter and Dark Star Hophead. I suppose Londoners are used to paying £3.50 a pint, but it still causes me a sharp intake of breath. There is a truly weird mirror over the fireplace at the back of the room. As I wrote in my notes, "hmm...".