All Star Lanes, Shoreditch, E1

Large room with a reception area and the bar to the right side. Ten pin bowling to the rear. No real ales, or cider, just keg rubbish.

This place is a bit of an oddity. Half way down the buzzing Brick Lane, this large premises is predominantly a 'boutique bowling' alley, with an American style diner and cocktail bar tacked on for effect. The bowling concept seems pretty good, offering a much smarter and all round appealing version of the game when compared to the usual out of town, Mega Bowl style venue more commonly encountered around the UK. Private bowling lanes are available and the whole thing seems much classier and stylish than usual. However, I wasn't here to bowl, as we had only popped in here for a quick drink before heading home. The entrance takes you straight into the bar area, with a mosaic tiled, horseshoe shaped servery to the right and a vast open dining area to the rear. The barhas wood strip flooring and limited seating, mostly in the form of high stools and red padded benches. Music played quietly throughout our stay and a TV screen near the front door was showing live Spanish football to no-one as there were only a couple of other customers in, despite the street outside being thronged with people. Some partitioning screens break the space up a little, creating a walkway down the left which leads to the lanes and separates the dining area from the bar. Here there are some remarkably long red banquettes, serving long rows of tables through the centre of the room, whilst standard tables and chairs run down the side. At the rear there is another partly screened section with two American pool tables and beyond this, some velvet drapes lead you into the actual bowling alley. The main focus at the bar is cocktails, with these costing anything between £7-10. The keg range is fairly limited, comprising Coors Light, Guinness and Blue Moon, with no real ale available. Perhaps the only saving grace is a limited range of bottled beers, from which I was able to order a Goose Island Honkers Ale for £4.50. The barman was very friendly and helpful and I get the impression that the staff are quite focussed on providing good customer service. As bowling lane bars go, it has to be said it's pretty good, but as an out and out drinking experience, I felt it didn't really work. If you like cocktails or American style diners done badly, this is the place for you, otherwise I would only come here for the bowling, safe in the knowledge that you can get some decent bottled beer to help your bowling action.

All Star Lanes - www.allstarlanes.co.uk

All Star Lanes - www.allstarlanes.co.uk