Bar Bodega, Watford

Upmarket bar housed on the ground floor of a slightly unusual building in The Parade. Dark, lounge-like room with the counter along one side. Also has a 'L'-shaped decking beer garden at the back, covered by sail-like awnings. The two handpumps now appear to be out of use, so one is left with two banks of completely unmarked shiny keg taps. On enquiry, these turned out to have a range of fairly standard offerings, except for the rarer Rothaus lager (£4.80, but served in the right glass). NB - Opens at 5 pm.

I am in this place right now and it takes pretentious to the next level. The twenty something clientele seem happy to let the hard working staff pander to their undeserving expectations. It's all quite sad and not a good reflection on today's society. One real ale on Doom Bar which is OK. My presence at this place is generally driven by curiosity as i worked here for a while when it was a branch of Nat West.