Bars & Pubs

Row upon row of luxury riverside apartments don't prepare you for this oddball gem, named after the owner's cat, which - the story goes - calmly strolled in through the door having been missing for a month. All manner of knick-knacks are scattered around inside, creating a uniquely cosy atmosphere: there's an old Calypso fruit machine, at which one pull costs the princely sum of 1d (old currency), Barbie dolls in glass cases and golliwogs in wooden boxes. The dark red walls are covered in celebrity B&Ws and watercolours, with a pair of resident artists happily painting away the day in a corner. On our most recent visit, the outside seating for smokers was a barber's chair - it could just as easily have been a Victorian dentist's chair with head clamp, since the furniture changes in regular rotation. Built in 1865, this über-friendly local avoided becoming another flatpack new build only because of the owner's determination to preserve it as a pub; the international clientele that packs in here, a good representation of the variety of modern London life, seem appropriately grateful. If you're feeling in need of some decent entertainment, the live sessions vary from jazz to West African music. The beer, meanwhile, ranges from Sundancer and Queen Bee to Edelweiss.

Time Out Bars, Pubs & Clubs Guide 2008/9