Bars & Pubs

By Ben McFarland

In the heart of Shoreditch near the crossroads of Rivington Street and Curtain Road, only a pair of intertwined Cs divulges Callooh Callay's location. Inside, it's all warm and whimsical; the neo-Victorian décor is as eclectic as Jabberwocky, the nonsensical poem by Lewis Carroll from which the bar gets its name. The quirkiest touch is the hoodwinking oak Narnia wardrobe through whose doors lies a laid-back lounge, a mirrored bar and loos tiled in old cassettes.

We found competently crafted cocktails, including the classic ‘Vesper Martini’ and the quirky ‘Mad Hatter Tiki Punchbowl’ served in a His Master's Voice-style gramophone punchbowl. Lovely by-the-glass wines and Meantime and Weston should keep beer and cider sippers sweet. Food-wise, there's light bites, sharing plates and, for the weary of wallet, the ‘Credit Lunch’ – soup or salad with real lemonade for a fiver.

Stake out the seats by the wardrobe to watch people working it out – the band of regulars are dress-down dandy. Lots of crossed legs, recycled vintage fabrics and short-handled courier bike riders who aren’t couriers. Conversations are a little abstract, too: ‘How does your mind’s eye visualise time?’ Answers included mountain peaks, a roll of celluloid film and a winding road that meets itself. It made sense at the time.

Time Out London Issue 2007: February 5-11 2009