The Volunteer
The Volunteer's clientele is as disparate as its choice of lamp shades, perhaps because it rubs shoulders with Regent's Park, the Sherlock Holmes Museum and the London Business School. Softball teams, snap-happy tourists and trainee Chilean hedge fund students all descend to enjoy European lagers, board games aplenty and ”Great Aunty Mary's caravan“ inspired decor. The Volunteer's chintzy twist on the gastropub norm isn't completely original but it is wholly effective, even to simply serve as a ”Pick your favourite furniture“ conversation starter, when first-date chat fizzles out. N.B: the urinals in the gents are disturbingly low down.

