James

Wel, as far as I'm concerned if it's a choice between a crowded bar with slow service BUT a good atmosphere, great music and an interesting crowd vs a tacky, try-hard Croydonite hangout with corporate indie on the playlist and oily staff grinning at you like imbeciles I know which I would prefer! I think Bignumber5 has hit the nail on the head. ED is becoming Blackheath mk 2 - a haven for suburban spivs with thumb rings and spiky hairdos goin' up town to AVE IT LARGE. Why they come here i don't know, surely there are plenty of places nearer home for them?

Bob, can you pm me the address for that dog turd? >>Clearly it's not to the taste of your average thirty something blow-in Um, are you referring to me? My family have lived in this area for several generations.

I think you're missing the point. Namely that this bar seems a total mismatch for the local demographic. I would be interested to know how many of its customers actually live round here.

Yes, I recall this. I am soooo disappointed. I thought people were being a bit harsh but on re-reading these it seems they were actually being generous...

Had my doubts I'll admit but went there last night with an open mind... Oh my God. Where to start? The tacky, trying-too-hard decor. The trying-too-hard barman. The bland, thumping corporate indie playlist. The clientele: half teenagers, half suburban slappers. This is the sort of place you'd expect to find in Croydon. The thing that mystifies me is why do we have bars like this, and yet when I'm out shopping in ED I see loads of cool, quirky, interesting looking locals who would surely love to have somewhere more laid-back and distinctive? Sorry to be predictable but I couldn't help mourning the passing of Inside 72.

Apparently Harry Potter and the Late-Night Tromboning is a good one

Where there's muck there's brass

Isn't "late-night tromboning" some sort of euphemism?

Spelling glamorous incorrectly isn't exactly... glamorous.

It is atrocious. Serves up dreadful 70s slop as an excuse for food. I imagine the inside might be a bit cleaner after the refit but I imagine the food will be no better. Don't bother.

There is an upside to the lack of choice - it never takes long to decide! Although I have to wonder where you're getting your lunch Ant. Where I work there's a Pret A Manger, Eat, Boots and M&S food nearby - each of which tend to have at least 3 or 4 veggie options. So on the rare occasions I don't have a packed lunch, I never feel limited.

Probably not a lot as they only provide about 1 percent of the costs

A Claphamite? (Apologies if this one has been done)

Been more than a few weeks in my opinion, seems like a steady decline post-Ken. Perhaps I am imagining it, fuelled by my rampant distrust of Boris.

Is the park cafe a gay venue? I had no idea

I'm not suggesting that Boris has it in for East Dulwich people! (Although I reckon the village would be definitely more his thing). I was just wondering whether anyone else had noticed the buses round here getting worse and whether this might be symptomatic of a change of priorities since the new mayor started. Perhaps we will get new dedicated lanes for drivers of 4x4s soon...

That was quite scarily accurate (I'm sure there are tons of similar remarks on the Daily Mail website). Are you sure you're not a closeted Boris fan?

Btw thanks for telling me that Hibbs. Think I am going to complain to TfL - am fed up with their attitude towards paying passengers. They tell you nothing and serveral times recently I have been dumped off a bus when they have decided to terminate it randomly with no warning, apology or compensation.

Well I'm glad someone's happy that public transport is going up the spout (Boosboss). Why not abolish buses & bus lanes altogether (it costs money! Why should I pay taxes for empty buses blah blah etc.) and we can sit in our cars in absolute gridlock under clouds of smog getting nowhere. Great!

I don't think the Evening Standard will be taking Ken's side somehow...

Waited over 40 minutes for a 63 this morning before giving up and getting a 363. 40 minutes! What's going on? I have noticed a sudden, severe deterioration in the frequency of the 63 - until a few weeks ago, I don't recall having to wait for more than ten minutes. What's going on? Has Boris started selling off buses to pay for port and cigars or something?

Ha ha, perhaps they are MPs?

Anonymity??? What are they getting up to that makes them want to conceal their identities?

It is the GAYS. We are taking over.

Am I the only person in the world who thinks the definitive Bond was Roger Moore? I prefer Bond as the quintessential English cad with one eyebrow raised. Daniel Craig is brooding and miserable. He does for Bond what Christian Bale has done for Batman - turned him into an inarticulate, soul-searching bore "for the post 9/11 age" or whatever. Where's the fun gone?