This classy drinking parlour is where bartenders come to get gimmicky about cocktails, or where others pop in to show they're in the know.

Hidden above a cheeky diner, count the door numbers or you'll walk straight on by. Upstairs there's the private Elk Room with velvet chairs and taxidermy, while the main bar area features black leather boots and wooden tables. Pick from a weekly-changing menu if you must, but it’s all about letting the bartenders whip you up something savvy, no signatures here. Say how you're feeling, answer a few simple questions and bang, a perfect cocktail will arrive in your hands. Light, zingy and pretty is East Side (cucumber, mint, gin and a touch of sugar), but you might feel like a true classic or something involving one of the many bottles of whisky, rye, Scotch and bourbon.

Want to know where they store their ideas? Look into the glass cabinet where you’ll see a collection of vintage cocktail manuals. Oh, and then there’s the duck liver parfait on bagel crisps from the bar snacks menu… get munching.

Photo credit: Richard Whitbread