The Slug & Lettuce (Bar)

Normally, I like the Slug and Lettuce as a chain. Food's pretty good, clientele is fairly non-offensive, staff are efficient and the venue is tidy.

Not the Islington Slug.

I broke a promise to myself not to go back there, a few weeks ago. Some stand-up Comedy club they had as a special event suckered me back again. It became apparent to me within about 15 minutes of being there that I should have kept that promise.

Of the staff there that Saturday night, I only found one who could speak English - an Australian guy (fair play - he was pretty helpful). Of the remainder, one was telling me that there was no comedy night, despite the sign on the wall right beside him. One, when quizzed as to the incomplete-ness of my nachos (Guacamole? What's that?), eventually smiled, shrugged and brought back a knife and fork. This is, of course, when they can be bothered to serve me - I got the distinct impression that they were WAY to cool to be serving drinks, and I should be privileged to even get a sneer!

The venue itself is done in typical Slug and Lettuce style. Lots of woody colours, wooden tables, and a few leather couches upstairs (the saving grace of the night). The downstairs bar is quite thin, so by the end of the night, getting an unspilt pint of Guinness back to my perch was a mission in itself, and the people sitting around that area were getting less-than-impressed with the constant rain of alcohol down their backs from my fellow patrons.

Personally, I don't know why people go there. But people do. That's their problem....read more