Exit (Bar)

Top 10 things you need to know about Exit Bar:

1) Following in the footsteps of greats like Plato, Aristotle, I am going to conclusively disproof the long-held theory that it was always better back in the 'good old days'. This involved a brief visit to the very retro watering hole that is the Exit bar.

2) Stepping into the tardis, I landed in the unfamiliar realm of Brick Lane. What? A high street with almost no identikit chains stores? Independently-owned shops and restaurants with character? That's so not 2015, thumping win in round 1 for the past.

3) Elena, the manager on duty, greeted us enthusiastically on arrival. She finished at 3am the night before and turned up at 9am again fresh as a daisy. No pesky intrusive EU working time directive to worry about. Red tape is terribly in vogue in 2015 and not just because of 50 Shades of Grey.

4) The cocktail list here is vintage 1990s: we had pina coladas, Malibu beaches and woo woos. I was almost expecting to be served by the Hoff and Pammie in her bikini best.

5) Timeless cocktails like mojitos always bring the mojo to any occasion. Whether it's 1995 or 2015, make sure it's done well: not too sweet, not too citrusy, not too icy. Massive vote of confidence for the Exit Bar on this front.

6) It's unfortunate they've decided to use the term "Meal Deal", which has been corrupted by the golden arches all the way back in 1979. Depressingly it's not much of a deal: you only get a complimentary soft drink with your food.

7) The menu wouldn't look out of place at a seaside Butlins resort: gourmet cheeseburgers! Fish and chips! Cheese and tomato sandwiches! It almost looked liked a jungle was growing out of my burger with an abundance of lettuce and tomatoes.

8) Psychedelic pink flowery design wallpaper, black latex chairs and Woody Allen quotes on their chalkboard; this could very well be someone's "playroom". Hopefully not Woody's.

9) By now, unless you are the Brady Bunch family, you would agree that the present is infinitely superior. Although musically, there's still hope: they played Beyoncé in her prime - Crazy In Love - that's the original, not her recent watered-down remake.

10) The Exit bar is worth visiting if you are in a nostalgic mood, but the past is sometimes depressingly forgettable....read more