Cash in at The Castle

If money is so tight that you've contemplated taking-up busking to tide you over until your next payslip, you may do well to head for The Castle the next time you're in need of a sub at the bar.

A hop, skip and a jump from Farringdon tube station, it claims to be the only boozer in London that can double-up as a pawnbrokers having been awarded a licence by King George IV whilst he was watching a cockfight on the premises.

After pawning your flatmate's treasured Stones albums, you can relax and admire the recently unveiled refurbishments - the designer's brief apparently being to "cross Brighton Rock with Lock Stock and make it somewhere Janis Joplin would hang out."

Janis, strangely, wasn't on hand to give her opinion but the Farringdon posse seemed to approve as they propped-up its leather-padded bar or lounged on the 70's style low-level sofas watching classic film noir stills flick intermittently on the plasma screen behind them.

Food is ordered at the bar, and despite being a week night, it took a while to get served with only one member of staff serving. After the initial slow start, however, the food was quick to arrive.

The menu has been updated to include dishes such as char-grilled halloumi and Mediterranean vegetables and hand-made potato wedges with chorizo and mature Cheddar, but old favourites such as sausage and mash, herb battered cod and All Day Breakfast are still available.

The fish finger sandwich, one of the more popular dishes on the menu, was a bit of a let down, with less-than-chunky fish fingers encased in overly chewy ciabatta. But the accompanying dish, a large portion of light and fluffy stilton and mushroom potato wedges, compensated for any fishy failings.

Re-design or no re-design, The Castle retains a rather cave-like atmosphere with its dark wood, plush red carpets and lack of natural light and is definitely more suited to the fast-approaching winter nights.

It's certainly one to head for in the New Year, as The Castle have decided to allow their hard-up customers to pawn their unwanted Christmas presents in exchange for alcohol. So those knitted undies from aunty Agnes may come in handy after all...

The Castle
34-35 Cowcross Street, EC1M 6DB