Coming out in style

You don't have to look too far back in time to measure the progress society has made in the lesbian and gay world. I am reliably informed that gay bars, when male homosexuality became legal - lesbianism, curiously, was never illegal - were often clandestine premises with blacked-out windows and widely considered to be 'seedy dens of iniquity'.

Roll the clock forward to 2005 and these one-time sexually charged venues have 'come out', reinvented as smartly accoutred 'gayfriendly' high street cafe bars with decent food and drink offerings. The lines between gay and straight venues are becoming increasingly blurred - it is hard to imagine it was never thus.

When I strayed into the new Green bar with Juliet, it was she who suggested the place might be aimed at the gay community. Why do you say that? I asked. 'You're such a dork,' she replied. 'The two guys on the next table seem to be in training for the Snogging Olympics, the rest of the guys are immaculately turned out, and all the girls look as butch and scary as long-distance lorry drivers.' She can be harsh.

Everyone else in the bar was probably wondering why a bird wearing an anorak was with a fat, balding bloke who was stealing the drinks menu.

The Green is a warm and welcoming, shiny new contemporary bar with pride of place overlooking Islington Green. It has robust dining furniture and a long, tilted mirror running the full length of one wall which allows you to keep an eye on any shenanigans that might be going on.

Our very friendly waitress verbally guided us through the extensive range of beers on offer, highlights of which include Paulaner, San Miguel and Leffe Blonde on draught, and bottles of Cruzcampo, Old Speckled Hen, Kirin and Sagres - the latter being an interesting Portuguese lager.

There are a few howlers on the wine list so you'll need to tread carefully. A Chilean Echeverria unoaked chardonnay (£15) is worth a punt, as is the Grande Roche chablis (£26), and the Grand Tinel Cotes du Rhone (£16.50). These probably cost a few pennies more than I would expect to be paying, but I guess the cabaret as provided by the other bibulous punters makes it worth every penny.

We chose not to eat but I returned again one day and took a seat in the small section at the front of the bar overlooking the green. The menu is short, unambitious but perfectly serviceable given this is predominantly a drinking venue. A cheeseburger costs £9, a rib-eye steak £12. Although I witnessed chefs beavering away in the basement kitchen, the food managed to taste as though it had been shipped in from corporate headquarters in somewhere provincial like Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.

I will happily go back to the Green again as I find the place cheery and amiable. London needs more straight-friendly gay bars.

The Green
74 Upper Street, N1 0NY