In the style circuit?

If the alleged death of style and quality were to be investigated by the police, Exhibit B would be submitted as evidence on behalf of both the prosecution and the defence. It's one of those places that pop up every now and again, with a design that you either love or hate.

Exhibit B is an enormous, 200-capacity bar and 50-cover restaurant that opened a couple of weeks ago in the heart of Clapham Old Town. It's the raw, industrial design of the room that will evoke emotions, resembling a done-on-the-cheap student common room, with stark white walls and black-painted concrete floors contributing to the awful acoustics of the place.

But noise is good for some people, and the Clapham clientele who were frequenting this bar in the early days were really whooping it up and enjoying the cornucopia of sounds. Call me old-fashioned, but I like to chat with my mates in a bar - particularly in the early evening before we hit an alcohol-infused haze and start talking gibberish.

Guilty as charged, then, on the noise front. And I reckon they might also be guilty of serving some of the smallest cocktails I've ever come across, which makes the seemingly reasonable price of £5.50 a bit expensive. The high-ball (tall) glasses used to make a Mojito are so narrow that, when they're packed with ice, they have little room for any booze. It's hard to gauge the quality of drinks when you're given such small samples of evidence, but they seemed good enough.

In mitigation, Exhibit B has a cracking list of beers. Draughts of Kirin (from Japan), Amstel (Holland), Erdinger (Germany) and Red Stripe (Jamaica) are on tap. Bottled brands of Negra Modelo (Mexico), EB Pils (Poland), Pilsner Urquell (Czech Republic), Brahma (Brazil), Duvel (Belgium) and Charles Wells Banana Bread Beer (UK) conspire to satisfy even the most discerning beer palate. Corona was also given due consideration in praising the beer list.

The wine list is long and eclectic, and helpfully divided into styles and flavours, such as 'crisp and dry' whites, 'full bodied' reds, etc. Most are accessibly priced (from £2.80 for a 175cl glass), and nothing costs more than £37. From the reds, a 2003 Spanish Tempranillo Castillo de Montblanc is worth the risk at £14. From the whites, the new (2004) South African Klippenkop Estate (Stellenbosch) Chenin Blanc should be an interesting little number (£14.50).

Food is served in the bar at lunchtimes only (I'm not sure where their trade will come from at lunchtimes, given that Clapham is a dormitory village of London), and the menu includes salads, sandwiches with fries, omelettes, English breakfasts and burger dishes (most priced about £5.90). A traditional roast is available on Sundays and priced at £9.90.

Although Exhibit B will undoubtedly prove to be another useful addition to Clapham's already busy drinking crawl, the jury is still out and debating whether this place is adding to, or distracting from, London's style-bar circuit.

Bearing in mind that two previous 'offences' need to be taken into consideration - the original Exhibit in Balham and Hide in Dawes Road, Fulham - I am prepared to deliver my own verdict on the matter. If I were tired and emotional and wanted to hang around with gangs of kids in a youth-club atmosphere, I'd be back like a shot.