Sexy with a capital S

How well-heeled SW11 waterfront dwellers must yearn for a seriously sexy local to pose in. S Bar is not that place - no bad thing, as the new owners of this revamped Battersea fixture have sensibly gone for a fail-safe formula, which should have a longer shelf life than any fashion statement.

Stripped wood, pale walls, exposed brick, leather and shiny back-lit bar... need I go on? There's even a fish tank (soo 2001, honey!). It's unthreatening, comfortable and unlikely to faze the young, mixed clientele: ruggerbugger suits on draught Stella and girlies dissecting Hollyoaks over inexpensive Chardonnay from a short list of unchallenging wines.

The food - burgers, bangers, baked potatoes and the ubiquitous chicken Caesar salad - is reassuringly predictable and perfectly pitched at its target tastebuds.

Upstairs, there's a small candlelit bar and a third space, a brick-walled DJ room, is the sort of late-night sweatbox this lively crowd will be up for. Service is sweet and... result!... screens showing footie have the volume turned off. S Bar offers a perfectly pleasant middleofthe-road experience and, like the 1970s band of that name's No.1 hit, it's Chirpy Chirpy Cheap Cheap.

37 Battersea Bridge Road SW11. Tel: 020 7223

3322. Tube: Sloane Square (then No.19 bus)

S Bar
37 Battersea Bridge Road, SW11 3BA