Take me to a gay bar

The TV programme, Queer Eye For A Straight Guy, where a bunch of mincing queens camp it up to their stereotypical best and attempt to transform the image of a common or garden, neanderthal geezer, is proof that gay men are streets ahead of their straight contemporaries when it comes to the matters of style, grooming and taste.

It would follow, you might think, that gay bars would therefore be among the most stylish and sophisticated venues in town, each boasting a seriously good offer and an atmosphere conducive to all Wizard Of Oz fans. But quality gay style bars have been slow to materialise, partly because, as a gay friend of mine puts it, 'I only go to gay bars to pick up trade'.

But the gay world might now be turning, and the Mean Fiddler group's latest venue, Shaun & Joe - I can't get rid of the mental image of two guys driving round Essex in an XR3i with their names emblazoned on a sun visor - is making a valiant attempt at bringing a touch of class to the circuit.

And classy is what Shaun & Joe very nearly is. It looks a bit clubby with its windowless interior, red padded walls with twinkling lights, comfy banquettes and low-slung cocktail tables - clearly decked out on a tight budget, but neatly done, nonetheless. There's a dancefloor and DJ booth, and a roped-off VIP area for members and their guests. Yes - yawn - this is a members' bar, but not exclusively so - non-members are charged £10 for admission after 10pm which, given that this place rocks on until 3am, doesn't seem too unjust.

Although this is targeted at the gay community, when I pitched up with my mate Juliet (who lives with her 'sister'), we couldn't have been made more welcome. A small army of smartly dressed staff patrol the floor, offering table service and keeping the place looking spick and span.

Our waiter was particularly irritating - not because he was doing anything wrong (he wasn't), but because he had his shirt open, displaying an impossibly slim waist and muscled chest. (Note to my gym instructor: you're fired, mate, unless you get me gay-shaped, and very soon.) I had to restrain Juliet from pulling the young lad's head to her breast and stroking him in 'Come to Mummy' fashion.

The cocktails, from a list of contemporary and classic drinks, are of the high standard we've come to accept as the norm in London's style bars. Here a regular cocktail costs £7.50, champagne cocktails £8.50, and The Peach Debonaire Royale (vodka, peach puree and liqueur, lime juice and champagne) is a deliciously refreshing long drink.

The wines are ambitiously priced, but the list covers all the bases and you can get away with paying £13.50 for a house red or white. The bar is handsomely stocked with a good range of premium quality spirits, but mixers are dispensed from a gun unless you specify otherwise - drinks from a gun always taste inferior to those poured from a bottle.

The food is ridiculous. By this I mean it's impossible to eat a bowl of soup and a lamb shank from a knee-height cocktail table. We struggled with a club sandwich and ended up wearing most of the mayonnaise.

Shaun & Jo
5 Goslett Yard, London, WC2H 0EA