DRUNKEN MONKEY

The last thing you’d expect on busy, bar-packed Shoreditch High Street is this Shanghai surprise. The exterior is appealingly discreet, with a blue neon sign reading ‘dim sum all day’ signifying that this is something different from your regular boozy bar. It’s a dim-sum-meets-drinks concoction, the creation of Stephen Chan, who comes from a lineage of Chinese restaurateurs and honed his craft in the Opium Den and Jerusalem.

Step inside and it’s channelling 1960s Chinatown. The dim lighting comes from a canopy of red Chinese lanterns hanging above the bar. Ceiling fans whirr overhead in veritable colonial-veranda style, and dark wood and huge latticework-edged mirrors complete the look. Long banquettes line the main room, with large wooden tables and plenty of space. Even on a Friday night, it’s lively but not crowded, which adds to its appeal in an area where often you’ll spend half your evening queuing at the bar. Beers aplenty are on draught (John Smith’s, San Miguel, Kronenberg Blanc), but our tip is to plump for a cocktail: signature creations are classics given a unique twist, such as Monkey’s Whiskey Sour, which adds a cunning dash of maraschino cherry.

Hands-in-the-air house music is loud enough that people dance in the central space, undeterred by the lack of a dancefloor, and the crowd is good natured and unpretentious, another plus in London’s region of the post-ironic haircut. There’s an intimate snug at the back with space for two tables, and some steps up to another small area, perfect for sampling the delicious dim sum (served noon till midnight), with melt-in-the-mouth classics such as har gau (king prawn dumplings) and yummy cha siu bao (barbecued roast pork buns), the ideal way to counterbalance those cocktails. Bigger bites (and then sum) include noodle, rice and hotpot dishes – and any bar where you can order Peking duck gets our vote.