The Castle, Angel Islington, London

Ambience: A castle-themed pub (not as unappealing as it sounds) with a balcony overlooking the ever-busy Pentonville Road, full of trendy Londoners. The balcony looked like it had only just been finished ­ pots of paint and, bizarrely, scissors and a knife were left on the radiator by the entrance to the balcony Time and tempo: Mid to late afternoon on a lazy Sunday. Quite empty downstairs but heaving on the balcony, as locals basked in the sun. The relative calm was shattered when news came through that Arsenal had won the Premiership Drinks: Lagers were served in good condition, but I would have preferred fresh orange juice Food: We didn't try any Service: A bit slow ­ only one person serving ­ but friendly Toilets: It may have Knights and Maidens on the toilet doors but this does not make up for the fact that there was no soap. Why? The gents (sorry, knights) was also quite dark Return: Probably. Despite faults, it had a certain charm. The balcony will give it an edge as summer approaches