A Nation Of Shopkeepers, Review

LIKE any right-minded human, if it's raining, I immediately look for a pub to take refuge in.

The nearest on this occasion was A Nation of Shopkeepers, nestled handily on a street corner not too far from Millennium Square.

"He was holding court, and by that I mean annoying several other people, on one of the large leather sofas in the middle of the bar"

It's fairly low-fi from the outside - not too brash or showy. It could be a cafe.

Once inside, it's understated cool too, with a long bar stretching towards huge windows looking out onto the street.

Maybe it was this laid-back attitude that meant when I asked for a charge point for my laptop and wi-fi access (I know, how media) it was no problem for the young chap behind the bar.

I never got round to whipping my computer out though. That was largely due to two fine ales the bar had on tap - Incubus and Northern Star, the latter from the Moor Beer Company. One was dark and interesting the other light and sweet. Both were lovely.

I got involved in a few pieces of interesting literature lying around the place. But the serenity was broken by some braying mature student who wanted EVERYONE TO LOOK AT HIM.

He was holding court, and by that I mean annoying several other people, on one of the large leather sofas in the middle of the bar.

A younger, posher student was egging him on as he recited tale after bullshitting tale of his life, desperately trying to make himself and his haircut sound more interesting then they really were.

Fortunately you couldn't hear him from the other end of the expansive, shabby chic bar.

Some post 5pm office workers drifted in and the one-man-headache disappeared off to who cares where.

Normal order was restored until something else bad happened: it stopped raining.

No longer using the weather as an excuse it was time to leave. But I'll be back.