Positively 4th Street

Named after a Bob Dylan song, Positively 4th Street is located in that barren stretch between Camden and Warren Street, a seemingly unfortunately location as it doesn’t look like throngs of avid revellers are likely to barge through the door and get a party started.

This first impression is misleading however, as the bar is only a 15 minute walk into town, and a steady flow of people come and go despite nursing a World Cup hangover, this being the day after England’s only winning match of the tournament.

We perch on a red leather banquette at a worn, wooden table with sunken candles. The bar is dimly lit and atmospheric. Large barrels with Japanese writing sit to our left, fans hanging from some sort of a conveyor belt on the ceiling move back and forth, providing little breeze but looking very pretty. A large TV screen at one end of the room looks out of place amidst the otherwise wonderfully art-deco interior. Even a trip to the toilets reveals the original ceiling complete with stained glass.

The menu consists entirely of Thai food, and we’re highly amused when our starters are brought to us from outside the venue. Cue jokes about the food belonging to the Thai restaurant up the road on Camden High Street; of course it’s simply that access to the kitchen isn’t inside the bar.

We slurp a rather salty mushroom soup with plenty of kaffir lime leaves and pieces of ginger floating around. A large dish of tempura with sweet chilli sauce is heavier than expected, and the batter is a little on the dry side.

The black bean sauce stir fry with beef is very tasty. Slices of fried beef with crunchy broccoli and a bowl of rice for only £5 is always going to be a winner for me. Friend has less luck with her meal though, as her tofu has been reheated to lukewarm temperature and has dried up.

The cocktails are the definite winners here. An awkwardly named Golden Shower is a divine champagne and cinnamon concoction, simple yet decadent. Tony’s Cocktail is a long drink consisting of gin, vodka, tequila, white rum, and apple sours, yet despite its ingredient list it manages to remain sweet-tasting and easy to drink.

Despite the slightly hit-and-miss food (however at £17 for two starters and two mains, who’s complaining?) Positively 4th Street is a great little bar, with its stylish décor and laid-back ambience. Well worth the trip to the between-area wilderness.