Fat Cat

Greyfriars Road, Cardiff [map]


It had been a long day of drinking by the time we lurched into Fat Cat. We'd covered eight, nine pubs consecutively, with barely a thought for anything quite so prosaic as eating.

Indeed, The Photographer was by now doing a remarkably accurate impersonation of a recently-escaped lunatic. We needed somewhere to quietly regroup, to reflect on the task at hand - and to consider the fact that we were out of our minds on booze before teatime.


Given the circumstances, Fat Cat wasn't necessarily an obvious choice. But as soon as we reached the bar, the familiar vista of those draught lagers - Foster's! Kronenbourg! Amstel! - had a calming effect on us both.


Of course, the modus operandi of the place is to flog gallons of luridly-coloured pop to pre-Oceana revellers, while somehow attempting to maintain the ruse that it is actually a joint for the discerning sophisticate (ref the artful etchings on the mirror or those knowingly retro lampshades).


In actual fact, it's hopelessly derivative and charmless: the file name of this photo should be melancholy.jpg. But we'd reached the pint of no return and were just grateful for the swift service and a sit down.

Sometimes, that's all you want.