51 St Mary Street, Cardiff [map]
Call it the Urban Tap House effect, if you like. What was, until recently, unloved Irish pub Kitty Flynn's is now craft ale hostelry The Cambrian Tap.
As is the way with these places (lit by de rigueur filament light bulbs, obv), there are all sorts of beers on tap that no one's ever heard of.
We opt for a couple of pints of Almond Butter Gear Shift Cable Doppelbock. And very nice it is too.
Excellent pouring technique there.
Employees are required to clock in and out using this antiquated device. Which does seem to be taking vintage chic to somewhat ridiculous lengths, if you ask us.
We do like a booth but, if you want to squeeze four people into one of them, you have to be on very good terms indeed.
The loos: the ultimate end point of any brewing process.
The long, narrow shape creates a slightly awkward space but they've made the most of it. Not least because, on particularly busy evenings, the staff actively encourage drinkers to crowd-surf their way from the door to the bar.
Although crowd-surfing while holding aloft a pint of Almond Butter Gear Shift Cable Doppelbock turns out to be much easier said than done (and it's not even that easy to say).
