ong lines have formed early in the evening outside Mile End Bar, which is host, along with a handful of other clubs, to the local scene. Hopeful clubbers form a weaving line behind a red velvet rope. Presiding is a tall blonde in a chic but substantial white fur jacket and matching cap, looking very much like a runaway from a photo shoot.

Entering The Mile End Bar for the first time – like any hipster bar - engenders a certain sort of fretful uncertainty. What are the stats? Is this going to be the kind of bar we drank our hearts out in the mid-'90s, or the one we've grown used to? We bypass the line. We buy drinks. We sit down. And wait.

At that point, it really comes down to a simple question: just how cool is Mile End? Well, for the most part, the happy answer is: insanely cool. The bar has a look that is unlike any recent nightlife adaptation, and is probably as close to the hipster material as is possible outside of outright animation. It’s particularly well-designed, is a feast for the eyes and will provide a serious geek-on for drinking fans of all types.

The trendy three-level lounge for which they wait to gain entry - an airy, modernist design of classic wood, steel, glass and leather interiors - is a popular addition to an area of restaurants, cafes, shops and clubs.