where shall we meet? Sheila's Bar 'n' Barbie, WC2

You've got to wonder whether whoever decided to open an Australian theme bar in Covent Garden expected it, on a weekend, to resemble so thoroughly the real thing, with blokes clambering over each other to get near enough to the bar to lean their elbows on it. One wouldn't recommend this place on a Saturday night for a pair of girlies after a chinwag, but the rest of the week it's more civilised and good for a laugh. Bar stools are upturned oildrums, the walls corrugated iron, the music is awful outback country. Cocktails, at £3.95, have names like "Dingo's Breakfast" and "Spooky Megastar", wine is new-world and the tucker is variations on "grilled".

Sheila's Bar 'n' Barbie, 41 King Street, WC2 (071-240 8282)

Serena Mackesy