Being an IOM native but now living in Manchester, I always enjoy going back home and frequenting as many bars and pubs with friends as I can on a night out.
After a relaxed Saturday evening around the North Quay which took in the Railway, Rovers and the Bath and Bottle, we decided to end the night by going for "one more" at JAR - well what could possibly go wrong?
Well maybe that's being a bit too dramatic but this was quite possibly one of the worst bars I've been to in the past 5 years. I used to quite like nipping into Aperitivo (it's previous incarnation) but this was a good example of a venue that had let itself go.
The very large bar was about a quarter full meaning the atmosphere was as flat as a pancake. The clientele was made up of teenage dolled up girls and creepy middle aged men looking for a big night out. After ordering our drinks we actually went and hid around the corner just so as to avoid the nightmare of being in there.
The beer selection was shocking. I had a warm Peroni, no ales or bitters etc. My wife and friend each had a cocktail which was so poorly made that it was like drinking a slush puppy with all the flavour vanishing with each pull on the straw. 2 Cocktails with 2 Peroni's cost £20 which would have been better spent throwing it down the gutter.
Oh yeah and if you like live music - make sure you don't forget to catch the old dude on the casio keyboard with the young girl belting out "classics" from the corner of the bar. The 45 mins we spent here before I rush dialed our taxi became something of a parody and I began to feel like we were in Phoenix Nights...
Such a shame as it's a great location, great building. Could just do with having a smarter concept and not being so lazy in it's delivery. You've been warned if you make the same mistake we did by popping in for one! read more