When I am on a night out all I want to do is have fun and forget about being serious.

Brand new venue, The Toy Shop, in Putney High Street, Putney, is putting the fun back in going out and comes as a welcome antidote to uptight bars.

As you walk in through the doors it feels like you have been thrust inside a giant packet of crayola crayons.

Plush blue sofas, chequered walls and neon signs adorn the walls, while a large bar stretches across the whole ground floor.

It feels a bit like you are in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, with a private room available for hire upstairs.

Your Local Guardian:

Prosecco is on tap and cocktails are named after children's toys, priced from £8.50.

I went for a Gee-haw whammy diddle fizz, topped with everything from coconut gin to N20 charged walnut oil, not the type of drink you can make at home.

The sharing drinks are also quite something.

You can sip a citrus punch from a giant flashing robot, a dolls house or even a castle with prices ranging from £50-£120.

If you like sharing your food too The Toy Shop is the place to go.

Your Local Guardian:

My guest and I started with Cornish crab croquettes (£7), with the aioli sauce served in fun pipettes and pink-and-white style sweet bags.

For main course you can order a picnic or a barbecue, and as I am terrible at cooking over flames I went for the barbecue.

It costs £20 per person for a barbecue, with a minimum of two people.

The barbecue comes presented on a big wooden star with sausage, chicken, lamb and mushroom.

Your Local Guardian:

Side dishes come in the form of cous cous, salad, roast potatoes, beetroot and potato salad - not for the faint hearted.

I am informed all of the ingredients are sourced from England, while the lamb is slow cooked before being barbecued.

For dessert we tucked into a pistachio flavoured creme brûlée, which came with its very own miniature white chocolate robot.

Your Local Guardian:

You can also try brightly coloured cake pops, while the cocktails are deserts in themselves.

Jamie Roberts, co-owner of the bar, has experience of running Koko, Kensington Roof Gardens and the Goat, in Fulham Road.

He has plans to open another five venues, including hotels, a pub and more bars

The Toyshop, Putney High Street, Putney, visit thetoyshopbar.com or call 020 8704 1188.



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