STEPPING over the threshold you can’t help but notice you’re in a Young’s pub – the name is carved into the brass plate in the entrance.

You also have to step over an old-fashioned trapdoor where presumably the beer is delivered. It’s a good job Mrs PubSpy wasn’t with me as she gets a strange feeling in her nether regions on glass floors, trapdoors and bridges.

Safely inside the Seven Stars I was immediately impressed by the imposing nature of this cavernous pub, the ceiling is ridiculously high, there’s room for a whole other storey.

What’s also very clear is that the latest incarnation of this city centre venue has seen it move with the trend towards pubs specialising in a variety of gins and craft beers, with prices to match.

I wasn’t in the mood to go completely off piste, but was happy to avoid the usual suspects on tap and opted instead for a pint of Blue Moon. A reasonably popular, lightish Belgian wheat beer. It had the usual cloudy look because it’s unfiltered and was perfectly chilled.

It was well served by the barmaid but, after last week, perhaps I need to be a little careful what I say. However, I still think part of the role of a good pub reviewer is to consider the merits of the staff behind the bar. She was highly efficient and attentive, if not particularly smiley or friendly.

But the fact of the matter is, all anyone is ever really going to notice about her is her hair, which is truly amazing and, without being mischievous at all I have to be honest and say straight away it reminded me of a cartoon from my childhood; Crystal Tips and Alistair. I can say this because a) I used to love the show and b) I have no idea how old she is, but I know for sure she’s not old enough to have ever heard of it.

Armed with my pint I made my way to a bench seat in front of the most imposing wood panelling. Behind the panelling there is a hidden area of the pub which can’t be seen from any vantage point but is beautifully illuminated by a red light. I was a little disappointed to discover it shines upon nothing more than a vacant passageway.

The music wasn’t overly loud or intrusive but as I sat looking around me I became aware of a vibration through my bottom. The bench must have a sprung seat which, for some reason, is perfectly tuned in to the speaker system – as a result you not only hear the music but feel it too. I have to say one or two numbers with plenty of bass made for an interesting experience.

The place has stripped back floorboards, heavy wooden tables and a fair few incredibly heavy three-legged stools.

I’m not entirely sure how much of the decoration is original but there are certainly some lovely touches – the hefty beer casks which have been turned into light fittings over the bar are particularly effective.

More mood lighting exists in the form of night lights on every table and perhaps it is this attention to detail that resulted in there being far more women in the pub than men – although there were a number of couples, females still dominated.

It was either the night lights or the fact the pub has more trendy decorations and fittings than a Habitat store.

The whole place has retained this mixture of the old fashioned, next to trendy decoration, bordering on the minimalist industrial look.

There is, for example, a great, old dumb waiter, which flashes with a light every time a meal is ready and sent through from the kitchen. But further down the bar there are shelves with jars that look like an old pharmacy but are in fact far more interesting concoctions of new flavours of gin – the chilli juice certainly looked interesting.

But I’d had enough of the variety so switched across to Staropramen for my second point. It didn’t have quite as high an alcoholic content as the Blue Moon but it was also 15p cheaper.

One touch I did enjoy was the fact there were beer mats placed on every table – in 99 per cent of pubs beer mats are sadly a thing of the past.

Although, there are very nearly as many CCTV signs as beer mats so you have to wonder if they’re expecting trouble.

This is a big old imposing place and although it’s a little dark in some corners it is generally very welcoming. So, if Mrs Pubspy can force herself across the trapdoor, I might return.