MAYBE it was just the direction I approached The Lion & Lobster from that gave me the impression it was a small back street boozer, or maybe I had my eyes fixed firmly on a refreshing pint and didn’t notice the monumental dark pink façade.

Either way, it wasn’t until I wandered around inside this Sillwood Street monster I realised what a Tardis it is.

I began with a pint of Backyard Session and took a seat on the left-hand side of the bar. It clocks in at 4.5 per cent and cost £5.10. Mrs P’s Strawberry Rekorderlig set me back a touch more at £5.50.

There were four TV screens all showing some sort of bilge from Sky and I was surrounded by the now almost de rigueur strings of fairy lights, so I decided to explore further afield and wandered around to the other side of the bar. I couldn’t believe the way the pub opens up, it’s absolutely massive. And, what’s more it’s cleverly designed so you get outside spaces interspersed on each floor.

I think I finally ended up on the third floor but on the way, I passed several doors which read “staff only” and even some which read ‘strictly staff only’. My interest was piqued even more by these and it would have been tough not to have taken a quick peek – there are a lot of cupboards, if I was choosing somewhere to play hide and seek this would be it.

I ended up sitting at a wooden picnic table pretty much on the roof, which was very refreshing. There’s scaffolding on this top storey as someone is painting a beautiful mural of a lovely sandy beach – not Brighton then!

Now, I like good lighting as much as the next man, but unbelievably the wretched fairy lights have even sneaked up to this height.

The down side of this floor is there is no bar, so I had to come down a level for a drink. I was served by a lovely barmaid who was about to head off for a well-earned eight-day holiday, though she can’t take Yanni with her as in her words: “Someone’s got to stay and pay the bills”.

While it’s more convenient than going all the way downstairs, the downside of this bar is the reduced choice in drinks and a total, lack of snacks. So, I moved onto a pint of San Miguel at £4.90 – standard fare, but well served.

The ground floor bar also benefits from having four bar staff which gives them the time to have a chat and pass the time. This middle floor houses the restaurant and tables were fairly quickly being taken up. I can’t imagine a time when you wouldn’t find a seat in this particular hostelry but by the time I left just after 8pm it was pretty packed. Security also came on at this time.

The whole place does feel a little on the dark side, all the walls are either dark red or brown, even the ceilings are painted brown. There are pictures everywhere, covering every inch of wall, even upstairs in the gents, which could do with a little TLC and a bottle of bleach.

It’s full of old furniture and even older panelling and, whilst there was a delightful chandelier overhead, there just isn’t enough light for me – I like to see what I’m doing.

It’s safe to say the decor is eclectic and from a bygone era but there’s far too much to mention so you’ll need to take a look for yourself. I took pity on one waiter who said he’d been working here for two years and rather than getting used to all the stairs he’s always exhausted by the end of a shift.

Back at the top there are a couple of paintings that even I could have done, perhaps they were running out of pictures to fill the place.

There are some nice touches to this place – the umbrellas in a barrel and the fact they still supply beermats, courtesy of road crew from Motörhead, but whilst it’s trendy enough I think in some ways it’s trying too hard.