Little Nan's, Deptford

Helping establish cocktail culture in SE8, is a pop-up that's now become a permanent fixture much to the delight of the 20-something charity shop-scourer groovejets who are turning New Cross/ Deptford into the new Dalston. 1970s decor includes pre-loved chairs with antimacassars - the sort of furniture you won't find in Heal's but might just find half a crown, a custard cream and a bottom set of false teeth down the back of - as well as soft toys and all manner of china and geegaws that might have graced owner / local geezer Tristan Scutt’s 103-year-old late Nan’s parlour. La-di-dah gin sips come in vintage teacups (£6) or teapots (£14). Lock lips with The Countess of Cork, Zara Philips, or Princess Eugenie - a hoity-toity royal rinse that combines limoncello with (gasp!) Babycham. Otherwise, there's wine from £11, lager and cider at under £3 a pint, cheese straws, and cream teas with Victoria sponge and millionaire’s shortbread. Millionaires may currently be thin on the ground in SE8, but it's only a matter of time; so enjoy table-top bric-à-brac sales and jiggle your Pat Butcher heritage placcy earrings - the garnish to a cocktail inspired by the old Eastenders' tart with a heart -  to disco anthems and cheesy listening before the priced-out-of-East- Dulwich mob descends and the place becomes a branch of Carluccio's.
46 Deptford Broadway SE8 4PH 07792 205375 https://www.facebook.com/LittleNansBar

The Carriage Bar at The Grain Store, King's Cross

Set in a former Victorian warehouse where "acieeeed!" warehouse parties were once the thing, the arrival of Bruno Loubet's Grain Store underscores the hood's relentless upward trajectory. From the haunt of shady old pimps and leathery prozzies, to Proenza Schouler bags and Prada shades drawn to Bruno's artfully arranged modern veggie mouthfuls on pristine white plates; that's King's Cross 2013. With dancing fountains outside, and an over-designed tricksy interior that is somewhere between a (very big branch) of Carluccio's and a Jamie's Italian speaking with a Gallic accent, The Grain Store is pure theatre. So too, the star of the show's supporting cast: a good-looking/quirky chorus line in jaunty neckerchiefs à la Pirates of Penzance;  a quaint German receptionist/ MC who is Joel Grey in Cabaret, the remake; a colourful camp maître d' who acts like he'll presently do a razzle dazzle 'em soft-shoe shuffle on the bar top; and the Carriage Bar's philosophical, phlegmatic Galician manager who rightly belongs in an old Buñuel film. As with some of that director's work, I'm not quite sure what to make of drinks directed by Loubet's consultant shaker, Tony Conigliaro. Several ideas have been designed with a specific dish in mind. Partnering courgette broad bean and prawn falafel, for example, is a singular sinus-tingling vodka mustard martini a must, or a must to avoid as Herman's Hermits sang it? I initially like it. After swig two, I'm less sure. As the novelty wears off, I grow more inclined towards my date's take:  "Ugh! Like swigging Colman's." Another sip and I'm in love again. Blowing hot and cold (literally in this case) about people is my default position. Cocktails? Rarely. I am, however, decidedly down with Tone's Beefeater ‘green’ martini. But pumpkin and maple syrup Bellini? Smoked paprika white wine? Butter and hay Champagne? Silver tip tea with a hint of cassis, meanwhile, comes on like the sort of mouthwash you'd be given at the dentist's were goody gum drops Gywnnie Paltrow minsitering to your molars. Presently, the penny drops. Could Bruno's brief have stipulated devising drinks so leftfield, a punter needs to try them several times over in order to form an opinion? If so, you've sure succeeded, Signor Conigliaro.

The Grain Store, Granary Square, 1-3 Stable Street N1C 4AB http://www.grainstore.com