It’s not often you can be decently entertained for a fiver. It wouldn’t get you a cinema ticket or pay for an evening out, but if you find yourself around Portobello on a Thursday night you could do worse than call into The Lower Deck. It’s a quintissential old man pub, and when we walked in (three girls, fresh-faced) we were greeted with a healthy suspicion by the all-male patrons. Thankfully, two of our number ordered Jack Daniels (one with ice, one neat) and we were judged and found acceptable enough. Quality of old man pub aside, (and it is a clean and friendly spot), we were just drinking to pass the time before the doors to The Saloon opened. The Saloon is, more accurately, The Lower Deck’s cabaret room, and they feature up-and-comers in their kitshcy basement space on Thursday nights (the next one is April 25th). It’s an … There’s more →