Mash, London UK

Designer: Andy Martin Associates, 1998 and 2005

Once the surprise of discovering this futuristic Lost-in-Space-meets-Barbarella pub and restaurant passes, customers are in for another one - those orange and stainless steel tanks behind the plate glass window are used for brewing beer. Not wanting to stereotype brewpubs, but they tend to be a traditional or industrial design - funky, no. So Mash is a unique, groovy and fun addition to the pubs that carry the torch for handcrafted beer. The beers were devised in-house by a resident master-brewer and comprise four distinct brews – a fresh tasting blond beer called Mash; Belgian Wheat with a spicy citrus tang; Festival Golden, a light fruity ale; and the amber Vienna Style Lager. For indecisive customers, a handy tasting tray of all four is offered.

Sit in a booth at the rear of Mash – this gives a panorama of the whole place. To the right are the lozenge shaped wood rimmed wall cut-outs of the bar dispensary, on the left, a sunken lounge lined with red leather banquettes and specially commissioned art-work by acclaimed artist John Currin. Remember the Coca-Cola advertisement in the 1970s where a group of healthy Americans wanted to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony? Imagine if David Lynch had been the director, it would have looked like these paintings.

Mash is a visual and sensual treat from the outset. Just inside the entrance is a floristry, Absolute Flowers, with colour and fragrance to lift the spirits. Throughout the pub and restaurant are pieces of art - a six-foot high sculpture, a collection of stylish vases (filled with fresh flowers), and for a microbrewery, the ultimate works of art – the tun, kettle and tank that convert water, barley, hops and yeast to beer.

Photographer: Richard Leeney