16th November 2006
Is that a man on a traffic light?
Le Crocodile is the sort of bar you enter not knowing whether you'll make it out again. Located in a quite side street, the door to this cocktail bar is tiny. A sign of what's in store really, because the bar is tiny. The seats that line the walls of the bar are designed for tiny bums and the tables are miniscule. But that's pretty much where tiny ends in this bar. The cocktails are served up in hefty portions by a quiet lady who is old enough be your granny. Bizarre. Careful by the way. She's either got a slight wicked streak or a very very shaky hand. The cocktails she concocts are mind-blowingly strong. So much so that some of them verge on the unpleasant. Drink up. It has to be done. It's a bit like playing "chilli chicken" with your mates to see who can eat the most chilli, to see who's hardest (or dumbest). It's funny. Somehow, you just can't help yourself. If you happen to stay on beyond 1am, the staff hurry towards the door and lock you in. Don't panic like I did though. This is simply to stop people from coming in so you can drink in peace. The staff will happily let you leave when you're ready. They'll even open the door for you! Open till some obscene hour of the morning, you won't care when you stumble out but probably will care when you wake up the following day. Ouch. The last time I went, one of my friends was so exhilarated by the experience that he ended up climbing up a set of traffic lights and whooping at the top of his voice. Completely out of character. But that's the effect this place has. Don't say I didn't warn you.