Bar Code: Get on the blower and charm the pants off a stranger

18 November 2015 - 02:11 By Andrew Donaldson

There's a small theatre upstairs that gives the charming Alexander boozer much of its faded lovey glamour. The clutter of posters of current and forthcoming add to the vibe, but not as much as the decor and furnishings, which look as if they were looted from the old Capab props department and thrown together to resemble the set of a post-war Whitehall farce.The lack of TV screens further adds to the Alexander's mid-1950s atmosphere. You half expect to see Withnail & I's louche and corpulent Uncle Monty swanning about the tables and lamenting that, alas, he has realised he will never play the Dane.The one nod to technology is rather an unusual one. In a bid to get patrons to talk to one another, they've set up a system of antique rotary dial telephones so you can ring up the people at the table next to you or at the other end of the bar and flatter the pants off them. It's a bit like Bluetooth - but back when Bluetooth meant you needed to see the dentist.More usefully, you can dial "9" and get your drinks order in with the bar.There's a fair bit on offer here: the usual array of craft beers, wines from the smaller local producers, and several of the more classic cocktails.We liked the pile of New Yorker magazines at the door. Very useful when there's no one to call on the phone.The Alexander attracts an interesting mix of young and old locals, mostly theatre devotees, but they do get regular tourist walk-ins from the surrounding hotels.Wednesday-evening quiz nights - book online at www.alexanderbar.co.za - are popular. They're quite out of the ordinary; contestants have apparently been required to wear blindfolds and taste things. And lastly, there's always a drama of sorts upstairs.76 Strand Street, Cape Town. 021-300-1088. Mondays to Saturdays 11am to 1am, Sundays noon to midnight..

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