Horsing around 'til 4am in Hoxton

Not all of them manage to pull it off but, since coming under new ownership, The Horse & Groom in Shoreditch is the latest shining example of the "plub".

Down at the quieter end of Curtain Road near the Herne Street car park - home to numerous warehouse parties last summer - it's unlikely you'd wander here by accident.

But reports have been leaking out of a growing variety of nights taking up residence and making use of the two-storey pub's 4am weekend licence, hefty sound system and pubprice drinks. And with the rest of the East End slowly morphing into a copy of the West End, its secluded location provides a welcome haven from lager louts.

When we arrive around midnight, the party atmosphere is tangible and smokers outside are wearing party hats and face paint. Squeezing ourselves through the crowd we head for the packed dancefloor where the pumping sound of Simian Mobile Disco's Hustler prompts a singalong from the crowd, oblivious to whether this sort of thing is cool or not.

Tonight's party (free before 10pm, then only £5 after) is being run downstairs by festival promoters and bi - monthly resident s Bloom, who are also responsible for the face painting at £2 a pop.

Upstairs is hosted by Dim Sum, who after rocking various other venues around the country and playing Bloom in Cheltenham, return for their first birthday celebrations with special guest DJ James Harcourt.

After heading to the bar to buy a very reasonable round (£3.40 for a pint of Staropramen and £3.50 for a JD and Coke) we grab a quick chat with Charles Bakker, the pub's owner. He has spent 18 months refurbishing the venue, filling it with the quirky mismatched comfy sofas that line each wall, eye-catching features - like a pair of stuffed fighting birds behind the bar - and hidden projectors which display various visuals throughout the night inside huge, gold gilt picture frames. We hit the dancefloor upstairs and, beneath hanging birthday banners, we're soon sharing in another anniversary - Tiphane, from Peckham, out celebrating her 25th birthday, has come here for the first time with a group of friends. "It's quite raucous," she says as party poppers explode around her. "It's like a house party, but in a pub with a massive sound system."

The music is as loud and clear as in any club and big speaker stacks blast out Soulwax's remix of MGMT as we head down to catch one of London's hottest DJ duos, The Loose Cannons.

Dressed in silver masks, they're waving plastic light sabres in the air which f lash in time to the beat. Yet the brighter-than-usual lighting, plentiful places to lounge and general sense of good-natured chaos gives it a much friendlier atmosphere than most latenight dancing spots.

The venue also has a reputation for its Shoreditch Tarts, which we're eager to try. But I don't mean the many beautiful women here, these are actually a selection of filo pastries made by local chef Christian Penwill and are available from the bar daily for only £1.50 each. A mouth-watering chorizo, butternut squash, feta and mint tartlet proves to be the favourite, leaving us eager to try his weekly Sunday lunch menu which includes beef stew and chicken and cider pie.

"This place is going off the rails," shouts a voice behind us as we rejoin the dancefloor to the heavy sound of a Jack Beats track. With plenty of social lubrication having been consumed and the packed dancing areas making sure everyone is cosy and up close, it's easy to start a conversation among the smiling faces all around. It's something of which Bloom promoter, Olivia, who we meet in the thick of the action, is well aware. "It's got a comfortable pub vibe here but you can do a really good club as well," she says, as two girls climb on to a table in the corner and start dancing as if to emphasise her point.

Several hours and several drinks later, we're chatting t o Lucy, 2 4 , who ha s travelled down from Leeds to see friends. Under the pretence of still working (the best way to explain why I'm at a party with a notebook), I ask her opinion on the night. "It's amazing," she answers. "The drink flows like rivers from the mouth of Zeus," she adds before taking my pen, drawing a very rude diagram and signing it.

It could be a classical reference to how this has been an evening of Dionysian drinking and debauchery. More likely though, it's just the kind of silly, funny and slightly random encounter that a party this good was always going to end with.

The Horse & Groom, 26 Curtain Road, EC2. For info or private hire call Charles Bakker on 07734 923 246