The Apo was months in the making. And just one visit to this heritage-listed former apothecary and you’ll see why. This two-storey bistro and bar from Moubment Group (The Defiant Duck, Gerard’s Bistro and Bar, Laruche) boasts an intimidating degree of character and flair.

Inside it’s a menagerie of 19th century brick, leather curtains, polished concrete floors and marble feature walls. Downstairs, the moodily lit eatery features various pieces of custom-made furniture. Upstairs, a bar has been sculpted from rare Croatian oak. Designers as diverse as Alexander Lotersztain and Michael Anastassiades pepper the more intimate spaces.

The drinks menu is to the point, balanced evenly between cocktails, beer and wine. There’s also a selection of bottled cocktails – a sly nod to the venue’s medicinal history.

The food is similarly adventurous but always changing. You might find coal-grilled octopus with pig cheek and chickpea sitting comfortably alongside potted duck meat with rye and spiced pear. The focus is on snacks and share plates, a nod to the Valley’s colourful history as a social hub.