I headed to the seedy world of underground table tennis. What I encountered shook me to my very soul.

LET’S GET DOWN TO CHEESINESS

Bounce is the epitome of Shoreditch. You book a table, descend to a cavern full of ping pong boards and get several hours and a bucket of balls to play around while drinking cocktails. As someone with more enthusiasm than hand-eye coordination, I relived my school sports days by wildly flailing at the projectile and hoping I hit it somewhere appropriate.

But the moment I spot “Roasted potato skins, Keen’s cheddar, speck, chilli & thyme with Bloody Mary Ketchup” on the menu, I just have to take a delve.

The skins arrive (minus speck), and I’m blown back. No skimpy rationing of cheese here – each one had a little pool of cheddar settled inside, with the spicy herby topping spread across the top layer.

What really impresses me most is the scooping action. The skins are perfectly shaped to pick up a decent serving of cheese without having to awkwardly twist them around the box. They’re just a bit too soft to hold it easily, but once you get past the inferno heat you’re left with a happy mouthful of cheesy delight.

The price is ever-so-slightly extortionate, but they worked well as a sharing platter – perfect for scoffing while the other people in the party were at each other’s throats. We didn’t order anything else, so I didn’t get to see how small the cheaper “Buttermilk chicken with chipotle & lime” or “Bounce dog” would have fared in comparison.

ROUNDUP

PRICE: £8.25 (Shoreditch wtf)
CHIPS: Fascinating. More places ought to experiment with scooptacular chips.
CHEESE: Brilliantly spread across each chip, with flavoursome toppings.
INNOVATION: A risky mix of “unorthodox chips” with “unorthodox toppings”, but both worked well.
PRETENTIOUSNESS: Just reread the menu entry. At least they didn’t use sweet potato
OVERALL: Bounced back