The Clove Club

Amazing. Just amazing. I’ve spent my time in London sampling the restaurant scene, and the Clove Club is definitely my favorite meal to date. Most restaurants I’ve been to have a mix of excellent dishes and good dishes, but everything I ordered here was fantastic.
I ordered:
— A non-​alcoholic drink. I forget what it was called but it had nettle cordial– lovely
— Buttermilk fried chicken with pine salt. A signature dish and for good reason– excellent
— Scrambled gull’s egg with a celery foam– seasonal and excellent
— Pork belly dish– excellent
— Warm blood orange with sheep’s milk yogurt and a fennel granita– excellent
Buttermilk fried chicken: crispy, flavorful, served piping hot, unique with the pine salt, and tender and juicy chicken
Scrambled gull’s egg with bacon and seaweed– Seasonal item and sustainably harvested. beautifully and creatively presented. The seaweed was an appreciated acknowledgement that this is a sea bird and not a chicken egg.
Pork belly– perfectly cooked. Rich but the fat was well cooked so as to maintain and a pleasant mouth feel. Delicious.
Warm blood orange dessert– Beautiful presenting, mix of colors and flavors. The fennel granita was an excellent complement to the orange and yogurt.
Everything I ordered was absolutely delicious. Make a reservation and come here. It is definitely worth the price, and you won’t regret it.

This was a really excellent tasting menu– the food was innovative and yummy. The staff was very very nice and helpful. It has four $$$ signs, but in terms of tasting menus, it’s very reasonably priced. I also liked the relaxed vibe and that you didn’t have to get dressed up.

Amazing experience with the tasting menu, at 95GBP per person it’s definitely pricey but worth our 3.5 hour meal (book and pay online in advance). Each course (roughly 10) was extremely unique and delicious except for 1 or 2 misses, they’ll adapt the menu if you have any food allergies or aversions, and overall service was great. The one hiccup in our experience was a fire alarm from the theater next door which went off and continued for at least 5 minutes. Highly recommend booking here for a nice treat.

First of all the handmade bread is amazing. This is a very modern restaurant in Shoreditch, the trendiest part of LONDON. The decoration is awesome and the food is outstanding. They have two different set menu for dinner. You should definitely try one of it… #shoreditch #london #cloveclub #wining #dining #finedining #foodie ##

I arrived at The Clove Club super excited! This was booked way in advance — I think almost 3 months ago. The restaurant does one sitting only and I could see that the majority of diners were also going for the 10 course tasting menu. We arrived at 7pm and left at 11pm. Some might consider this slow, but I loved the relaxed and attentive atmosphere.
The good:
— Food was absolutely delish (it’s all about the food afterall, right)
— The snacks actually consisted of a trio of items which were exceptional
— Served the right amount of food (didn’t leave hungry)
— Romantic and relaxed vibe great for couples
The bad:
— It took ages to check-​in and collect coats as there was noone there
— The ‘grains grains grains’ dessert was actually quite poor and both of us did not eat more than a bite, but no biggie seeing as it is a tasting menu afterall

We arrived on a damp night in July, and sat in the bar, because the main room was booked. However, we were treated to the tasting menu, which we had hoped to taste, and amazed. The wine list is an education and delicious. Well done. The food came out perfectly, and we were very entertained by the staff’s coming and goings. The location is not an easy one to get to, but worth the extra to get there.
We had brunch at Spring the end of the week, and discovered the manager at Clove is the wife of Clove Club’s Manager. Smart. I hope we can get in again.

Overdue review here but a definite 5 star review from me.
On arrival we were greeted and shown directly to our table by friendly and assured staff. From there the experience started… Chose the wine pairings and then within just a minute or two our dishes started to arrive. Everything was interesting and exciting and innovative but at the same time not overly fussy or silly. A stream of flavours, textures and combinations designed to please the senses and it all worked. A standout was the raw scallop with brown butter and truffle. There were some quirky dishes such as duck and ginger broth with 100 year old madeira (you drink the broth and then sip the madeira). The wine pairing option was quite a bit more but a real treat and each dish had a wine option so I think I tried about 10 different wines, including dessert wines. Everything was highly coordinated in timing and perfectly executed with the chefs in the kitchen on show and working together in a focused manner.
Different from a classic Michelin restaurant experience and maybe more exciting.
The restaurant itself is in a low key, almost minimal interior but warm, not cold. Service was superb. Low key, friendly, just on point.
In terms of value, I also give 5 stars. Pricey yes but excellent all round so good value.
I want to go back if I can get a reservation again!

We dined at The Clove Club on our last night in London and the first night they used the ticketing system. We were really excited to do the extended tasting menu and to try out this highly rated restaurant — part of the Worlds 50 Best List — 66 on the list.
We started with a series of different snacks from the kitchen. All were absolutely amazing. I would say the best was their house cured meats or the buttermilk fried chicken with pine salt that everyone talks about. We were lead through a series of dishes, that range in size. Some of the tasting dishes were quite smaller than we expected (cheese tartlet with malt; duck and ginger broth) but still packed amazing flavor. Some of the dishes were really delicious, well seasoned, prepared and composed. We loved the raw scallop with clementines and oysters; slow cooked lamb with spring onion and mutton; or the chilled pea mousse (amazing!!!). Some of the dishes were good but not great though — the pollack with curry leaves was a little over cooked and the foam wasn’t needed, and the desserts were good but not amazing. We dined at the Ledbury the night before, who also had a fresh strawberry tartlet, and the quality of the strawberries and the dessert itself didnt even compare with the Ledbury.
Overally it was a really great and fun night. The atmosphere was casual but still intimate enough for a date or personal event. It is also fun to watch the kitchen at work. I wish Chef Issac was a little more personable and talked to us or some other tables though; but on the contrary to that, every dish we had was brought out to us by a kitchen staff and explained thoroughly. In addition the wine selection is extremely reasonable and the cocktails are amazing!

Marvellous non-​alcoholic cocktail (!). Also, tried the kebab from their bar menu. Come to think of it, was I even at a Michelin Star restaurant? Well it tasted like it, anyways.

Went for the full tasting menu and left the wine pairing up to the very knowledgeable and welcoming server (s). I hate using the metaphor «journey», but from the first bite of the delicious pre-​menu snacks, that’s exactly what it felt like; A journey through the English countryside. Everything was very tasty, but there were definitely some highlights. The Flame Grilled Mackerel (with English cucumber, elderflower and sorrel), the Duck Broth & Hundred Year Old Madeira, the Yorkshire Grouse (with elderflower and golden turnip) and last, but not least, the Amalfi Lemonade & Sarawak Pepper dessert. Damn, that was good! I will for sure return here next time I’m in London. Highly recommended.

Stuffed out of my mind… the 100 yr old Madeira and duck soup 5 star dish in my opinion, but the other dish was alright. I guess the biggest problem for me is the sequence of the dishes, it just got heavier and richer as the meal progress. It just became too rich even if the food looks delicious. My favorite are the wood smoked pigeon sThe tongue and tummy just needed a break if they mixed in something acidy and tingy would’ve been 4 stars. Wood smoked pigeon Sausage, the fried chicken feet that taste like chiccharonnes. Also lets not forget about the scallop truffle dish see pic. food mix with abstract art. The blood pudding was disgusting, the texture was just too thick.

Now that I’ve had two visits to the Clove Club, I feel like I can give a more holistic review. To be fair, my first visit started out with a bit of bickering between me and my partner over why I booked the bar area for 8PM on a Tuesday rather than wait for the 9:30 reservation for the set menu in the dining room. My argument is that it would be a long dinner to be enjoyed without worrying about rushing home (more on that later). All resentment faded away when we realized we were literally sitting next to Kiera Knightly in the back room of the bar. So there was that. The pros of the night were getting drunk on delicious cocktails (I mean it’s a Tuesday, but now we’re sitting next to Kiera Knighly — so why not celebrate and send a couple shots to her table as well — yes that happened .)The cons were… well, sitting next to Kiera Knightly — so the staff was pretty indisposed and starstruck and focused on making sure everything (literally everything) on the menu was delivered to her table while we waited ages for the dishes we ordered. I think we had about 4 waiters through the night as they could come over to us and drop food and get a glance over to the table. So much for consistency, right? That being said when we did have a chance to interact, everyone wa nice and chatty.
So, I suppose you might be wondering about the food. If you go for the bar menu, don’t miss out on the buttermilk fried chicken. You’ll also find this on your snacklist on the set tasting menu if you decide to come back and try that. The buttermilk was by far the best dish that we tried at this sitting.
My second visit is where I think I can give an actual review. My girlfriends and I have a monthly wine club and to celebrate the Holidays and relieve us of our hosting duties, we decided to do a wine and food pairing at the Clove Club. I need to mention that we didn’t provide any dietary restrictions in advance and there is a set menu. One of my friends has a deathly shellfish allergy and we realized upon arriving that a few of the dishes in the set menu had shellfish. Without having to say much the staff was super accommodating.
Wine pairings: Do it. And if it’s a celebration — start with the prosecco. The prosecco they had available was organic and «cloudy» and though not you would traditionally imagine when you think prosecco — a delight. The sommelier knew his stuff and it really added to the experience to have him pop over for each dish and explain the pairings (plus if the kitchen is going a bit slow — he will make sure you always have a full glass to taste with!) We left with a wine list in hand for future wine club inspiration.
Food: As I mentioned you’ll get to try the buttermilk fried chicken as part of the snacks here. As for the other food. So — great! My favourites include the scallop and venison but there really wasn’t one bad course.
I’d suggest making reservations pretty far in advance if you’re looking to dine in the set menu restaurant, though the bar seems to have more accommodating seatings at the last minute.

I don’t usually like being the bearer of bad reviews, but I thought my experience was important to share for others who might be likeminded.
TL;DR: I left hungry.
My friend and I had a reservation for the bar, and ordered:
Cocktails: Japanese whiskey thing was refreshing, and maybe my favorite part of the experience but nothing to return for. Pisco Inferno was delightfully named but confusingly flavored, as my friend didn’t get anything pisco-​y from it.
Bread and butter: Would have been fantastic if not seemingly baked from frozen – the bread was warm on the outside, but cold and wet in the middle. The texture was actually perfect for me, up until I hit the clammy parts. It was upsetting.
Buttermilk Fried Chicken & Pine Salt: Tasty, but I was distracted by the set-​up being an overabundance of pine nesting that made me wonder if they throw the nest away every time, or if the nest had been reused. Neither thought made me happy.
Raw Orkney Scallop, Hazelnut, Clementine & Wiltshire Truffle: I usually love raw scallop, but I didn’t love this combination at all. There was something weird about the textures that reminded me of slivered styrofoam and brined slime. This was a personal preference, as it really worked for my companion.
Roast Cornish Cod, Borlotti Beans, Smoked Garlic & Tarragon: The only thing I remember about this is that I let my friend have most of it because it didn’t really do it for me. I wasn’t being terribly gracious, as there wasn’t a lot to share anyway.
Clove Club Salad with Radishes: Definitely the best-​executed food we had, mostly because the lettuces were super fresh.
Smoked Kielbasa & Sweet Pickle Mustard: They forgot to bring it out, but didn’t forget to put it on the bill. The servers apologized, but I wish they had just remembered to bring it when we wanted it.
I really do wish Clove Club the best, as I see they have made many of my friends so happy. But I can’t recommend it based off this experience, unless you really crave a side salad with a refreshing cocktail, in which case by all means, it’s got your number.

The Clove Club is a true gem taking up the space that used to be Shoreditch Town Hall. From the moment you set foot inside the building, you know you are in for a good night — whether you are going for a full on experience in the restaurant, or are just hanging with a drink in the bar. this is not a place to get disappointed. It is possible to order meals in the bar too, from fresh salads to the flakiest cod. The menu get small daily tweaks, so you know the produce is as fresh as can be. And oh, the drinks are sublime too.

I have a couple of problems with Clove Club. Actually, only one of those problems is specific to Clove Club and the other is with restaurants like this in general. CC doesn’t seem to know if it should be fine dining or casual and the whole contrast is very jarring and comes off as pretentious.
Secondly, I am so bored with ‘tasting menus’. I can understand if you are the Fat Duck why you’d have a tasting menu, there is a lot of technique to show experience and showcase. But here you are served fried chicken, it might be dressed up in a Christmas tree but it’s still just fried chicken. The menu here should definitely be a la carte and it should be casual because that is the food that is served. Its sister restaurant 10 Bells is exactly this and it is wonderful and I love it. CC on the other hand is trying to be something it is not.
Re: the food, it was good but a little bit boring. They do change their menu regularly so the descriptions below may not be around when you visit.
The good dishes we had on the day were: the fried chicken (although you only get one piece per person. It’s the same chicken at 10 Bells except you get a lot more to enjoy), pigeon sausages (wonderfully seasoned and gamey), 20 day dry aged Challans Duck (perfectly cooked, skin crispy and the flesh soft and tender), Amalfi lemonade (the sourness was quite the shock and then you get to the sweetness and it was like a party in your mouth) and the blackcurrant leaf icecream (intense and a perfect end to the meal).
There were some very forgettable dishes too like the smoked roe, beetroot & yoghurt (this tasted like any kind of canapes you’d get from M&S — which is solid but why served in a place like CC), tuna tartare (completely not enough dressing), thornback ray (plain and nothing to recommend it).
And everything came out so slowly. We were well and truly bored by the end. It felt like the food kept coming with nothing to remember it by.

Fun place — one tasting menu only place but with the price… It is hard to complain. Great value and pricing. The setting is nice — quite hipster with nice historic feel. The only thing is that it smelled like old stale bar when I walked in. The smell went away in the dinning area but the floor could get better scrub?!
The food is nice and experimental — some dies are hit and miss but at least they try., my experience peaked on the first dish but others could argue differently, I am sure. For me, the highlight was snacks to start off including fried chicken with pine dust, home made bread (absolutely delicious) with homemade butter, and lightly flamed mackerel… The rest of the meal was not bad but not great for my taste — everything was in good quality though. Service was friendly — really enjoyed the evening.

Amazing food, amazing service, amazing drinks. In short, this place is amazing, and you need to go here.
Located in the bustling and über-​cool Shoreditch neighborhood, it’s your best bet to make a reservation and show up on time. I was lucky enough to come here with a local who knew best how to navigate the menu of multiple small plates, and among the four of us in our party, we shared just about every plate on the menu, in addition to a few cocktails and a great bottle of wine.
The Clove Club really shines when it comes to meat and cheeses; their charcuterie is simply not to be missed. The care and thoughtfulness that goes into combinations and presentation is very apparent and much appreciated, too. Another thing you’re going to want to try? The fried chicken — it’s simply sublime. Our servers were incredibly sweet and helpful when it came to making recommendations not only for what to order, but how much of what to order. I think they enjoyed us enjoying them, because on top of the two desserts we ordered, they gifted us a third because they ‘though we might enjoy this, too.” Such service!
While the vibe is on the hipstery side of things, the mood is anything but and the food, cocktails and service give this place the clout to do whatever the cripes they want with their decorative choices. I, for one, will be returning here immediately upon landing in London whenever that next happens… And it will happen, I can assure you.

Heard a lot of good things about The Clove Club and I took two foodie friends from out of town there and this place didn’t disappoint! We had a wonderful evening tasting delicious food and enjoying great services which were not typical of London restaurants. The restaurant only serves a 5-​course tasting menu, and based on previous reviews, the price has increased to £55 (from £47 April 2013). However, it is still great value for the high quality and innovative food on the table.
The dining room was intimate and you can see the open kitchen at one end of the room. As soon as we were lead into the dining room, people behind the kitchen greeted us. They were so nice and warm and I feel that they were really happy that we came to dine tonight.
Before the tasting started, there were 3 pre-​courses, which included the famous buttermilk fried chicken & pine salt, pieces of juicy deliciousness with fresh pine salt, simply heaven. We also ordered their house cured Jamon for an extra £16. It was good, but I have tasted better.
The tasting started with horse mackerel tartare covered in picked rhubarb & turnips. The presentation was so pretty and the taste was extremely refreshing and delicate. A very strong opening. Then followed Cornish monkfish with white asparagus, cinnamon and curry leaf. I love how the warm and sweet flavor of cinnamon compliment the taste of monkfish. The heaviest dish was lamb with seaweed sauce. It was quite an unusual combination. Both have very distinctive flavors and I would never have dreamed of putting the two together. However, it worked beautifully together, and I especially loved the fatty part of the lamb, so very delicious.
Then we were transitioning to the sweet part of the evening which took the meal to a new height. The warm blood orange, sheep’s milk mousse and fennel granita was divine! The palate cleanser which was not even listed on the menu turned out to be another highlight. It was a lemon soda mousse, which was fluffy and tingled on your tough. We all loved it. Last but not least, we had apple tarte tatin. And in typical tasting menu fashion, we got some last sweet treats of house made chocolate.
We thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and it is definitely high on my recommendation list.

5 big stars for the Clove Club. Really innovative and delicious food in a hip setting (Shoreditch town hall). Since opening earlier this year, the Clove Club has been getting quite a bit of hype among London’s foodie scene, and for once the hype is well-​deserved.
For £47 quid you get an fantastic and semi-​reasonably priced tasting menu. Some of the dishes were simply amazing — mackerel tartare I’m looking at you. My friends raved about the fried buttermilk chicken. The pan grilled red mullet was also well presented and rather tasty. The only dish that was just ok was the roast barbary duck – a bit bland, but every other dish was a culinary work of art.
Service was friendly and helpful with the wine selections (we opted for bottles instead of the £40 wine pairing) as well as accommodating dietary restrictions. The tasting menu was easily adapted to for lactose intolerance — even down to the diary free chocolates at the end!
All in, the Clove Club is such a great spot. Definitely worth checking out. If you can’t get a reservation for the main dining room, the front bar serves more casual food for walk-​ins.

The Clove Club is a very comfortable setting with a rustic country feel. The menu is pre-​fixe but they will happily accommodate for allergies/​dietary restrictions and ask you upon arrival if you have any issues. Service was seamless and dishes came out at just the right times.
Presentation for all dishes was nicely done and we pretty much liked every dish. The small bites are truly 1 – 2 bite portions but just enough for a good taste.
Fried chicken= wonderful! The flame grilled mackerel was fresh and cooked just right but could have had a bit more oopmh from the sauce. It was a very mild dish. I love sesame and thought the radishes with black sesame and gochuchang was a really unique combo.
Radishes, black sesame & gochuchang
Buttermilk chicken & pine salt
Fried sand eels and vinegar mint sauce
Biscuit and cheese
Braised Leeks
Salad of spring vegetables, pheasant egg, fresh ricotta, and lardo
Flame grilled mackerel with dill, cucumber, and elderflower vinegar
Slow cooked loin of lamb, spinach, anchovy and mint
Lamb ribs
Strawberries and cream
Prune ice cream, kernel and rosemary sorbet, and walnut cake crumb