supperclub.tube: Experiential dining at its best
We rate the novel approach to eating out in Walthamstow, a year into its new journey.
Start eating on the London Underground and people will look at you with sheer disdain. Strike up a conversation with a group of strangers and you’ll probably receive a similar reaction. It’s little wonder then, that it takes a while to acclimatise to the atmosphere at supperclub.tube in Walthamstow, as that’s exactly what you’re faced with.
Set in the surroundings of the Walthamstow Pumphouse museum, you’ll join a group of strangers dining on Colombian-inspired cuisine aboard an old Victoria Line tube carriage. Understandably the environment is a little bizarre, but it helps bring the group together; this is the forefront of new experiential dining.
A choice of a classic negroni or prosecco greets you as you climb up – through the old driver’s cabin – and you’re seated at either a booth-for-two, or along the long communal table at the rear end of the carriage.
Company is lively sitting along the bench, even on a Thursday night with fifteen guests in total; the staff say they can cater for 32 people when fully booked. There’s a weird and slightly uncomfortable feeling of gate-crashing a birthday party – but it’s hard not to feel a part of the group, and it makes the night a heap of fun.
The first of six courses arrives, and colour is on the menu. A bright quinoa salad with roasted butternut squash, shredded swiss chard and queso fresco. Considering the length of the six-course tasting menu, the serving is surprisingly generous, and the variance of flavours is complementary and hearty. The chipotle dressing and spiced chickpeas add a subtle warm kick, and the leafy greens and Mediterranean-style salad round it off well.
Not too long after the empty plates are shuffled away, the second course arrives: a cheese-filled croquette made with cassava, a root vegetable similar in appearance and taste to a sweet potato. Served on a huancaina sauce which was warming and mildly spiced, and topped with a few sprigs of grilled kale, the dish was perfectly pleasant. Perhaps a hint of flavouring to the kale would’ve kicked things up a notch, although the Colombian inspiration is certainly present in the flavouring overall.
TOM JENKINS
Prefers tea.
Seating options at supperclub.tube include booths fit for date night, or the classic tube train bench for communal dining. Photo: Tom Jenkins
"Understandably the environment is a little bizarre, but it helps bring the group together." Photo: Tom Jenkins
The home-baked artisanal bread served with the seafood trifecta was utterly sublime.
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The third course was the weakest of them all, particularly for those not fond of seafood. A salmon-clam-crab trifecta served in a lime and chilli marinade, while not unpleasant in any measure, will hardly send your culinary pulse racing. The home-baked artisanal bread with which it was served, however, was utterly sublime!
Fourth on the menu, considered the “main course”, is a chicken dish, which is inspired by Ajiaco, a traditional chicken soup with potato and corn. You can easily imagine it would be served in its homeland as Colombian comfort food. The chicken ballotine is hearty and filling, served upon a crispy roast potato lattice and sweet charred corn to juxtapose the sliced avocado on the side. The guasca sauce is disappointingly bland, so luckily it is presented in a pouring jug on the side for your choice.
Swiftly after the main is cleared from the table, a dainty shot-glass filled with granita is handed to us. Coarser than a sorbet, the flavours are similar, a refreshing bite of lime and mint. The pot is completed far too soon and cleanses the palette satisfyingly.
The main course, inspired by Colombian Ajiaco. Photo: Tom Jenkins
Finally, and to a chorus of happy birthday from the group to their blushing friend, comes the last course of the experience. A moist and creamy tres leches cake, mixed with almond flour and soaked in almond milk, with a generous layer of berry compote and a meticulously piped meringue topper. The sponge was light, airy and sumptuous, and the meringue was the ideal combination of chewy and crispy. What a way to round off the menu!
A reasonable wine list is on offer here, but those looking for an alternative will be disappointed; the refreshing prosecco is our pick of the bunch.
Without a doubt, supperclub.tube is an experience not to be missed. £49 seems a steep ask, particularly paid upfront, though considering you pay just as much for the experience as you do the food, it seems highly worthwhile.
This sort of experiential dining is showing its face more and more; this is well and truly the future of eating out. Experience is the key word. And a year after a change of hands, at supperclub.tube, they’ve nailed it.