The Clove Club

The Clove Club is now firmly ensconced in the upper echelons of the gastronomic firmament, with world-class awards and gongs galore reflecting its runaway success. It should come as no surprise that main man Isaac McHale’s cooking is radical, unorthodox stuff, with the emphasis on daringly modern, multi-course tasting menus involving seriously sourced ingredients – although welcoming staff are on hand to describe the dishes very well.

A tasting menu here might feature white asparagus with ginger and duck ham to start, followed by a raw Orkney scallop with hazelnut, clementine and truffle. You might see Scottish langoustine with green tomato, or duck breast with rare citrus and endive. 

Prepare to be challenged as the kitchen applies its abstruse skills to startling, experimental concepts such as hay-smoked sea trout tartare in Pink Fir soup with Japanese sansho pepper or blood pudding with Braeburn apple and chicory relish or even pink-roasted Hebridean lamb embellished with prunes, mustard and mint.

McHale’s almost obsessive desire to push the envelope means that you may not necessarily ‘get’ every dish, but there’s undeniable brilliance and creativity at every turn – from the selection of little snacks to audacious sweet riffs like Amalfi lemonade paired with Sarawak pepper ice cream.

Occupying a prized pitch within Old Shoreditch Town Hall, the dining room is quite pretty (in a cosy but cool, minimalist kind of way) with plenty of chef-watching opportunities at the blue-tiled open kitchen, while the bustling corner bar is now a full-on destination with its own menu of funky cocktails and small plates including flame-grilled mackerel sashimi with English mustard and cucumber.

It’s also the kind of place where they offer soft drinks pairings as well as the standard wine-based options, and even lay on a bespoke ‘tea tasting’ during dry January. Yes, this restaurant is unlike anything else in London.

The Clove Club is a relaxed fine dining restaurant, tucked away inside the Grade II-listed Shoreditch Town Hall in East London. The restaurant burst onto the London scene in 2013, and it has become one of the most awarded restaurants in the capital, scooping a heap of plaudits as well as two Michelin stars.

As you’d expect from a building like this, the dining room has a real sense of grandeur. High ceilings and towering windows make the room feel light, bright and almost palatial, whilst hardwood floors and pressed white tablecloths are sophisticated without feeling stuffy. The service matches, being both attentive but still friendly and easy going.

Led by chef-patron Isaac McHale, the team serves a precise, seasonal tasting menu that strips ingredients back to their essential elements. The restaurant goes far and beyond to source the best produce Britain has to offer, and presents that produce in its purest form. As well as the regular tasting menu, the restaurant also offers a vegetarian tasting menu, and a short tasting menu, which is available for lunch as well as for midweek dinner in the front room and at the bar.

Dishes on the tasting menu include Torbay prawn tartare with long pepper oil and pica lemon, sardine sashimi with ginger and chrysanthemum glaze, and grilled habanero granita with plum sorbet. Dishes are often inspired with McHale’s experiences, such as the Hazelwood grilled grouse sausage with bread sauce and clapshot, which is inspired by his upbringing on Orkney in Scotland.

An extensive wine collection accompanies the menus, and the wine list showcases some of the most exciting contemporary winemakers alongside a selection of fine, classical old world wines. A wine flight is also available to accompany the tasting menu.