Reaching for the Stars #2 | The Clove Club (Shoreditch, London) | *

Opened in 2013, the restaurant is run by the Daniel Willis, Johnny Smith and Isaac McHale trio who used to run a supper club in London. The restaurant has quickly earned its first star the next year and has maintained the status since. The restaurant has also made it to The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2017 list, and is ranked at 26th place, making it Britain’s highest-ranked restaurant. 

The nine-course tasting menu is priced at £110 and a five-course menu is available at £75. Wine pairing is available at £80 or £110. Also on offer are two non-alcohol flights but the hefty tag of £50 does make one wonder the how much of these is simply luxury tax. Another thing worth mentioning is that the restaurant reserves a small number of seats for the walk-in bar where one can order a good selection of freshly prepared snacks, so the place is also a nice choice for quick bites. I opted for the full menu. To arrive first was three amuse bouche and an aperitif cocktail made using Kamm’s. 

The three amuse bouche, all of which available to order at the bar were Devilled spider crab tart with hollandaise with crab hollandaise, buttermilk fried chicken with pine salt and a little haggis bun. All of them were delightful and reflects a bit of head chef Isaac’s Scottish root. First course came hay smoked trout tartare and sansho with potato soup. Sansho is a popular ingredient in Japanese and Korean cooking that carries anaesthetic properties similar to the better-known Chinese Sichuan pepper. What makes it different, and completely elevates the dish is its refreshing citrus note and nuanced heat. The velvety potato soup was soothing and complements well with the rest of the dish. 

The next two seafood dishes were equally highlight-worthy. Scallops were fresh and translucent. The truffle sauce cooked with squid ink was something to die for. The sardine sashimi on a potato chip was weird but matches surprisingly well. The crispy sardine bones with the heart-warming whisky broth created a brief illusion that I was sitting in an avant-garde izakaya in Tokyo. 

Unfortunately, the restaurant lost a bit of steam soon after. The Cornish Pollock looked like something you can get from Côte, and maybe for better quality. It was soggy and over-salted that even the fabulous sake lee sauce couldn’t save. Slow roast chicken was good but boring, similar to my experience at Alain Ducasse.  

Duck consommé acted as a good interval. A small measure of Madeira from 1908 was served in a wine glass and I was instructed to take a small sip before it was mixed with the clear broth. The Madeira was smooth and surprisingly, with low viscosity despite the number of years it was stored. The flavour was intense like I have never experienced. I must be honest, it was so good that I regret leaving most of it in the glass for the consommé which was great but not particularly memorable. 

After a brief rest, the best end of Hebridean Lamb came. Spoiler: It was the haunch. The meat was beautifully cooked, but the real winner was the seaweed sauce which turned an otherwise ‘just great’ dish into something that was truly phenomenal. The meal was completed by Amalfi lemonade & Kampot pepper ice cream and Tarte Tatin. Both were phenomenal. 

The Clove Club has proved its cooking to be Michelin worthy and easily trumped some two star restaurants that I have visited, including Marcus. It is a shame that the service dented the experience a bit. Servers were consistently pushy and I was asked if I would like to order a glass during each course, until he was kindly informed that I will order one to go with the lamb. I am glad that I did order a glass of Barbera, though. 

Nonetheless, I was very happy with the meal, which served as a prelude to my birthday. The bill came to £146. 

★★★★☆ – Truly remarkable and worth revisiting.