New exclusive members club, Shoreditch Arts Club, has the air of an Art Collector’s home.
I went to check out the art and the new dishes, of course. With a carefully curated selection of thought-provoking sculptures, installations and paintings Shoreditch Arts Club’s focus is on the creative crowd.
It’s located in a former warehouse offering a diverse programme of in-house events with complimentary access to innovative workshops across theatre, music and the arts. We are told the lines between these categories are often blurred.
There’s even a 24-seat cinema, private hire rooms and a screening room to bring the immersive events to life.
After checking out the art with a cocktail in my hand, I settled at the table for dinner. The Arts Club is passionate about using sustainable and local ingredients as much as possible. They also focus on reducing waste.
Our welcome drink was gin based with a rescued green cordial. They make the cordial with left over greens from the kitchen such as pea shots. Not convinced? It’s slightly fizzy from the prosseco and herby from the gin, pleasantly refreshing and feels natural.
I wonder if it counts as one of your five a day, if so I’d happily have it regularly.
In terms of dishes, the restaurant focuses on small and mostly vegan and vegetarian plates. We set off with the classics – hummus. I know hummus can be found in pretty much any supermarket in variations but those can’t beat a freshly made hummus.
This one is made with pumpkin and sunflower seeds and served with warm foccacia. There is also the creamy burrata with an assortment of heirloom tomatoes of three or perhaps even four types. I was trying to count the types while eating.
The little ones were my favourite, they were candy sweet. The dish comes with an interesting twist instead of normal basil it’s Thai basil.
My next favourite was completely vegan pearl barley with a diversity of legumes from peas to broad beans. Although the guest across the table was not particularly fond of it I loved it.
I’m a fan of pearl barley; I think restaurants don’t use it enough. It’s a versatile grain with a nice bite to it, that can be very hearty if made with meat or light and healthy served with veggies.
Other interesting plates included pulled pork with lacto fermented chilli. The sweet meat was complimented perfectly with tad sour pickled onions on warm focaccia.
Another carnivore dish was cured sea trout with minty yogurt, again an interesting fresh twist on the flavours that work great especially for summer.
Our evening was complete with a sweet note of sautéed gariguette strawberries. For the non gardeners that’s quite an old French strawberry variety. I was discreetly Googling that in front of the menu.
The dessert is served with a dash of cream and sweet sourdough crumble. It’s simple but it hits the spot. We paired the strawberries with Vinho Verde, Portugal.
I was rather surprised to find it on the menu in the UK. While it’s a common wine in Portugal it tends to stay there, which is a shame because it’s a great wine.
It has a distinct mouth-zapping acidity and subtle carbonation. It also tends to be lower in alcohol, making it great for warmer season.
As it’s only a mid week it was time to head home. I sampled a fine amount of dishes but left feeling very light yet full.
If you are thinking of joining a private members club The Art’s Club is a choice to consider. It’s new (just opened in March) and bold. Just like its kitchen and locally sourced ingredients it focuses on local galleries and artists.
Shoreditch Arts Club, 6 Redchurch St, London E2 7DD