The Clove Club

A year on from our first visit to The Clove Club, the permanent home of a former pop-up Dalston supperclub, and this space has certainly grown on us.

Looks-wise it's very much the same place, having taken over the utilitarian splendour of part of the Edwardian Shoreditch Town Hall in a light, bright and white space with high ceilings. But everything else seems more sleek, honed and inviting.

The two-room space is divided between a bar/lounge and the restaurant proper, where the emphasis is on esoteric ingredients and contemporary presentation (though you can eat in the bar too and we'd thoroughly recommend the food).

Smartly uniformed staff work from behind a small corner-shaped wooden-topped bar, where they deftly prepare a selection of classic and classically inspired cocktails. While there is a menu, as the bartender put it 'they tend to gather dust' because here it's all about communication and figuring out exactly what each guest is in the mood for. They successfully bring full-flavoured spiris such as rye whiskey and mezcal to the table, and not just in spirit-led drinks but longer, refreshing serves too. Everything comes well balanced and finessed. Effortless, stylish and original.