I’d been meaning to visit The Clove Club ever since it opened but, somehow or other, it had joined the mountain of restaurants on my ‘to-do’ list and lay slightly forgotten. However, by chance a friend who works in the wine industry recently insisted I come along to a winemaker evening in their bar, and that evening reminded me that I really should come back and eat. So, when I wasn’t able to make my sister’s university graduation, I had the perfect excuse and offered to take her to lunch. For someone who spent their childhood mostly living off a combination of ‘something and chips’ my sister has started to broaden her culinary horizons over the last few years. This was her first experience of a Michelin-starred restaurant, and she loved every minute of it – from the relaxed atmosphere to the brilliant food and the wonderful staff.
The thing that strikes you most on entering The Clove Club is not only the amount of light that floods into both the bar and restaurant, but the geniality of the staff – we must have been personally greeted by almost all of the front of house and the chefs as we entered the dining room. Considering that in most restaurants there’s usually nothing more than a cursory glance from those who are not serving you, their friendliness lends the very minimalist room a great deal of warmth.