Novelty, it's certainly not lost on me. Want to take me to a bar where DreamPhone is hot topic, or a destination that uses televisions, not as a sports totem for distracting chaps, but as a homage to all things Fresh Prince? Then you best be bold, nab me by the dunga's and hurl me back to Earlham Street Clubhouse where retro romps and Saved By The Bell cocktails come as standard.
The Venue:
Seven Dials may be in the heart of the city, but a dash behind Covent Garden and you're in a veritable den of darling shops, quirky boutiques and off-kilter eateries; it's a tactility that Earlham Street Clubhouse reflects brilliantly. A nook not too far off the tree-house in Jack (c'mon, you know the one), this multi-level space makes no bones about filling itself with rampant memorabilia. From menus clipped to their low ceilings and beer pumps disguised as petrol canisters, to dated tin signs that mark as a testament to all things truck stop, Earlham Street Clubhouse is seemingly sentimental, and down right zany.
A retro romp through the 90s, Earlham Street Clubhouse is your childhood bedroom, done boozy.
The Food & Drink:
Seeing that they have managed to rustle up a right royal collection of retro knick-knacks, it was no wonder that their cocktail menu echoed such a hallmark. With winter on the way, I paid homage to my favourite four man crew, and necked a 'Cool Runnings'. Aside from the odd uncomfortable break out in to 'we are Jamaican bob-sleigh team', this £7.50 cocktail with vanilla-infused pampero blanco, apricot liqueur and guava juices was a fresh and fruity testament to the cocktails that Earlham boast, with other cocktails themes coming from the likes of Cruel Intentions and the Milky Bar Kid.
Now then, on to the hot Earlham topic: pizza. Did you know that these folks have limbered up a selection of arms long enough to rustle up an 20 inch pizza? And for a mere £18 at that? You do now, four for you Glen Coco. Splitting our 20-incher with the 'Ross and Rachel' option, we halved our pizza in to a San Daniele Prosciutto topped 'Happy Gilmore' and a blue cheese smothered menu newbie. Fresh, not too fat on the palate and enough to split between three people, this is more than worth the money.
From Heather's Revenge to She's All That, try these cocktail capers on for size.
The Atmosphere:
While the temperature in Earlham Street Clubhouse may be synonymous with a sauna, it's nothing that isn't counterbalanced by one, their stellar service, and two, your ability to just take your jumper off. Buzzing, even for a Wednesday night, Earlham doesn't lose out when it comes to being something of a Seven Dials secret. Suitably swarming with the post-work hubbub, it's clear that the throngs of an 20 inch pizza go down well in the city, with bums on seats throughout. Tables were also pretty much reserved throughout, grand evidence of keen mid-week supping if you ask me.
Anything and everything that you loved as a 90s' teenager is likely to come a cropper at Earlham.
Summary
With Buzzfeed questionnaires ever asking us to determine our personalities according to the TV shows we were wired in to as kids, it's no wonder that the nostalgic theme reigns so supreme at Earlham Street Clubhouse. Top that all off with more than reasonable cocktail prices and pizzas the size of satellites, and you've got yourself an inner city winner.
