Now, I may host a dinner party once in a blue moon - a night when all my mates laugh as I juggle preparing the starters, checking up on my mains, adding more and more vodka in my punch and turning the Vinyl over 100 times - but I think I'd go doolally if I had to host one every week. That's exactly what the Elmore Jam specialises in - although it's not quite a solo one-man-band, I will add.
The Venue
Opening up their east London home to a bunch of complete strangers, father and daughter team Nick and Ro invite renowned chefs as well as fantastic live performers to provide an evening of fine food and entertainment. Upon arrival we were offered a welcome drink - Negroni or Prosecco - of course I opted for the Negroni, a firm favourite of mine, before occupying a spot in the open-planned kitchen-cum-diner nearby the jazz band playing on the grand piano, cello and drums. It was soon time to take our seats at the banquet table, horizontally aligned to one wall with both the band and kitchen positioned in front and to either side. Seated at one end of the table and opposite our wonderfully cheery and accommodating host Nick, I had a perfectly sneaky view of the kitchen and easy access to the jukebox, for which we were all given an old ten-pence piece to select three classic 1970s songs to provide our dining soundtrack. A lovely, quirky touch to the evening.
There's a lovely, personal ambience to this supper club dinner party.
Atmosphere and Clientele
The wonderfully homely charm that Elmore Jam creates certainly adds to the USP of this east London supperclub, and for Nick's guests it makes a nice difference to the usual option of restaurant dining. The main selling point of this - for me anyway - was the social aspect of conversing with other diners, just as you would if invited to a friend's dinner party with people from all various backgrounds coming together. This made for a chilled out atmosphere that was comfortable and familiar from the moment we sat down.
Elmore Jam: just like a classic dinner party, but with renowned chefs working their magic in the kitchen.
Food & Drink
On this visit, the Elmore Jam invited Le Cordon Bleu trained chef Alex Cooper to conjure up an exquisite seasonal four-course menu - oh how spoilt did I feel! To start, we were presented with Pumpernickel melba, caramelised shallot butter and confit aubergine, swiftly followed by Smoked buttermilk, coriander, grapefruit syrup, purple carrots and Sipsmith Gin cured salmon - the salmon so far winning the show with a lovely combination of citrus notes and gin; the perfect alcoholic pairing.
Bringing my parents along for this unique supperclub, my dad - a lover of the traditional Sunday roast - was a big fan of the main course, the Spiced baby potatoes, griddled lamb neck filet, pea & dill puree - although much more refined and smaller in size than the indulgent family roasts we're used to. With the night drawing later and later, our dessert Sweet pickled hazelnut cream, chocolate & raspberry delice, rhubarb sorbet was soon brought along and owing much to Donald (one of our fabulous hosts), I found myself enjoying a second helping to end off a sumptuous dinner party feeling pleasantly satisfied.
There's a delicious feast cooked up by a different guest chef at every Elmore Jam event.
Summary
Elmore Jam takes the faff out of dining experiences by deciding the menu for you and serving a carefully curated four-course meal in a chilled out, open space, with a live band performing and chefs cooking right before your eyes. A fantastic experience worthy of all its hype, this supperclub is one to pop on the list but be warned if it's your first - you may well get the supperclub bug!
The next Elmore Jam Supperclub will be held on Friday 1st July, with the award-winning game chef Martin Zahumensky in the kitchen this time around. You can buy tickets here.
