The Book Club

SHOREDITCH is not often thought of as the “centre of the city!” and even in the fringes of the Square Mile itself there is the tendency to dine inwardly,but you could be missing a great eaterie within a mere few minute bus ride from Liverpool Street down to Shoreditch.(Take the 135 -it takes about 4 mins from Liverpool St) For there you will find THE BOOK CLUB, a sister operation of The Queen of Hoxton.

The Book Club is eclectic and vibrant,it has a mix of the 1940's-50's and is quite arthouse.There is a welcoming and friendly atmosphere and it seems a regular favourite of the Shoreditch crowd although that said there were a few business suits amongst the arty and design focussed patrons.The mix of customers is superb,there is at one end of the venue a ping-pong table in one section that is well used-At least three tournaments between friends took place during our meal there!(With one ping-pong ball being declared out of bounds as it darted behind my guests handbag on the seat!)

There is also the more 7pm slot at The BOOK CLUB in which music is the main focus and there are club nights,Blues Dance nights,Electro Swing and other entertainments.

The BOOK CLUB serves between 8am-12noon Breakfast and from 12-4pm Lunches.In the evenings the restaurant pretty-much becomes more music and party focussed.The BOOK CLUB serves as one would expect a wide range of beers,wines,spirits and cocktails-Some with particularly cheery and tongue-in-cheek names e.g “a Shoreditch Tw*t” appears in an extensive list!

The breakfasts look wholesome and hearty, Porridge Oats with nuts,dried fruit and honey is a modest £4 As is Granola,Fruit platters and Buttermilk Pancakes. The cooked range extends to various egg dishes,muffins through to a Full English Breakfast or a Full Veggie Breakfast atc £7 and £7.50 respectively.

We attended for lunch and were greeted by friendly and approachable staff who sat us by the window. There is a great selection of hot dishes on the lunch menu,which are hot on quality but cool on the pocket! (which in these times is always a bonus!)

We started with a delicious Brocolli and Gorgonzola Soup,(£4.50) which was served piping hot and in keeping with the 50's theme a white enamel bowl with the blue rim. The portion was generous and would be a meal in itself for those wanting a quick snack lunch. This was also served with granary toast.

There is certainly some dish to suit everyone at the BOOK CLUB. Orkney smoked macjarel fillets with green beeans,egg and Horseradish Hollandaise comes in at a pretty good £9.50. Nut Roast about £8,Spanish Frittata at £8.50 and Spaghetti with melt-in-the-mouth Meatballs in Napoli Sauce at £8.50. We opted for the Medallions of Pork Fillet,with Saute Potatoes,Fresh Summer green vegetables with a Mustard and Honey Sauce at a very reasonable £9.50.

It was superb and again generous portions,three very tasty and lean pieces of Pork served upon a bed of chopped cabbage and leeks,that had a delicious sweet flavour. The Potatoes were cooked to perefection with the sauce being a great complement to the whole dish.

Our choice of wines from quite an extensive range of Red,Whites,Rose and Sparkling was a Red. The Berri Estates Shiraz,from SE Australia at a modest £17 a bottle. The BOOK CLUB's wine ranges from around £15-20 for the non-sparkling selection and from £22 for sparkling.

Feeling so full by now by the superbly generous portions we passed on dessert although there is a selection of cakes and desserts to complete the afternoon menu.

To assist all customers with dietary needs Vegan choices are marked clearly in the menu and all egg dishes are free-range.So everyone's happy-even the hens!

I recommend the BOOK CLUB to anyone to give it a try.With the very good price structure they have in place everyone can dine out on a budget and arrive home still feeling full with the larger portions.

VERDICT:5/5 for Service,Food and Ambience. There's no need to read from cover to cover,BOOK CLUB's generous servings are like no other!
Comment on this reader review

Terence Jolley
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Monday, June 06, 2011