Devouring hot food on the tube is a no-no — that is, unless you’re at Supperclub.tube.
If you’ve ever been to Walthamstow’s terrific Pumphouse Museum, you’ll have seen a couple of disused 1967 Victoria line tube carriages. They’re often used for video and photoshoots — but for three nights of the week, one of them also transforms into one of London’s coolest — and most exclusive — restaurants.
Since 2018, gastronomic tube nerds have perched bums on moquette, and tucked into a six-course menu of Latin American cuisine, courtesy of Colombian head chef Beatriz Maldonado Carreño. The evening begins with Carreño giving a quick introduction to her menu — which is heavily inspired by her home country, and features a lot of corn, in the best possible way.
Let’s be honest — with such a winning setting, you could easily rattle off a half-arsed food menu and get away with it. Anything short of serving up a lukewarm Big Mac (the official food of London’s tube network?) would do the trick. But Supperclub.tube refuses to settle for that. What you get here is an array of dishes straddling haute cuisine and picante comfort food — think tomato and chipotle tortilla soup, hake ceviche marinated in a punchy ginger-infused tiger milk, Cuban style shredded beef brisket, and a mousse-topped sponge cake doused in so much rum, it’s in danger of having a hangover.
By the way, you won’t be eating off your lap — the Supperclub.tube experience includes white linen tablecloths, meticulously-laid silverware, dimmed lights, and atmospheric jazz music. What’s more, there’s no driver mumbling something inaudible over the speaker system every two minutes. Whereas the idea of spending three hours on a tube would usually be enough to make you flee London for good, this is an all-round joyous experience. The only thing this tube train won’t do is get you home.
Supperclub.tube, Walthamstow, Thursday-Saturday. Tickets start at £67 per head. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options are available on request.
Londonist attended with an invite.