Saturday 27 February 2010
Supperclub, Notting Hill
Launched in Amsterdam in 1992, ‘dining concept’ Supperclub has since colonised cities as far flung as LA & Istanbul. The concept? A nightclub/performance arts space wherein a £50 four-course tasting menu ‘with a twist ‘is served to guests reclining on ‘beds’ in the pretentiously named Salle Neige – a futuristic white space, it feels like a sperm's-eye view of the inside of a used condom. At tonight's launch, the crowds are 30 deep at a bar besieged. Staff have the 'Wow' factor - as in What Oh What were they thinking about when they made the poor sods drag up like rejects from a London College Of fashion Show circa 1991? The chef’s favourite book might just be an atlas – hence tandoori frogs’ legs, Thai aubergine & coconut broth, lamb tagine, & a chocolate, praline & orange pizza- I mean, would you? Drinks are available in two 'sumptuous' bars -Kim & Aggy could get a gig wiping their sticky surfaces clean - while a wraparound gallery offers a vantage point as Salle Neige morphs into full-on DJ bacchanalia. Time alone will tell if London will embrace a concept that is not nearly as fresh as it pretends. Open for Sunday brunch, the venue also boasts a brutal urban-grime ‘smoking terrace’, reminiscent of a Khmer Rouge prison cell.