The good thing about friends moving out (particularly when they move in with boyfriends) is that, whilst diaries can be tricky to align, there's always so much stuff to catch up on. So when Sophie and I finally got round to meeting up for the first time in a month since she moved out, it had to be somewhere good. I was tempted to take her to Burger & Lobster (one of my all-time go-tos because I am going through a massive lobster stage at the moment) but decided to branch out and give somewhere new a try.
The Earlham Street Clubhouse has been on my list for a while now. Pizza, cocktails and a jukebox controlled by an app just sounded perfect for a mid-week catchup and seeing as it's just down the road from my office, an easy choice. Just off Seven Dials and next door to other contender Flesh & Buns, this is one place that's managed to avoid the hordes of crowds so far but popular enough to give that all-important atmosphere. Speaking of which, it's, like, totally channelling the 90s American vibe.
We grabbed a table and spent a significant amount of time poring over the drinks menus (which hang on bungee cords from the ceilings). With names like 'Heather's Revenge' and 'Sweet Valley High', it's clear that these guys are taking their theme seriously. It turns out that Tuesdays are Clueless Tuesdays so their 'Rolling With The Homies' cocktail was 2-for-1 - perfect. Ketel One vodka, peach and strawberry puree, lemon, sugar and sparkling wine, these delights came served in pint tankards and definitely did the trick.
When it comes to the pizza, there are seven to choose from and they come as either 12 inchers (£10) or 20 inchers (£18). Spoilt for choice, we did the 'Ross & Rachel' and had half-and-half of the American Beauty and Vincent Vega. Served on a gigantic pizza board, this badboy was divine. Sliced into triangles the size of your head, you eat off the paper plates and marvel at how you've quite managed to consume the whole thing. Garlic chilli oil is on every table if you need it, but I would like to have seen some dips for the crusts. Speaking of the crusts - expertly thin and crispy, thanks to their woodfired pizza oven visible in the open kitchen.
(This is a photo of the 12' size - we were too greedy to snap our big boy before we ate it.)
We had another couple of rounds of drinks - at around £7 a pop and essentially half price, it'd be rude not to. We also tried the Stifler's Mom which divided opinions - Sophie hated the absinthe in it but loved the gin, whilst I could have drank it over and over.
Service was a little slow, but sweet when it came. The music - which you can oversee if you're so inclined - was bang on with Riot Jazz versions of Snoop Dogg songs and Prince, with old school Mission Impossible being shown (on silent) on screens dotted around the place.
There's definitely a diner-feel here and a great throwback to the teen movies we grew up with, watching valley girls share pizza with the jocks, and somewhere I'll definitely be heading back to. What do I give it? A firm four out of five, for sure.
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