Sometimes the exterior just doesn’t tell the story, cause the outside window only hinted at the action going on in The Clove Club. It is a place that likes to serve often overlooked British ingredients, like cobnuts. They usually serve a 5 course menu and offer small plates at the bar but we asked for the extended tasting when we made the reservation to be able to taste a larger number of their products. We didn’t make the wrong choice here!

Everything was wonderful and many were spectacular! You also couldn’t find a more enthusiastic team of servers, who were not just helpful but really added a fun component. For example, I had difficulty understanding the description of one of the amuse bouche and after the waiter told me several times I nodded understanding but he knew I didn’t and went and wrote it out along with several of the other snack descriptions for me to read.

Their selection of pre-meal snacks started with delicious cured meats, fried chicken chunks and various other tasty one bite taste explosions. The raw scallop is as good as I’ve had, sweet and a wonderful combo of flavors. The Dover Sole was amazing and the crisp potatoes made me want a bowl full of them. The pork jowl was opened during cooking and the major portion of the fat layer scraped out so you didn’t get this greasy thing but instead the juiciest pork and crispy skin that made you want to lick the plate clean. The 100 year old Madeira was just a small drop in the bottom of your glass that mixed with the ultra rich broth but all it took was a tiny drop to add a marvelous flavor to the drink. On one lesser note, I’d have to say English truffles don’t stand up to their Italian counterparts but it worked well enough. We finished with a tart made up of a buttery ring of pastry and luscious cream interior. Then they couldn’t stop and sent us home with their custom made chocolate bars, which are a wonderful treat to remember this very fine experience!