LONDON
SUPPERCLUB . TUBE
WHERE URBAN UNDERGROUND MEETS LATIN AMERICAN ATMOSPHERE . BY SAMANTHA READY
Mention the tube and dining in the same sentence and you ’ d think I ’ d either lost the plot , was referring to a late night fast-food fuel-up on the last train home , or perhaps had had a viral moment courtesy of TikTok star ItsJustReal ’ s trademark ‘ tube announcement ’ banter … Yet along a leafy residential street in urban regeneration East London hotspot , Walthamstow , there is a rather unique supper club in a very unique setting that I implore you to check out …
Sat in the yard grounds of the Walthamstow Pumphouse Museum , home to the Grade II listed Victorian Pumphouse , fire trucks and more , sits an original , now decommissioned , Victoria Line tube carriage , which has been repurposed as an experiential supper club experience .
With original seats , poles , windows , adverts and the iconic London Underground map still in situ , a cluster of cosy tables for two and four , and a large trestle table for 12 guests stretching the length of the carriage wait to sit curious diners who clamber to secure a sought-after spot for the exclusive supper club that only opens its ( slam ) doors on Thursday , Friday and Saturday evenings .
Spearheaded by Nick Atkins ( who ran The Elmore Jam supperclub in his own Islington home from 2015 ) and head chef Beatriz ( Bea ) Maldonado Carreño , who have been at the helm here since 2018 , Supperclub . Tube is exactly what its says on the tin . If that tin included layers of Latin American flavours , exceptional efficient service and the added bonus of some perfectly paired wines and lethally addictive aperitifs served in an actual tube of course .
Colombian-born , Argentinian-trained , Chilean- , Peruvian- , Ecuadorian- Mexicanand London-influenced , Bea and her team have combined decades of cookery experience with thousands of years of Mayan food heritage to create a set dish supperclub menu that punches with hits of chilli , lime and coriander and is delivered with aplomb by the passionate team who flit from adjacent shipping containers and prep kitchens to deliver their acclaimed cuisine .
Peachy paloma in hand , Bea began the evening with an engaging foray into her eclectic South American social cookery and a lesson not only in how to deliver great dish after great dish , but also into the ingredients considered sacred in Latin American cuisine : potatoes , quinoa , tropical fruits , chocolate ( oh hello !) and corn - so important that the Mayans believed gods were indeed made of corn having tried and disregarded clay and wood in favour of the tasty crop ! - which , therefore , underpin each dish of her set six-course menu .
You start with gorditas - which translates ( much like me after all this good food ) to ‘ chubby little thing ’ - chunky Mexican corn-style bread loaded with Yucatánstyle pulled pork . Not content with just one corn bread , the first dish proffered three ; white corn with its typical floury taste , blue , heaving with antioxidants and red , its ruby nugget boasting a slightly sweeter finish . Accompanying the slowcooked , heaped with flavour pork was a spicy chipotle and achiote sauce , picked apple and fresh red chilli .
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