Curling your hands around a cup of warm soup on a freezing February night is immensely comforting, particularly when that soup smells absolutely delicious and you know you’re in for a massive treat of a meal. I’m going to tell you at the top: I haven’t got anything negative to say about my dinner at Sneaky Supper Club. The food was impeccable; the company delightful; the evening a roaring success.

Journeying to The Isis Farmhouse on a dark winter’s evening felt immensely appropriate – Sneaky Supper Club couldn’t have found a more magical hidden gem of a location.

The Isis is my local – for those unfamiliar with the riverside pub, it can only be accessed on foot via the towpath – and the fact that once you arrive at the pub you are cocooned in a little bubble, slightly separated from the rest of the city, means that I’ve had a lot of really rather fantastic nights there. Noreen and Adrian, the truly lovely owners of the Isis, also happen to be disgustingly talented musicians, and we were treated to live performances between courses during dinner, which made the evening even more special.

If you’ve not been to a supper club before, it’s worth noting that it isn’t like your typical restaurant dining experience. The menus are usually set, as this one was, so you don’t really get to pick and choose (although Sneaky Supper Club do of course cater to dietary requirements if given advance warning). You sit around a table with all the other guests, so it’s not the way to go if you want an intimate private chat with a dining partner, and also probably not a great idea if you aren’t in the mood to get chatting with a group of strangers. However, if you’re up for a bit of an adventure and fancy doing something different – and, of course, eating some delicious food at a very reasonable price – then the Sneaky Supper Club is a great option.

At £42 per head for five courses, this was really great value. Though this price doesn’t include drinks, it’s still far less than you’d pay for a meal of such high quality in a standard restaurant. My husband and I had a really lovely time chatting to all the people around us, and the convivial atmosphere and warm company really added to the experience.

And what, you may well ask, of the food? There’s no point in my glowing about the details of every course – rest assured that I didn’t have any complaints, and I’m picky so that’s saying something. The full menu is listed below, should you wish to lust after it. The aforementioned soup was velvety and luxurious; the perfectly formed raviolo atop melting tender pork neck a delight; the crisp skin of the succulent, flaking mackerel a triumph. I’ve never had duck crackling before and I now feel that I’ve been missing out terribly for years, and I’m sad that that perfect pear pudding is no more because I could happily eat another six of them.

Really, part of the reason I enjoyed the meal so much was that the cooking was confident and assured. Delicious seasonal food cooked simply and with skill; classic flavours with the occasional surprise twist. The sort of thing you can relax into, knowing that the chef won’t let you down.

Jerusalem artichoke soup, garlic spiced croutons

Pork neck, ricotta & herb raviolo, leek & white wine sauce

Seared mackerel, pickled & roast beets, date & horseradish slaw

Duck breast & leg, kale champ, celeriac puree, roast carrots, duck crackling, port sauce

Pear meringue tart, clementine & scotch whiskey custard

I am very much hoping there will be another Sneaky Supper Club conveniently situated in my local pub in the very near future, because I for one will definitely be returning

Sneaky Supper Club
sneakysupperclub.com

We dined as guests of Sneaky Super Club, all views are our own.