Supperclub, London – a feast for the senses

"Supperclub is all about creative freedom" - Bert Van Der Leden, Owner

Bored of the same old, mundane restaurants? Fancy discovering the creative corners of your personality? Then look no further than Supperclub. Just make sure you go with an open mind... This is dining where anything goes, a mix of creative food, music and performance art.

Throw out all preconceptions about restaurant dining, because everything here is done differently. The evening starts for all diners in the bar area where you are served up a dizzying array of crazy (and predictably, very expensive) cocktails. At 8pm sharp the night really begins, behold as the Supperclub staff open the large doors into the dining area - an entirely white room from floor to ceiling, softly lit with coloured lights and lined with huge beds – your dining tables for the evening. A mezzanine level overlooks the restaurant with its own bar, more beds and some traditional seated tables.

Supperclub prides itself on its ever changing theme – no two nights are the same and neither is the menu which is carefully tailored to suit the theme of each evening. The menu is set at £49.50 per person and everyone is served the same 4 courses in between some mind boggling and slightly risqué performance acts (don't forget that open mind, Supperclub is best avoided if semi naked contortionists put you off your food!). Anything goes, while I had a fairly normal meal it's not unknown to be served your steak in a dog bowl, yes really. This is not a place for lazy tastebuds or those scared of new experiences.

A sample menu from Supperclub could include:

• Carpaccio of sea scallops, truffle shavings and roasted cauliflower with a herb vinaigrette
• Lobster bisque with lemon grass
• Fillet of venison with jerusalem artichoke purée, stuffed mushrooms and braised cabbage in a light jus
• Toffee caramel parfait

After the food is done with, the room is transformed into a giant dancefloor and opened up to non diners as a nightclub. The show continues into the night with elaborately dressed waitresses serving crazy themed shots and drinks. Flaming shot anyone?

"Have fun, eat, listen, dance and enjoy your evening. Nothing is obligatory. Everything's possible. Be yourself and anything can happen to you at Supperclub!"

Helene Turner

La Cucina Povera “Peasant Cooking”

‘La Cucina Povera’ – some of you may have heard this old Italian saying before, but to understand it’s true meaning you’ll first need to know it’s roots.

Since Mt. Vesuvius popped its load in 79AD drowning Pompeii in black ash, families would have to ‘creatively’ manage their food stocks. The notion of La Cucina Povera was born here. Here’s a Pompeian/Roman recipe for basic Worcestershire sauce made by Heston B...

We’ve seen similar examples of this during the Great War. Food was scarce and restrictions brought in by governments to minimise panic buying meant that citizens had to look elsewhere. Any available land was turned into allotments, families and communities rallied together to provide for each other.

Today we face a similar ‘tightening of the purses’, not to the extent of the examples above, but we are looking to save some money wherever we can. Perhaps looking back to our ancestors we could learn a thing or two! Maybe we should all be growing our own!

Most recently there has been a TV cooking show that has not only inspired me, but also touched many hearts across the UK. The experienced duo that front the programme not only dish out stunning weekly recipes but their jovial and passionate ‘food affair’ makes for some excellent TV. Of course it’s the ‘Two Greedy Italians’ Antonio Carluccio and Gennaro Contaldo. For me, they have brought the ideology of La Cucina Povera to their cookbooks, TV shows and restaurants, but perhaps today it’s a different message.

La Cucina Povera is about great food which is kept simple, uses fresh and local produce and above all delicious! Good food doesn’t need to be expensive, which is what Italian food is all about. 

Try this traditional Italian Sunday lunch recipe from the Two Greedy Italians cookbook by the same name, you won’t regret it!

Paolo Ventrone

GOOD BRANDS BEAT THE RECESSION

In uncertain economic times, customers are known and proven to gravitate towards certainty, and brands represent certainty. Allegra Strategies latest report shows that the branded restaurant market is expected to grow to £13.6 billion by 2015 – this is in the deepest recession we've known.

The explosive growth of value and discounted food retailers has put great pressure on established restaurants and casual dining outlet brand chains.

And it's not just about offering value for money; added value is becoming an essential brand expression. Retail brands are now much more multi-sensory for the consumer – creating rich and intriguing customer experiences to build relationship. Today we need to build brand equity with a customer base by creating real differential and a unique set of experiences – in terms of the product, range, choice, service, heritage etc.

Determining how to package and position this complex mix is key to defining our brand, and that's where it is essential to have a deep insightful understanding of targeted customer groups and what makes them tick. For example for some, the in-store experience and environment may be the most important. For others, the special way staff interact with customers may be the real differential. Indeed for some brands, something as simple as outlet location may be one of the most important factors.

What is clear is that brands are increasingly being positioned on more intangible attributes and consumer benefit promises, which more and more transcend simple definitions of product or service standard. Which is why we are using words such as 'personality', 'atmosphere' and 'experience' to define brand differential and equity.

What is also essential today is to have an ongoing dialogue or relationship with our customers to create an unbreakable bond with them. We need a clear and effective communication strategy for customers, both in store and beyond, to build brand awareness and enhance brand image.

In addition to this it is clear is that brands must evolve and adapt to changing times and customer needs. What was  a winning formula in pre 2008 boom times is undoubtedly different in 2012 where consumer focus on budget management and speed is much more crucial in food retail spending decisions.

So make sure your brand stays in pace with current consumer trends, and in so doing you can beat this brutal recession.


Tony Chambers

Boxing clever in Shoreditch

Anyone who has visited Shoreditch in the last few months may well have seen what looks like a lot of shipping containers stacked up in a row – this is Boxpark Shoreditch – the world’s first pop-up mall in the heart of East London, which opened Christmas 2011.

Fantastic idea – take 60 standard shipping containers, paint them black, strip them out and refit them with lots of selected niche brands (by invitation only) to create a fashionistas' paradise in Shoreditch - the perfect location with it’s vibrant atmosphere of start-up creative and media companies eager to spend their dosh!

The fact that they are all the same basic shell encourages a creative use of the space and makes for an interesting browse.

It’s not only fashion at Boxpark, shoppers are invited to stay and hang out with boutique food offers including saladmasters Chopp’d, juice bar Crussh and Pieminister with its gorgeous pies.

The Boxpark ethos is to offer cheap short-term rents to help young companies get a foothold in a part of London where the cost of commercial space is sky high. And with preferential rates being given to local creative industries and organisations, Boxpark always involves and enhances the community.

Roger Wade, the brains behind the idea, is so confident of the scheme’s success, he’s now touting six to twelve additional Boxparks around London, with another ready for Christmas next year.

Whether this happens of not, it is certainly a fresh take on the shopping experience and a breath of fresh air on the battered high street. So next time you’re in the East End check it out, it’s near Shoreditch High Street Station – you really can’t miss it!

Frazer Morgan