Living in London has a tendency to make one a little insular. Before moving here I used to get infuriated at the ignorance of those bloody Southern monkeys about anything north of Watford. Now that I’m here, sadly I’m starting to get it. This city is so uniquely rich, with so much going on round every corner, that even looking one zone away starts to become unnecessary. But sometimes, just sometimes, something exceptional comes along that makes you want to leave the smoky boroughs and head out into the green. Recently the Sizzle Club provided such a calling.
Based in Reigate, Surrey, the Sizzle Club hosts regular supper clubs for those in the food industry with a clever twist. Food comes to you sizzling on beautiful glazed lava steak stones, ready to be cooked live and exactly to your liking. The stones themselves are very cool indeed. I’d seen similar ones before, and not been particularly wowed. Something in the concept of going to a restaurant and paying to effectively cook your own dinner hadn’t quite clicked with me. But in this sort of setting, the stones really are lovely – both aesthetically and practically. I was sceptical about them reaching a temperature sufficient enough to sear a steak properly, but nope – they reach a cool 200 degrees Celsius, more than sufficient for the perfect meaty crust.
Based in Reigate, Surrey, the Sizzle Club hosts regular supper clubs for those in the food industry with a clever twist. Food comes to you sizzling on beautiful glazed lava steak stones, ready to be cooked live and exactly to your liking. The stones themselves are very cool indeed. I’d seen similar ones before, and not been particularly wowed. Something in the concept of going to a restaurant and paying to effectively cook your own dinner hadn’t quite clicked with me. But in this sort of setting, the stones really are lovely – both aesthetically and practically. I was sceptical about them reaching a temperature sufficient enough to sear a steak properly, but nope – they reach a cool 200 degrees Celsius, more than sufficient for the perfect meaty crust.
Our steak stone fillets came with buttered asparagus, fat chips and a starter of beautiful cold meats and Parmesan. Dessert also brought another surprise – passion fruit cake, salted caramel and blueberries, served on frozen lava stones! It was this freezing that I got the most excited about – it makes things like frozen canapés and beautifully plated gardens of ice cream entirely possible. The stones don’t come cheap, at around £75 for a medium sized slab, but they have a life time guarantee and do make a good talking point at dinner parties.
In summary – a really interesting evening of great conversation with fellow foodies, tasty food served in a different way, and a chance to explore the wider world, far far beyond the Oyster zone.
In summary – a really interesting evening of great conversation with fellow foodies, tasty food served in a different way, and a chance to explore the wider world, far far beyond the Oyster zone.
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