Clerkenwell & Social
Last Wednesday, Stew and I popped along to Clerkenwell & Social, in Clerkenwell, to sample their new menu and cocktail list. Having only opened a couple of weeks ago, they had a #12daysofsummer promotion where all cocktails were 2-4-1. I was sold just hearing that!
The menu is simple but boasts a range of flavours. We opted for the padron peppers and calamari to start, both of which were yummy. Priced at £4-£5, I did find this a little expensive considering the size. For our mains we both chose a pizza each, to share. I went for the Portobello which consists of Portobello mushrooms, pine nuts, cheese and truffle oil. It was delicious! The smell was incredible, however I would definitely recommend sharing this one, as after 2-3 slices the truffle oil can become a little too much. It’s a very strong flavour in food. Stew opted for another vegetarian option which included olives, spinach and mozzarella. This one won for both of us! Cheese and olives are my two favourite things in life. I don’t know why it wasn’t my pick?! I was clearly too tempted by the smell of truffle.
Aside from pizza there is also a small selection of pasta dishes, and every day there is a special ranging from mac n cheese to lasagne.
For me Clerkenwell & Social are all about the cocktails! The menus are set in book covers, and are themed to match the décor of the building. There’s also a nice introduction to Clerkenwell at the beginning, a good touch! First off we tried a smokey concoction called 'Love Is Smoke', which tasted a lot like red wine or smokey cheese. Sounds odd but I loved it! And the smoking decanter is totally Instagram worthy! The beautiful pink tall drink was their signature cocktail 'The Clerkenwell Tales' comprising of my favourite ingredient… gin. For our second round we tried some fruity options, including a tasty passionfruit one and a refreshing bellini.
After leaving the bar, we had a stroll around Farringdon – an area that neither of us have explored before. I was surprised at how beautiful some of the architecture is around there, mixing extremely old stone building with modern metal construction.