Ferdie's Food Lab, Brick Lane

Ferdie’s Food Lab, based in east London, Brick Lane is the latest of the London Supper Clubs to evolve into a more permanent fixture. Set up by British-Spaniard Simon Fernandez initially as Fernandez & Leluu, it has now graduated to Toynbee Hall and organisers are stressing that this will no longer have a Supper Club feel but must be thought of as a de-formalised banquet.
With a strict policy of socializing with other diners, there are no tables for two quietly tucked away, all guests must sit at two large tables. Toynbee Hall adds a sense of occasion to the experience, a Grade II listed building, it is replete with period artwork and a grand piano. The menu itself isn’t announced until the night itself but you can be sure to receive a six-course meal exploding with freshness and flavour and especially contrived to best express the seasonal ingredients. Previous reviews have spoken highly of Fernandez’s trademark Champagne Poached Pears, served with cured ham, all followed by a 5-hour slow roast shoulder of lamb for main. Although a glass of bubbly is served up on arrival to break the ice and encourage socializing, after that it’s BYOB ensuring, the organisers stress, that you ‘don’t get clobbered on the wine’. And at £45 all in, this certainly looks to be an experience that is worth every penny.