Demi Perera enjoys excellent pizza, good cocktails and an euphoric feeling at Brick Lane’s London Shuffle Club.
So, do you remember Shuffleboarding? Yes, as in the classic American on-deck game played by pensioners on cruise ships? The game where you slide your ”biscuits” onto a triangle at the end of your lane? Well, it appears that it’s what we Londoners want for Christmas. Except that we would like to do it with a cocktail in hand.
Following on from it’s roaring success last year, The London Shuffle Club pop up has returned to the Truman Brewery. Complete with retro Miami inspired decor, inflatable palm trees and flamingos we can now happily shuffleboard in Brick Lane. I went along to find out what this was all about.
The Front Room
The entrance to the London Shuffle Club is through the “The Front Room” where a resident DJ plays disco in the background. The bar here serves draught beers and wines as well as cocktails. The cocktails have nostalgic names such as Pink Rabbit (Martini ambrato, pineapple, clove syrup, port and prosecco – £9) and Shuffle Dandy (Finlandia vodka, plum sake, lemon, mint and five spice – £8.50). May I add that they’re very good and you’d be forgiven for trying more than one.
If you feel peckish The London Pizza Club is here to serve. They have seven excellent pizzas on the menu and I tasted ALL of them! Ranging from the trusted Margherita (£7), to the Mac Daddy (£8) which is mac ‘n cheese on a pizza to Bay of Pigs (£8) with spicy salami, roasted and smoked bacon. The vegan option Earthchild (£8) is topped with beetroot, thyme rocket, pickled red onions, basil and hemp seeds. I highly recommend the Get Funghi (£8) with garlic mushrooms, mozzarella and parsley. The mushrooms were fluffy, juicy and full of flavour and I could have done with having it all to myself.
The Main Room
The Main Room is where the magic happens. There are 12 bright blue bowling alley style lanes here. Up to six people on two teams can play one game and the rules are simple. There is also a private room with four alleys if you’re that way inclined. The Main Room is vibrant, energetic and geared for good, clean fun. It’s great for unwinding with friends after work. Equally, if you want to impress a date with your cool London know how I suggest bringing them here. The only other thing I would advise is booking your lane in advance as christmas approaches.
I had the most enjoyable evening at The London Shuffle Club. It was the combination of excellent pizza, good cocktails and the euphoric feeling of being on a cruise ship in the middle of Brick Lane that did it.
The London Shuffle Club is located at The Old Truman Brewery, Elys Yard, Hanbury Street, E1 6QR. Find out more at londonshuffle.com.
