Channelling Americana at Earlham Street Clubhouse

I spent most of the early noughties wishing I went to an America High School. I wanted the geeks and jocks and cheerleaders, I wanted the peppiness, bitchiness and drama and football games in international sized stadiums. I wanted to vote for Prom Queen. I wanted to hang out in dive bars with jukeboxes, eating pizza and discussing crushes and life with flamboyant syntax and wordiness. I wanted all the boys I knew to look at least 25 with abs-ful bodies and apparent sexual charm and confidence or be nice guys with abstract, intellectual interests. Why did no one I know have keg parties?

Pacey: "Ever stop to think about how much hormonally charged energy you put into the quick quips and biting banter? Your life would be considerably more productive if you took some, what's that word again, oh that's it -- action." - Dawson's Creek

Alas, I was neither American nor in a faux TV show/film reality. Yet I yearned for a taste of this American dream that was so different to the boarding school, books and inexperienced fumblings that was the reality of my early-mid teens. Drinking Bacardi Breezers on a bench whilst my friend snogged a Goth from the local boys boarding school just didn't seem like livin' the teenage dream to me.

The Entrance

So, when I heard about Earlham Street Clubhouse opening in Covent Garden back in November, I knew I had to go immediately, if only to indulge my teenage self. So I trekked my fave drinking pal there on the first Thursday we both had free.. Promising a 90s Beverley Hills teen crossed with East Coast clubhouse(!) vibe and a cocktail menu with such delightful names as Stifler's Mom and Sweet Valley High, I knew it would not disappoint. 

Ceiling Menu

It did not. The cocktails are delicious, (I tried three different ones and they were all good) the barmen are hot and chatty, you can buy pizza by the slice (!) and the retractable menus pull down from the ceiling; practical and kitsch.

(c) ESC

Obviously. there's a jukebox WHICH you can change with your phone after downloading an app - it's usually playing American rock of all eras.. AND if you're lucky enough to get a table (we weren't), on some of them you can flirt with likely gals and guys on other tables with the lickle burger phones (I didn't actually see any of these). LOL. Seriously go there now... Here's a few more crap photos soz...

The décor is uber trends and it's underground.

Serious cocktails....

V & I

Obviously after all those yummy cocktails, we ended up drunk and dancing in Soho... Here's the swilled #selfie...

By the way you can book; we thought you couldn't hence no table, but apparently you definitely can. 

Earlham Street Clubhouse

35 Earlham Street

Covent Garden

London

WC2H 9LD

020 7240 5142

info@esclubhouse.com

www.esclubhouse.com 

PS:

Here are the menus: (I had Rollin' With the Homies & Beauty School Droppout - both delish if you're a wine/champagne fan. Unfortunately we didn't try the pizza - but all I spoke to said it was gooood)

Drinks:

Pizza:

Just a Little Liberty Fix...

Sunday was my sister's birthday and with an awful hangover from a very late night Halloween party at my house, (more on that in another post) all I felt like on Sunday was a pub lunch and definitely not shopping. However as it was not my birthday and not my choice, I was dragged, grumpy and grouch-like to Liberty of London. 

Now I might make a note here, my mother loves Liberty, something of an interior designer she is inspired by its beautiful surroundings, colours, fabrics and pretty things. I also love Liberty, but I have until recently associated it with an old job I had several years ago, for which I used to work near and sometimes in the store organising events and I remember the stress of running around, while people a lot richer than me bought things that I could never afford. So perhaps, it lost a little of its sparkle to me for a while..

Back to Sunday, I'm ashamed to say I behaved like a complete teenager and stropped and moaned non-stop for the first 15 minutes. It was too hot, too crowded and there was nothing on the menu in the lovely cafe (2nd Floor) that I wanted...  I'm surprised my mother didn't hit me. Or my sister, whose birthday it was for that matter.

Anyway, after I grudgingly ordered a Caesar Salad, things improved. It turned out to be one of the best Caesar salads I had ever had, a bold statement I know, especially since I don't even really like Caesar Salad - not an iceberg fan. It was followed by excellent pistachio ice cream and then I remembered why Liberty was so special.

 

The decor is so inspiring and nostalgic. I wanted everything on the walls. From lovely framed postcards to the pink neon bird lights on the wall - very Emin-esque.

 

Darling, My loving thoughts are for you Sweetheart and hope you find this day with best of luck and happiness. From Ever-loving Sweetheart Tommy xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

After lunch we meandered down to the stationary department passing some beautiful Peter Pilotto print dresses; works of art in themselves.

I have loved stationary since I was a young girl; beautiful coloured fine paper, textured card, colouring pencils in tins and gel pens. In Liberty, I coveted all the greeting cards, handmade and ornate, humorous and witty. 

There was novelty notepaper that berated the garrulous, filterless and self-indulgent overshares that are so habitual by some on Facebook, Twitter and their less popular relatives. 

As much as I like to mock the superfluousity of some people's social media habits, it was this journal I fell for.

 

 

Harking back to a bygone era it celebrates nostalgia and vintage traditions, with witty little anecdotes every few pages to spark creativity in the lost art of pen to paper writing.

As a youngster, I kept endless diaries written in rambling prose which is likely to provoke a fit of the cringes in me if read now. However they were full of feeling and not published on the World Wide Web for all the world and therefore raw and full of mad-cap thoughts.

I sort of miss that. So I purchased said diary and have resolved to keep it in my bag, even if just for random thoughts or verses of very bad poetry.

Liberty of London, a true London icon.

 

Liberty of London

Regent Street
London W1B 5AH
 +44 (0)20 7734 1234 
Monday to Saturday: 10am – 8pm
Sunday: 12pm – 6pm
www.liberty.co.uk 

PS: It should be noted that what Liberty is really known for is its beautiful prints. Watch out for these... They're so pretty that you'll want to drape entire rooms in them and spend days swathed in the fabrics.