House › Supper Club
Supper Club
Thirty-two covers in the old bathing hall, two sittings a night from Wednesday to Sunday, and a menu that is not written until the afternoon boats have been unloaded.
The room
The bathing hall runs the full depth of the ground floor, with a barrel ceiling banded in coral and turquoise plaster and a row of high windows that catch the last of the light off the water. When the house was restored the tiles were cleaned rather than replaced, so the floor still shows where the old changing cubicles stood. Tables are set along both long walls with a service run down the middle; nobody sits more than two rows from a window.
It is a small room and it sounds like one. There is no piped music before nine, and after nine there is a single speaker at the bar end playing records the kitchen chose. If you want the quietest table, ask for four or five at the courtyard end when you book.
How the menu is decided
The kitchen buys from three boats and two growers. Whatever comes in is looked at on the bench at four o'clock, and the board goes up shortly after. There are four courses with one choice at each, plus a vegetable version of the whole menu written alongside it. If you have told us about an allergy or a dietary need two days ahead, a plate is built for you rather than a course being removed.
A typical Friday board
- Cured mackerel, fennel, burnt lemon
- Crab and saffron broth with toasted bread
- Whole plaice, brown butter, sea beet — or courgette, almond and thyme tart
- Champagne-coloured custard tart with poached quince
Written at four, cooked at seven, gone by midnight.
The bar list
- Six coastal whites, three reds, one orange, all by glass or bottle
- Two house aperitifs: sea-glass gin with tonic and thyme, or bitter coral with soda
- Cider from the valley, dark beer from the harbour brewery
- Alcohol-free mixes made properly, not poured from a bottle
- Coffee until eleven, herbal infusions until the room closes
Sittings and timings
Coming back late from the parade
The late sitting exists because guests who spend an evening at the theatre, the music rooms or the gaming venues north of here used to come home with nothing to eat. If your night runs long, take the 21:30 seats. The kitchen serves until 23:40 and the bar list stays open until midnight, after which the house goes quiet for the corridors above.
Booking a table
Residents are asked at check-in which nights they want, and can change their mind up to noon on the day. Non-residents are welcome at the early sitting when there is space; write to the desk with a date and a number of people and you will get a straight yes or no rather than a waiting list.
No payment is taken through this site for meals or rooms. Everything is settled at the desk when you leave.