The Secret London Supper Club – Dining in an Old Victoria Line Tube Carriage

I can’t quite remember how I found out about the Tube Train Supper Club, but I do know that from the moment I did, I wanted to try it. The Tube Supper Club takes place in an old refurbished Victorian tube carriage, which is stationed at the Walthamstow Pumphouse Museum.

What is the Tube Supperclub

The Tube Supperclub is one of those London’s hidden secrets. It is a unique dining concept in a 1967 tube carriage that used to run on the Victoria line. The carriage can host up to 35 people, so the entire experience is quite intimate. It is a perfect place to enjoy a special occasion, and the staff make sure that you have a great time. Most of the tables seat groups of 2 or 4 people, but there is also a larger table that can host a larger family or group of friends.

Getting There

Getting to the Walthamstow Pumphouse Museum from central London is very easy.  It might look far on the map, but it’s only a 15-minute ride, overground, from Liverpool Street Station. From St. James Street station, where you need to get off, there is another 10-minute walk through a residential area to the museum.

The Chef

Chef Beatriz Maldonado Carreño was born in Colombia and has been passionate about food ever since she was a little girl. She studied culinary arts in both the United States and Argentina, and opened a very successful restaurant in Bogotá, before moving to London. She worked as a head chef for some of the big five-star hotels in London, before starting her own catering business.

For the Tube Supperclub, chef Beatriz has developed a six-course menu inspired from the flavours of South America. I was pretty excited about the menu because during my several trips to Latin America I ate so much amazing food.

The Experience

I arrived at Walthamstow Pumphouse Museum around 15 minutes prior to the 7pm booking.  From the outside you wouldn’t guess what marvellous things happen inside one of the two decommissioned Victoria line train carriages sat on the platform in the yard.

As I roamed around the yard for a minute, I was greeted by one of the hostesses and invited into the carriage. As I arrived early, I could choose which table I wanted to sit at. When you book you can choose between a standard table (£49) and a booth (£55), but as I booked late, only the standard tables were still available. It didn’t matter though, as they were just as comfortable as the booths, just smaller. I chose a table by the window, towards the front of the train.

After I sat down, I was immediately greeted with a welcome drink, a glass of Prosecco. Among the other choices were Negroni, or a non-alcoholic elderflower spritz. To accompany the meal, I opted for an Italian red, a Merlot from the Veneto winegrowing region.

The Menu

The menu at the Tube Supperclub has four savoury dishes, one palette cleanser and a dessert. Each course focuses on a different South American country, and a traditional recipe transformed into a fine dining experience.

First course: Pandebono

The first dish on the South American inspired six-course menu was the pandebono, a traditional Colombian cassava and cheese bread served with chorizo and a coriander aji. As I am not a fan of coriander, the chef kindly placed it on the side for me, instead of on top of the dish.

Cassava is a root vegetable used extensively around Latin America. I first tasted it as an alternative to mashed potatoes during my trip to Cuba. I loved it from the first bite. The pandebono was soft, with a nutty flavour which worked so well with the strong flavour of the chorizo.

Second Course: Causa

Causa is a traditional Peruvian dish that I often found in the street markets of Cusco and Lima. It is originally made with layers of potatoes, filled with different ingredients such as hard-boiled eggs, olives and avocado.

Chef Bea’s take on the causa was a delicate deconstructed plate of mashed potatoes, huacatay cream and yellow chilli dressing, combined with British seasonal asparagus and beetroot.  The combination of flavours was fantastic: refreshing, but also spicy at the same time. The huacatay cream, is paste made with black mint native to Peru, and has a citrusy, aniseedy flavour. The spicy chili dressing brought the dish alive by binding all the elements together.

Third Course: Ceviche Ecuatoriano

The fish course was the Ceviche Ecuatoriano. As you might now, Ceviche is an extremely popular dish all around the coastal regions of Western South America. The dish originated in Peru, but each country has adapted its own version of the Ceviche. In Ecuador, tomatoes are added for a more tanginess taste.

The Ceviche Ecuatoriano was made with prawns and hake cured in lime and juice and chili, served on top of a flavoursome red sauce, made from local British tomatoes. The dish tasted so good, delicate but with a certain sharpness, without overpowering.

Fourth Course: Asado

The fourth course was the Asado, the traditional Argentinian barbecue. And let me tell you, it was perfect! Chef Bea chose to serve a medium rare rump of beef alongside a piece of roasted corn-fed chicken, chimichurri sauce and balsamic glazed plantains.

The chicken, marinated in achiote before grilling, was soft and tender, extremely moist and juicy. It was one of the highlights of the evening – even if it was just chicken! The beef was perfectly cooked, and melted in my mouth. The chimichurri was a bit different than what I am used to, but then again, the chef used a Colombian recipe rather than the Argentinian one which doesn’t have coriander.

The plantains, with their sweet taste, balanced the dish.

Fifth Course: Pineapple and Coconut Sorbet

The fifth course was a palette cleanser. The refreshing sorbet was served with roasted pineapple pieces, sprinkled on top with roasted coconut flakes.

Sixth Course: Pastel de Mojito

The dessert was like a splash of Caribbean sunshine on a relatively cold London evening. The light sponge cake soaked in rum and mint syrup, covered with lime cream and topped with shards of merengue, lime compote and fresh leaves of mint, was the perfect way to end the night.   

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed my evening at the Tube Supperclub so much and I highly recommend it if you are looking for a unique experience in London. As a massive foodie and lover of South American savours, I found that each dish had so much flavour that they virtually took my taste buds on a trip to the continent.

You can book this experience directly on their website, here. I recommend you do it ahead of time, if you want to pick a booth rather than a table. 

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