Originally published on Monday, 17th May 2010

Mama’s Meatballs and a Dry Martini

Giant Robot Takes On Clerkenwell Road!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past two months you’ll know that Jonathan Downey’s East Rooms went up in flames back in March, the grey-black smoke of its demise darkening the skies of London’s bar scene.

But now, rising from The East Rooms’ ashes, JD’s old Match EC1 on Clerkenwell Road has been impressively re-imagined as Giant Robot – a brilliantly named Italian-American ‘East Rooms Lite’ diner/cocktail bar that trades Match’s 90s-styling for a 50s/60s surf-ish NYC vibe. Now it’s all bare brick and weather-beaten columns, a small sunken bar space perfect for Friday nights and enough cosy, kitsch-furnished mezzanine tables for a cracking lunchtime buzz.

The food inhabits a single page, low-key deli-ish menu of crustinis and fresh seafood, homemade mama-style meatballs, formaggi and a soon-to-be-legendary flaming Baked Alaska. And naturally the drinks are spot-on: the predominantly-Italian wines are well-selected and affordable (and available in carafes – ideal for lunchtime ‘meetings’), the cocktail menu sharp yet unpretentious.

But it’s the little touches that really make the Giant Robot come to life. It’s the relaxed, fun, homemade vibe. The retro vases and punchbowls that just scream swinging West Coast suburbia. The total lack of champagne, in favour of less-pompous (and wallet-wounding) proseccos and DIY bellinis. It’s the service. And the kitsch shot racks. And Italian-edged cocktails, from mini martinis and New York sours to a killer espresso martini with a lemon twist.

So all in all it’s very much the way mama used to make it.

Assuming mama was an oversized retro automaton with a penchant for meatballs, kitsch and 1am aperitifs.

INFO
Giant Robot is soft-launching now
45-47 Clerkenwell Rd, EC1M 5RS
?Mon-Wed 10am-12am, Thur-Sat 10am-2am, Sun 10am-10pm