A buzzing Italian-American-inspired bar and diner serving up a crowd-pleasing mix of meatballs, cicchetti (Italian tapas), hi-ball cocktails and ice cream sandwiches, Giant Robot is an absolute blast in the heart of Clerkenwell.

The Venue
Formerly known as Match, the company behind this hotspot have other venues in Ibiza and Melbourne, two of the coolest places on the planet, so your expectations are naturally sky-high. Thankfully, Giant Robot delivers a cosmopolitan atmosphere that would be just as at home amongst the infamously cool laneways of Melbourne’s city centre as it is on Clerkenwell Road.

Despite feeling international in atmosphere, the decor and menu is very much Italian-American. A mini-cinema billboard sits above the open-plan kitchen service space, displaying food instructions instead of blockbuster movie film titles. Add to this bespoke retro-sci-fi-esque light fittings, a telephone straight out of the 50s fixed to the wall, green and off-white tiled surfaces and walls, exposed brickwork and an open-plan mezzanine layout with iron railings – and it all feels very cool and convincing. But, alas, for fans of cult toy robots, there aren’t any present.

The Atmosphere
Those ahead of the curve are already well aware of the new kid on the Clerkenwell block. Giant Robot is packed to the rafters with a mix of media professionals, canny City types and upwardly mobile couples. Staff, a young and vibrant mix, are cool and calm in the midst of what is potentially a stressful evening and they’re more than happy to make recommendations of stuff they’ve actually tried themselves from both the food and cocktail list, which is always a good indicator of in-house training. You can even join the staff in their evening meal for just £5 between 5pm-7pm.

The Food
Giant Robot’s menu aims to please throughout the day and it’s a very informal mix-and-match affair that arrives at the table as and when it’s ready. Don’t rock up here expecting set courses and stifling formalities; do come here for a good time and delicious food and drink. The menu layout can actually be a little perplexing at first as it’s divided into boxes and there’s no set way to navigate your way around it, but after a while you soon familiarise yourself as to the way it works.

Several dishes to share is the best route to go down (portion size is restrained and prices reflect this). Start off with the delicate bite-size zucchini (courgette) served on a brittle piece of crostini with tiny shavings of pungent pecorino cheese. At 82p a pop, you can easily order a few of these as a bar snack. A selection of meats and cheese is also available if you want to continue down this path, but the main action takes place on the meatball part of the menu. Here you can twin beef or pork balls with sauce and a choice of olive oil mash, pasta or salad. You can even chow down on them in a Slider (£2.35 each), which sees the meatball and sauce served inside a soft white bread roll. The beef meat ball with rich, sweet tomato sauce is the best one as it is beautifully seasoned with garlic and herbs. Keep an eye out for specials, one particularly indulgent option is the veal meat ball (£1.35 each) with melted Pecorino cheese and shaved truffles. This offers a rich intensity not found in the traditional variety and is worthy of the word special. Pair these with some sumptuous olive oil mash (£2.90) and you’re on a winner.

Some of the biggest prawns you are ever likely to see are another must-order dish. At £7.90 for three or £10.40 for a bigger serving, they are smothered in a chilli oil that gives them an extra bit of pep. Once you’ve peeled the shells off, the prawns taste smokey and are meatier in consistency than some cuts of meat.

A flaming baked Alaska is the centrepiece of their dessert menu but you need at least two people to share it (at £6.50 per person). If this sounds a little too much to handle, go for the ice cream sandwich, which uses two chocolate chip cookies as the bread, with vanilla or pistachio ice cream as the filling. The cookies are packed with chocolate and they're of a very good quality but would prove easier to eat if they were a little chewier in consistency. Trying to break them with a spoon proves tricky so you end up picking them up and eating as you would a sandwich.

The Drink
Cocktails are on the money here. Served tall and long or short and rotund, you could just come here and happily work your way through a list of recommendations (the full menu is a work in progress), whilst ordering bits of food at random intervals. Give the staff a spirit as a base and they’ll concoct something for you in no time. A Rum Swizzle is a thirst-quenching mix of Bajan rum, lime juice and sugars, whilst in another pleasing mix gin is paired with muddled raspberries and poured over a stack of crushed ice. Even a recommendation of a blend including Appleton’s rum and a dash of port, one that’s initially met with a little scepticism, ends up being a highly enjoyable drink as the plummy port actually bringing another dimension to the flavour and works well with the rum.

A comprehensive wine list is Italian-dominated but some concessions are given to California and South America. The cheapest bottle is £17, although carafes are available from £12. Glasses of Prosecco (from £5 a glass) are another visibly popular choice amongst punters. Beer on draught is served in half pint measures for £2.50, alternatively you can go for bottles, with Morretti (£3.50) and Brooklyn lager (£4.50) reinforcing the Italian-American connections.

The Last Word
Fast becoming the worst kept secret in this part of town, if you want to soak up the cosmopolitan atmosphere and tuck into a feast of meatballs, mash and ice cream sandwiches, make sure you go while you can still get in the front door.

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