There’s no denying that The Beach Club occupies the best spot in Southsea. Formerly Mozerella Joe’s, The Beach Club has breathed a big breath of fresh air into the venue and it’s been transformed into a bright and airy, stylish bar and restaurant.
We were invited to their VIP night which showcased the transformation and gave us a sneak peek into future plans. Oh what a night! We enjoyed a selection of well-made cocktails and chilled beers throughout the evening. A pop-up oyster bar became the talking point (nothing but praise) and a selection of delicious canapes was shared around. We learnt all about The Beach Club that night….
Introducing The Beach Club
The Beach Club is a joint venture between three local businessmen, Ian, Toby and Adam. Its sister venue, the Southsea Beach Cafe continues to do well and also occupies a great beachfront location at the opposite end of the shore. As you probably know, a huge amount of coastal defence work is being undertaken and as part of this regeneration, The Beach Club will be rebuilt. It shocked me to hear this, seeing how much work has been put into this venue to get it to the standard it is today. Alas, the future looks bright and I’m confident that with the completion of the coastal defence work, The Beach Hut will resurrect, bigger and better than ever.
Inside The Beach Club
As soon as you walk through the door you’ll see that a huge amount of effort has been put into the place. For starters, the outside seating area is now the perfect place to linger on a sunny day with spectacular views out across the Solent. We’ve enjoyed countless coffees watching the ships go past. Nothing beats breakfast by the sea, or lunch or dinner for that matter. There’s no better place to dine al fresco in our eyes.
Inside, huge jellyfish lamps take centre stage along with a cosy fireplace and a spacious bar area which often turns into a dance floor on a Friday and Saturday evenings. There are a number of ticketed events throughout the year such as themed pop-up dinners, DJs and BBQs.
Not long after our visit Storm Dennis hit the south coast and as a result, The Beach Club suffered quite a bit of damage. It was no surprise that The Beach Club bounced back and within just a couple of days, coffee service had resumed from The Beach Hut, a mobile converted van right on the prom. We enjoyed countless coffees from the hut whilst walking along the shore.
Brunch on the beach
After an enjoyable party at The Beach Club, we decided to return for brunch. We wanted to dine al fresco so we waited for a sunny Saturday and we were lucky enough to get a table looking out to sea. Coffee was great as usual, a creamy oat milk flat white made with Moonroast coffee beans. We couldn’t decide between two dishes so we shared them both.
First up was the salmon gravlax and scrambled eggs on a toasted English muffin garnished with watercress and lemon. We’re a bit fussy with our scrambled eggs (we like them undercooked) so we don’t normally order them when we go out, but this time we took the risk. Luckily it paid off and the eggs were beautifully cooked, not underdone but creamy and moist enough to dip the English muffin into. The salmon was of great quality and I really enjoyed this dish.
The second dish was not your usual breakfast choice but it sounded interesting. Looking incredibly pretty on the plate, the crispy hen’s egg with white and green asparagus, truffled hollandaise and spiced fruit sauce was a light but flavoursome dish. I couldn’t taste the truffle but it had a nice lemony taste which went incredibly well with the asparagus and fruit sauce.
Dinner at The Beach Club
We returned to The Beach Club one Wednesday evening for dinner. It was a quiet evening and we sat inside this time. We weren’t overly hungry so we shared one of their stone-baked pizzas and a portion of truffled parmesan fries. The funchi and tartufo pizza was topped with béchamel, thyme-roasted wild mushrooms, free-range egg, fresh mozzarella and rocket, white truffle oil. The pizza was nice and crispy with a decent amount of topping. This was all washed down with a large glass of red wine. As always the service was great. We’ve got to know a couple of the staff in there now and it’s always nice to have a chat.
Our verdict of The Beach Club
The Beach Club is a great addition to Southsea’s food scene and we’re excited about their future plans. Since our visit, they’ve added seats outside that look out to sea. The perfect place to enjoy a takeaway coffee which you can usually get from a hatch out front. The Beach Club is of those places where you could visit throughout the day; from morning coffee to the dance floor and it’s one of those places that cater for everyone. I’ve been here on a date, with family and with friends. Summer is coming and now is as good a time as any to visit The Beach Club.
H x