The Electric Cinema & Diner – Portobello Road

The Electric Cinema in Portobello Road was a birthday treat for my 25th, one which got Alex HUGE brownie points.

I didn’t have a clue where we were going, walking down Portobello Road and checking out the stalls, I only knew Alex had something planned – a birthday surprise! Arriving outside the Electric Diner Alex let me know we had arrived at our destination – yes, almost like a sat nav😛

I hadn’t clicked that we were actually going to the cinema too so once we’d been seated and handed the menus to ponder our decisions Alex dropped this news to me, telling me all about the cinema and I was really excited. I’d never actually heard of the Electric Cinema before, can you believe it? I’ll tell you all about it a little further down.

But back to the food – The Diner offers a French-American menu, with everything from burgers and chilli cheese dogs to steak frites and flat-iron chicken. They also serve some incredible milkshakes, which can be traded up to include a shot of spirit for those celebrating, whatever the occasion. I know, you don’t always NEED an excuse!

Having never had gnocchi before, I opted for this option which came with crab in a tomato sauce, whilst Alex went for the short rib hash, poached eggs and hollandaise. We both also chose the Rum and Nutella hard shake to drink, as we were celebrating after all.

The hard shakes were strong but absolutely delicious, creamy yet not too thick, the rum went really well with the hazelnut chocolate and they went down a treat. This was quite filling however, so I shared some of mine with Alex, of which he was more than happy to help out.

Our dishes were served. Not appearing overly big on the portion sizes, we thought we’d have space left for cinema snacks after but they were surprisingly filling.

My gnocchi was delicious. A soft doughy texture, the gnocchi was a nice change to pasta or similar dishes. There was plenty of rich tomato sauce for the dish (I do like it saucy) which paired well with the crab and gnocchi. Although the dish wasn’t loaded with crab meat, it still offered a reasonable amount which was tender and flavoursome. I really enjoyed my meal choice and will definitely be choosing gnocchi again.Alex’s short rib hash was a mixture of rib meat, hash brown pieces, spring onions and chillis, topped with two poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. The combination of flavours was spot on, the rib tender and meaty, and the hash browns having a crispy coating with a fluffy filling. The chillis added a slightly spicy touch, but paired with the creamy hollandaise sauce kept this spice at a minimum. The eggs were still a little runny, which was great for dipping the hash browns and rib in. I can’t say I didn’t suffer at all from food envy as this did look extremely delicious!

After we’d finished up making our way through our meals and sipping our hard shakes, we paid up and ventured next door to the Electric Cinema to find our seats for the film. This is when I found out which film we were going to see too – Batman vs Superman!

For those of you who don’t know what it is – The Electric Cinemas is one of the oldest running cinemas in the country, having been open for over 100 years! The interior reflects its history and comprises of 65 armchairs, six double beds at the front and three 2-seater sofas at the back, all with foot stools, side tables and cashmere blankets – yes, you heard right, they even provide blankets so you can snuggle up. Could it get any better?

There’s also a bar in the cinema, which opens before the movie and serves sweets and other cinema snacks (no popcorn though), as well as beer, wine and champagne. It does close 5 minutes before the showing, so make sure you stock up.

Alex had bought tickets for the 2-seaater sofas, found at the back of the theatre, with a long foot stall which was home to our blankets. We got a couple drinks from the bar, but too full to indulge in some cinema snacks we had to give the sweets and brownie a miss. Armed with a glass of prosecco and a glass of wine, which was nestled nicely on my side table, we snuggled up with our blankets and awaited the film to start.

The seats were amazing. I really enjoyed being on a sofa – it meant the arm rest which you usually have between cinema seats didn’t get in the way for leaning on Alex – and it was really comfortable. The view was great, and although the sofa was at the back of the theater it was really clear and not too far from the screen at all.

I know the film got a lot of mixed reviews but I thought it was fab. I love a superhero film and this didn’t disappoint.

If there’s anything you want to see in the cinema soon, I’d highly recommend trying the Electric Cinema out! It might be one to visit as a treat, as it is a bit more expensive, but it’s truly worth it for the experience. It’s also quite romantic, so great option for date night!

As mentioned at the beginning, Alex got HUGE brownie points for this birthday surprise. An amazing afternoon!

Have you been yet? Where’s your favorite cinema?

Chloe xx