As immersive theater goes, “Destination: London” makes for some mighty fine dining.
Part of London’s pop-up dining series, “Mile High” — get your mind out of the gutter, please — this cheeky combo of dining and theatrical hijinks guarantees you won’t go home hungry. It’s a trip back in time — to the 1950s, in fact — when flying between New York City and London involved something far more elegant than TSA pat-downs and peanuts.
Our trip takes off from the Lower East Side, at a destination revealed only when you buy your ticket. As a passenger, you’ll receive a boarding pass before entering a departure lounge. There, between glasses of Champagne — Taittinger, no less — and hors d’oeuvres, you’ll be chatted up by the flirty British stewardesses and crew, including one young pilot downing glass after glass of bubbly. There’s also a dapper, kilt-wearing senior pilot, “Richard Fabulous,” who’s described as “having more flights under his belt than notches on his bedpost.”
The plane itself resembles an elegant men’s club. Guests are seated at two long rows of tables for a multicourse meal of smoked duck breast, pickled walnut and chicory; confit sea trout with an oyster emulsion, dill and cucumber; braised pork cheeks with lentil and watercress and treacle tart with clotted cream. There aren’t any fish and chips in sight, though there are options for vegetarians.
The results make for a highly jovial dining experience, if not a galvanizing theatrical one. While the food is excellent, the in-flight entertainment mainly consists of brief asides, such as the captain advising us, in the event of a loss of air pressure, to “Stay calm, stay fabulous.” There’s also a toast to both the queen and Judi Dench, a trivia contest and — if you’re still conscious after nearly four hours of this, dancing to a D.J.’s music. Upon leaving you’ll receive a parting gift of products from Penhaligon’s, the renowned British perfumery.
It’s a full evening of good fun and even finer food, all for $120 a ticket. Better still, there’s no long wait at Customs when it’s over.