[title]
If sitting in a restaurant, surrounded by drunk office workers wearing little paper hats and singing along to Christmas songs on repeat is your idea of hell, don't worry, there are much better alternatives for eating out during the festive season. Supperclubs and foodie pop-ups have come to your rescue this month with their quirky menus, weird and wonderful themes and bloody good food:
Rococo Revels - A Christmas Feast
Fancy your Christmas dinner with a Baroque twist? Theatrical furniture and ornament maker Oriel Harwood is opening the doors to her eighteenth-century home in SE5 for a celebratory evening on December 15. For £35, tuck into pomegranate-glazed duck and sour cherry chutney, ham hock, brussels, and gingerbread pudding while sipping on wine paired with the menu from the 161 Food+Drink shop in Sydenham.
The 80s Office Christmas Party
Pop-up masters The Art of Dining are not only marking the season with their next event, but they're going old school. Start your evening at The Pickle Factory in Bethnal Green with a glass of punch from the water cooler before being immersed in a whirlwind of shoulder pads, big hair and dinner including pickled cucumber and braised pork bao, and chocolate and orange bourbons with malted milk sorbet. You'll also get the chance to dance to those unforgettable hits. Running December 9-16, tickets are £55 for five courses, a welcome drink and entertainment.
Patty & Bun’s one night with Pitt Cue Co
For one night only, guest chef Tom Adams, of Pitt Cue Co fame, joins forces with Patty & Bun to bring you a winter meat feast in London Fields. The set menu is full of delights such as pig head bacon, aged short rib and doddington sauce and jowls for the table to share. Tickets are £53.49 which covers food and drinks but book fast as December 8 is the only date you can try this menu.
A Maharajah Christmas
This is former Claridge's chef Pratap Chahal's Indian take on a Christmas dinner in his own home in Holloway. It's £50 and BYOB but expect a huge celebratory meal fit for royalty on December 9 and 19, including venison with a fancy-sounding imperial almond sauce. Pratap’s food is top notch and his tickets sell fast, so don’t miss out.
Casa Abierta on Christmas Day
Looking to dine out ON Christmas Day? Look no further as Grub Club team up with Ceviche in Old Street to welcome solo diners, friends, families or anyone else looking to share their Christmas. Bring a dish, eat each other’s dishes, and get drunk on pisco concoctions – the perfect Christmas Day. It’s only £5 entry and a real saviour if you’re at a loose end on the 25th or just want to escape the family madness at home.
For more cosy dining with strangers, see the coolest supper clubs in London to try while you have the chance.