(Spoiler Alert!)
Yesterday, I just brought Samuel to an immersive dining experience by Andsoforth to celebrate his birthday. And it’s truly AMAZING! It has garnered some attention on my TikTok page too.
Currently, they are running the ‘Around the world in 80 days’ Book Analysis workshop and their tickets sold our really fast! I have to book a pair of tickets months before the actual production date.
The immersive dining experience is truly one-of-a-kind. You not only get to eat sumptuous food but also to be immerse in the story through storytelling, drama and spectacular backdrops. The 150-minute dining experience also includes some interesting hands-on activities which make it all the more fun and engaging. This unique novelty experience is exactly what we need during this time of pandemic when most of us can’t travel freely. It is a refreshing respite from our stagnated lives.
The Secret Location
The location is not that secret after all. If you visit Andsoforth’s website and scroll all the way down, you will see their venue sponsor, Warehouse 16. It is not difficult to guess where this place is.
Nonetheless, keeping the location in secret is part of the whole immersive dining experience. The location will only be revealed by Andsoforth a day before.
I also wanted to give Samuel a surprise so I did not reveal to him where we are going or what we are going to do. (But I made a huge mistake by entering his number when I bought the tickets so Andsoforth actually send him a message about the location the day before. He already knew about the surprise. Darn it.)
Andsoforth: Book Analysis Workshop
All in all, it is still a surprise for us even though I kind of knew what to expect based on Andsoforth’s Instagram stories and posts. But I did not know what are the dishes or drinks being served.
In total, we ate 5 dishes which includes soup and desserts. I have to say that the food was surprisingly really good. It exceeded my expectations! The food is of restaurant-standard. Each dish is also carefully curated to reflect the various countries features in the book.
Through this dining experience, we also get to understand a little more about the story, ‘Around the World in Eighty Days’ by Jules Vernes. It may be useful to read about the story before going for this Book Analysis Workshop. However, even if you know nuts about this book, it is totally fine too. Their facilitators are great storytellers and you won’t get lost if you listen attentively to them.
If you want to experience an element of surprise, I suggest that you stop reading right here because I am about to recount what I did, see, and eat during the workshop.
From London to San Francisco
The whole set was done up really well and almost surreal. I was in awe for all the effort and details that goes into the set-up. You just had to be physically present there, in order to experience what it is truly like.
London
Our first stop was London. The facilitator was very energetic and speaks with a lot of zest. However, we find that he was speaking a little too fast and I could not quite keep up with what he was saying. But I guess it doesn’t matter because the gin cocktail we made was really good.
In the Ship
We were then led to the next room, which is basically the interior of a ship called Mongolia. In there, we had this scrumptious bowl of bourride, a Marseille-style fish stew. We were left to enjoy the soup for about 10 minutes before the facilitator walked back into the room and taught us how to tie a sailor’s hitch (basic knots).
Kolkata, India
The next stop was India. The place was dark and we had to brush past fake plants and an elephant head in order to get to our seats. While recounting the story, their staff suddenly came in with a tray of dishes. We totally did not expect that. They served us Masala chicken wrapped with a soft and pillowy thosai. It was truly delicious! My tastebuds were aroused and I started to wonder what’s the next dish.
Steam Train in Hong Kong
From India, we marched on to Hong Kong. The setting was the interior of a train cabin. In the train cabin, we had this really appetising noodles along with some Dim Sum. After chowing down the Dim Sum, we learnt some Old English phrases like ‘Godspeed’ which people would traditionally use in letter writing.
Fukuoka, Japan
We walked through a secret door leading from the train to an underground coal mine in Fukuoka, Japan. In the mine, we had sake and soft-shell crab with Hikari rice. It was another flavourful and tasty dish which pairs really well with the sake.
San Francisco
The highlight of this dining experience for me, is probably the part where Sam and I had to get into a wooden cart and Sam has to pull this long rope for us the cart to move from one spot to another.
Then we adjourned to the final room at ‘San Francisco’ where we had ice cream with nitrogen popcorn. It was a fun and yummy dessert to end off the meal! They also celebrated Samuel’s birthday by placing a little candle in his dessert bowl and whispered a birthday song. (Due to the current strict regulations, we are not allowed to sing and have to be masked up at all times except when eating or drinking.)
The finale was a trapeze demonstration at the hot-air ballon and followed by a short summary of events to conclude the Book Analysis workshop. They also had this merchandise booths where you can buy their posters, postcards, t-shirts and tote bag if you would like to support Andsoforth before you make a leave.
My Verdict on Andsoforth’s Immersive Dining Experience
The whole experience was unique and stimulating. I must say that this dining concept by Andsforth is truly refreshing, especially in this period where most of us are looking for one-of-a-kind experiences.
However, the experience is not entirely perfect. They are definitely some areas of improvement for a more conducive and pleasant dining experience. I wish that we are able to spend more time within each zone. We literally have to finish our food quickly and some of the hands-on activities have to be rushed through because the next group of diners is waiting to enter the room.
Overall, the food portions maybe small but they are overall very satisfying. We did not left the place feeling hungry. I would say that the portions were just about right.
There are washrooms so not to worry and water is served in case you get tasty. The temperature in there is cool but it can get a little chilly in some rooms. So I guess you would not need a jacket unless you get cold easily.
I paid about $150++ plus for the tickets and I must say that it is truly worth it especially if you are celebrating a special occasion like birthdays with your other half. For me, it was for Samuel’s birthday and our upcoming wedding.
The food, ambience, service were beyond my expectations. The prices start from $128++ (depending on which day you purchase). More information can be found on Andsoforth website!
