Gingerline: The secret supper club for adventurous diners
As Chambers of Flavours (V2.0) returns to London, prepared to be transported, dazzled and, most importantly, well fed
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It came into being as an experimental dinner party among friends living on the East London Line, the overground transport link connecting leafy Highbury and Islington to the suburbs of Croydon. Over the next five years, "Gingerline" (named after the colour the route appears on London Tube maps) morphed into a series of interactive supper clubs, popping up in true nomadic fashion at secret, quirky venues across the capital.
Its success encouraged co-founders Susannah Mountford and Kerry Adamson to think bigger and in 2015, they launched ambitious immersive dining project Chambers of Flavour.
This nine-month long event was billed as a "multi-dimensional dining adventure", in which travellers-cum-diners were transported to five "parallel dimension" – themed rooms. Taking inspiration from Dr Who and The Crystal Maze, each room was based on an alternate world or time zone and offered weird and wonderful food to match. Those lucky enough to secure what Vogue described as one of "London's hottest tickets" found themselves foraging in forests, supping martini in the sea and even raving about airline cuisine. More than 17,000 adventurous guests took part in the gastronomical experience.
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Now the second instalment is back – and it doesn't disappoint. The aptly named Chamber of Flavours (V2.0) works on the same premise as the first, but diners are transported to five new "parallel realities".
As Chambers alumni, Portfolio is sworn to secrecy about what lies within each dimension, but visitors can be assured of entering topsy-turvy worlds that fulfil childhood dreams of discovering Narnia, all by walking through a machine that feels reminiscent of the 1990s children's TV programme Zzzap!. Be prepared to work for your supper at times, too.
Time Out's Rachel Halliburton calls Gingerline "the most riotous, otherworldly experience you have ever had the good luck to attend". Certainly, the childlike playfulness it encourages obscures the sophistication of those working behind the scenes. Its list of set designers includes Rhea Thierstein, who has worked for the likes of Vogue and Vanity Fair, along with Hackney-based duo Darling and Edge, who have designed sets for Selfridges, Labyrinth and London arts venue The Vaults.
With "fun" and "fine" often appearing at opposite ends of the dining spectrum, the delicious and thought-provoking food rustled up inside the Chamber may also come as a surprise to many.
Despite this, there will be some for whom the mystery gastro experience is too much. In an interview with the London Evening Standard shortly after the launch of Gingerline, Mountfort warned that "if you like to know what wine to bring, what clothes to wear and who you'll be sitting next to, then perhaps this isn’t for you". Luckily for her and the rest of the Gingerline clan, there are plenty of daredevil diners eager to take a leap of faith into the realm of the unknown – and a swim, climb or crawl for that matter.
When they get there, they will discover not only style, but substance.
Additional tickets for the Chamber of Flavour (V2.0) go on sale on Tuesday 4 April and can be purchased from Gingerline.
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