I’d heard about Disappearing Dining Club some time ago, and last Friday, I got to experience it for myself at their ‘Swallows and Amazons’ event at LASSCO in Bermondsey.
Tim and I were invited by our friends Anna and Hugo, who had been to the impressive venue before. LASSCO really is an Aladdin’s cave of goodies. In the daytime it’s a shop on Ropewalk Market, but by evening it hosts events like these. Each time I wandered through the shop to get to the bathroom, I spotted something else I’d love to have sitting in my house!
Upon arrival we were seated at a long wooden table in a dimly lit room with a group of four other people. We were then joined by another two people who were seated on the other side of us. When the food arrived, it appeared we were sharing with the two other people. This seemed a bit odd, as I didn’t get the impression it was a supperclub style evening from the website, which described it as: “Fruit filled spritzers, sangrias and juleps, a stream of snacks, salads and sides from the DDC BBQ, a soundtrack of lazy rock & roll and disco, and LASSCO’s lavish and eccentric collection of architectural salvage, antiques, furniture and collectables.” As such, I thought we would be standing around outside on Ropewalk Market, but in fact, I much prefer sitting around a table. It’s much more cosy and easier to have a proper catch up with friends.
The menu for the evening was as follows (and you will have to excuse the poor quality photos – it really was incredibly dimly lit in there):
Watts Farm Radishes, Aioli
This seems to be the latest fashionable snack in the foodie world, I’ve come across it at a few restaurants now. Simple but tasty when served with a good dip like this.
Beetroot & Orange Cured Salmon, Potted Beetroot & Goat’s Cheese, Potted Pork & Tarragon, Bread by DDC, St John & E5 Bakehouse
Served on one big platter, this was all very good (the bread was wonderful), although it was a slightly awkward course to share with people you don’t know, as you’re very conscious of taking too much and not leaving enough in the pots for the other guests!
BBQ Pork Neck, Louisiana Rub, Green Bean & Red Cabbage Slaw
This was really tasty – Pork neck isn’t something I would normally think of buying, but it was lovely!
DDC Eggy Bread, Chantilly Cream, Garden Strawberry
To finish, we were treated to these, which were incredibly moreish!
We also had some cocktails which were beautifully presented with edible flowers. Over the space of the evening we tried:
Houseboat Hurricane: Elderflower Liqueur, Gin, Lemon, Cucumber, Soda
Peace & War Punch: Woodford Reserve Bourbon, Passionfruit, Grapefruit, Ginger, Mint
Leading Lights Fizz: Pink Grapefruit, Gin, Tonic, Lemon, Sugar
We had a great evening, but I did find I was still a bit peckish when I got home. Maybe that’s because I’m a greedy little piggy, but I did just notice on the website that they said that you could order more food on the evening. I didn’t realise that at the time, and no one made us aware of this.
I’d like to try another Disappearing Dining Club at a different venue, to see how it compares in terms of what food/drink is served, how much it costs etc. ‘Back in 5 Minutes’ is hosted in the back of a clothes shop on Brick Lane, a short walk from my office, so that might need to be next on the list. I love the creativity and idea behind what they’re doing at DDC and can’t wait to see what else they have up their sleeve.
Got To Be Gourmet 
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