Pop-up supper clubs at university give a taste of culinary science to come
Diners can look forward to a different dining experience in the Festival of the Future, finds Rosalind Erskine
Dundee’s Festival of the Future will run from 17-21 October and as part of this, foodies can look forward to two pop-up dining events.
The intimate supper clubs will take place in rarely-seen parts of the University of Dundee on 19 and 20 October.
On Friday 19, the supper club will be hosted by the current principal of the University of Dundee, Professor Sir Pete Downes, who will welcome eight guests into his office in the university’s Tower Building.
“I am looking forward to welcoming guests to my office and to have the chance to tell them about the work we do to transform lives, from the local to the global, here at the university,” said the professor, who has played a key role in developing Dundee’s status as a global player in life sciences.
“Like most people, grabbing a sandwich at my desk is the closest I usually get to dining at work, so it will be as much of a novelty for me to enjoy a lovely two-course meal in my office as I hope it is for them!”
The second dining event will be held in the University of Dundee’s School of Life Sciences. Diners at this supper club can look forward to a guided tour of the Spirit Molecule exhibition by the artists responsible for the artwork – Heather Deweyhagborg and Phillip Andrew Lewis – as well as short talks by worldleading researchers from the School of Life Sciences.
“This supper club’s going to be an incredibly exciting evening,” said Gill Veal of the Parlour Café. “Heather and Phillip’s exhibition fuses biotechnology with botany so we’ll be serving a vegan supper which uses every part of plants – from root to tip. Guests at the supper club will enjoy dishes packed with explosions of flavour which highlight the fabulous versatility and taste of vegan cooking, which many people consider is the future of food.”
Both supper clubs will include a two-course meal prepared by the team at the award-winning Parlour Café.
“As a chef, autumn’s my favourite time as there’s always an abundance of fabulous produce, especially in this corner of Scotland,” said Gill.
Places at The Festival of the Future Supper Clubs cost £20 per person (two courses, including wine) and must be booked in advance.