SecretEATS at The Office

SecretEATS. The vibe is as follows: you apply to receive invites to dinners (I doubt anyone gets rejected though), then you get a mysterious email telling you a bit about something that’s coming up, then you pay, then on the day you get the details on where it is. This sorta thing normally freaks me out – WHAT IF I DON’T LIKE THE RESTAURANT? But I decided to man up, and give it a try.

For my first SecretEATS dinner, I found out I had to shimmy on down to The Office, for a wild dinner celebrating Pulp Fiction’s 20 year anniversary. The Office was decked out in Pulp Fiction paraphernalia and art, and they even had the movie playing on TV screens – and half way through the night (read: drinking) we re-enacted the syringe scene. Best.

Each paired course was a twist on a good ol’ fashioned, diner favourite that Vincent and Mia would’ve flirted over.

Not yo’ momma’s Mac ‘n Cheese // Porter Beer

Secret eats the office mac n cheese

I wish this were my momma’s Mac ‘n Cheese, because then I could eat it all the time. The deliciously creamy goat’s cheese sauce was both rich and sharp, topped with mirco-herbs and caramel popcorn crumble. The night was off to a good start.

Fried Chicken Lollipop // Zed’s Dead, Baby

secret eats the office chicken lollipop

The chicken wing “drumstick was fried to perfection: crispy on the outside, but succulent and juicy inside. It sat on top of a buttermilk and thyme savoury waffle and drizzled with bourbon and rosemary maple syrup. The combination was absolutely mind-blowing. The crispy chicken, with the herbed waffles and bitter-sweet, warm syrup, it was worth every calorie. It was served with a sweet gin and lime juice cocktail with an orange and maple syrup foam, picking up on the food.

Jack Rabbit Slims’ Lobster Salad // I can’t remember, I blame the other drinks

secret eats the office crayfish slaw         

Delicate pieces of lobster atop a fresh, zingy salad of baby fennel, beetroot, grapefruit segments and romesco, a red pepper and nut based sauce or tapenade. The plump pieces of lobster were perfectly balanced with the fragrant fennel and grapefruit. The romesco was a great and unexpected addition.

Durwurd Kirby Burger // Smoked Rum

secret eats the office burger and rib

As a non-pork eater, I missed out big time on this course. While I had a nice mini-mushroom burger, the rest of the peeps had a pork and foie gras burger, with a parmesan crisp, port and onion jam, tater tots and a smoked short rib on apple slaw. It looks divine, seriously divine. And the delighted expressions of the diners led me to believe that it was. My mushroom burger wasn’t bad, but it would’ve been nice to have a replacement for the rib – rather than just not have it. This course was served with a Bacardi Spiced rum, cola, fresh lime deconstructed drink, which was served in a sealed jar filled with Applewood smoke.

Twinkie time // $5 Shake

secret eats the office 5 dollar shake

As they served this I dramatically announced to the whole table that I don’t like twinkies and wouldn’t eat it. I then tasted it. And tasted again. And again. And again. Rolled with pistachio and buttery blonde Valrhona chocolate, the twinkie was light and oh so rich at the same time. Served with a banana and peanut butter shake, this dessert was a perfect, worth-every-calorie-and-more way to end an incredible meal.

We danced. We acted. We acted like fools. We were tasked to find people based on a certain character trait they secretly wrote down. We were made to feel comfortable, at home (ironic as it’s The Office) and keep us coming back for more.

secret eats the office re enacting the syringe

I can’t vouch for all the SecretEATS dinners, as this was my first, but it was really phenomenal.

PS. Check out The Office menu here!

PPS. Go apply to receive invites to more SecretEATS events here!

PPS: Photos by the brilliant Samantha Du Toit. Check out the rest of her work here:

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