A NEW dining phenomenon that has revolutionised eating out inLondon crept into Brentwood on Friday.
The Supper Club movement - which insiders describe as an "edgy"and "underground" meal experience - came to Brentwood Theatre for adryrun last week.
The quirky concept is that foodies and thrill-seekers dinetogether at the home of a perfect stranger.
Food blogger Danny Kingston - who goes by the online name of the"Food Urchin" - decided to introduce the scene to Essex after he andhis wife Holly, 36, were blown away by their visits to supper clubsin the capital.
The 35 year-old said: "I had been thinking about it and came to adecision to do it.
"I was talking to Mark [Reed, theatre manager] and he suggestedusing the theatre as an experiment.
"Mark and I go back a long way, so I decided to go for it."
After four hours preparing the food and having spent a lot onbringing in local produce, Danny admitted he was keeping everythingcrossed.
"Given it's the first one I have done, I am a little bit nervous.It's grown out of a hobby for me," he said.
"But I really want to bring this to Essex and make it work."
Holly added: "When we first went to a club in Richmond we did notknow any of the people around the table, and it's a great way ofnetworking.
"We thought this is amazing, it was a real mix of people, frompeople that worked in TV to astrologers, and it made for a reallygreat night."
Apart from the unconventional venue and sharing close quarterswith strangers, the other aspect to supper clubs is that, ratherthan settling a bill, guests are invited to make a donationdepending on how much they enjoyed the meal.
The foundations of the clubs belong on the internet, where"Kitchen Punks" and fans of the "Guerrilla Cookery" scene, as it'sknown, seek out the latest dates.
Buttered mash Traditional invitations and conventional advertsplay no part, instead hosts will send a message using Twitter aboutan open house and await a response.
On Friday, 23 diners showed up for the Food Urchin's debut, andamong them was another food blogger, a former councillor, friendsand family lending their support, and people who did things theright way by spotting the event on the social networking website.
The smell of braised ox cheek and buttered mash wafted down thestairs from the Audrey Longman Studio, on the first floor of theplayhouse, as the hungry diners filtered into the dimlylit theatrewith anticipation. To break the ice ahead of the feast, energeticDanny - who plys his trade as a printer by day - took centre stageto recite a poem, or as he described it a "Rant Against InanimateObjects and Utensils".
One guest, Nick Dear, 29, from Romford, who works in publicrelations, liked his first experience of supper club dining.
He said: "I cannot remember how I found out about this, but Ithink it's great fun.
"I think it's as much about meeting people as it is about thefood."
His companion Jayne Archard, 26, from Camberwell, who works in anart gallery, was also enjoying her first "Guerrilla Cookery"experience.
She said: "I am not really a foodie, but for me it's all aboutmeeting interesting people. I like it."
One such person, who was equally as intrigued, is JenniferMonnickendam, a former Brentwood councillor.
She said: "I don't have that much of a chance to sit down andchat to young people, but I can do that here and it's fun."
What was on the menu Starter: Parsnip soup with bacon lardons andherbed croutons Main: Braised ox cheek with buttered mash, purplesprouting broccoli and glazed carrots Dessert: Lime and grapefruitgranita or chocolate and apricot tart or orange cake Join the funAnother supper club night has been arranged on April 29 at thetheatre in Shenfield Road, to tie in with the royal wedding The FoodUrchin is working on arranging his first supper club evening at aprivate home For more information visit about the Food Urchin visitwww foodurchin.blog spot.com
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