#DinnerTimeStoriesSA

I arrived at Quartermain Faircity hotel in Morningside Sandton, marketing complimentary ticket in hand knowing all too well that going anywhere alone is by far the most daunting experience ever.  That is often the thing with being a marketer- having to go to places most of the time alone. The euphoria of each marketing event is what drags you to the events but there's always this fear of loneliness when you have to venture somewhere alone.

Families floated by, enjoying the company of each other and a whiff of disappointed filled the air for me... I too longed for some company. My eagerness to eat that Sunday afternoon was the reason that I arrived earliest at the prescribed time of 13:45 pm for the show which would start promptly at 14:30 pm. Guests were directed to the lounging area of the hotel adjacent to the bar and treated to bubbly and a variety of juices. It was here that I realized the true beauty of arriving anywhere alone... The joy of being forced out of your comfort zone and attempting to make new friends while waiting around in anticipation of not knowing what awaits. I instantly connected with a family of four who had chosen Dinner Time Stories as the designated venue for their father's day celebrations. In fact, Father's Day was the reason that much families had ventured to this venue on the Youth day Sunday. After engaging in 45 minutes worth of chitter chatter and casual waiting, we were called in table by table to the assigned venue for a gastronomic delight. The waiting around made us feel as if we were taking a flight and the entrance welcome and choosing of food preferences mimicked the journey of getting onto a plane. Here I would like to mention that being a Muslim passenger on this journey, I was initially skeptical of what foods would grace my plate and what would be couture to eat, but I was glad that culinary preferences were established prior to entering the venue and were catered for. I opted for meatless meals and chose vegetables as the meals of choice and I initially felt easier about undertaking this foodie journey.

Tables are shared between about 4 or more families and I loved how everyone seated at a table are encouraged to communicate and bond with each other. There is something so exciting yet uniting about knowing you are sharing a novel experience and foodie adventure with a stranger. Automatically I was glad I had undertaken the journey alone. I could be myself, let my hair down and enjoy the company of total strangers. 

Lights are dimmed and guests open up a book entitled Dinner Time Stories, which allows them to go on a 4D journey only to join Le Petite Chef on his trying experience to become a famous chef. The journey involves sailing the seas with entrees being brought in a pirates treasure chest. I indulged in three kinds of cheese crochet and some baked mini potato infused with smoked paprika and other spices. The starter offered the perfect sensation to the awaiting tastebuds and I couldn't have asked for a lighter yet more appetizing starter.  The entree treasure box was cleared.

Next stop with Le Petite Chef was one of my most loved places the middle east. A wooden box is placed in the center of the table with mini pots containing food that needs to be shared with the person sitting opposite. Inside the wooden antique boxes are cute mini hookah pipes as well (too bad we didn't get to smoke some shisha as well). During this worldly experience, I learnt about skordalia which is much like mash potato with garlic added to it. Ironically enough, I was schooled about skordalia from the friendly Chinese man sitting next to me.

From Arabian to Indian. We ventured off to India where our hands were decorated with henna tattoos. The Indian course was obviously the course I most related to and the curry was rather spicy but nothing too overwhelming for my spice craving tastebuds.

A surprise treat was our trip to the icy Himalayas where we had to help create our own smokey lime sorbet.

Thereafter we headed with Le Petite Chef and an unexpected dragon to China. Eating with chopsticks surely was my main battle. Chinese cuisine surely did shock my unexpecting palate. I did enjoy the experience of crunching on my cinnamon fortune cookie once I got my fortune read.

The final straw in the culinary experience was a taste of the sweeter side of light with soft Creme Brule. The final element of sweet tooth came from the petite for and complimentary tea and coffee.

The waiters and waitresses adapted eagerly to their roles and assigned countries were effective in cleaning up after every course while simultaneously preparing for the next course. The experience was certainly worth it and something entirely different from the norm of fine dining. Expect about 4 full hours of your day to be spent engaging in good food and even better company. I would certainly recommend this for the travel lovers, adventurers or even for those looking for a taste of something different. I would say it is an ideal date night option for well-acquinted lovers. 

The reason I liked it was because of the element of surprise and not knowing what you were in for until you actually experienced it. In this case seeing is believing!

Steer clear of this experience if you want a quick five-star meal without having to socialize or wait too long.