Wondering what it would have been like to be part of Captain Nemo’s submarine dinner party? This dinner part was a chefs’ interpretation of what it would have been served during a dinner with Captain Nemo. If you haven’t read the book: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Vern, then it’s a must read.
“It describes the journey around the world of Captain Nemo and his submarine, the Nautilus, which had been thought a giant monster when first spotted. The description of the Nautilus was considered ahead of its time, as it accurately describes features on submarines, which at the time were primitive vessels. The 20,000 leagues referred to in the title is the distance traveled around the world and not the depth and is equal to more than 50,000 miles.”
I was invited by my Jen (one of my global foodie friends) to join her in the this unique dinner experience. The dinner party was limited to 12 participants. Prior to entering the dining room, we were served with a sparkling rum cocktail in a room that chandeliers swaying side to side. The atmosphere was set and all the anticipation was very well built up. The chef introduced her self and the staff was very professional and put on a great show.
It was a 16 course dinner, divided into 4 major parts. Part 1: An Underwater Forest; Part 2:The Devilfish; Part 3: Some Days Ashore; Part 4:The Coral Realm. Things got weirder and tastier as the dinner courses continued.
Read on for more details of this unique foodie experience…
Part 1: An Underwater Forest
The first course consisted of a sparkling rum served in a tea cup and a macaroon cocktail oozing with rum and lime. I had to pace myself in order not to over do it with the booze and miss out on all the flavors.
The next course was quail egg with Osetra gold caviar served in a Faberge egg. This went down to easy.
Otoro baklava chicken honey with strawberry rum and sturgeon caviar and was served in a silver butter container.
Eel salad sandwich made wide unagi, black sesame and celery. It was served on blue and white plate. No utensils were available, eat with your hands. It was so yummy you wished there was more to it.
Foie pillow which consisted of foie gras, blueberry and puffed potato. It was serve on a white plate that resembled a sea shell. This was a small portion, so I was able to eat it with out much trouble.
The presentation was everything. My favorite so far was the use of the Faberge eggs. When I said it was an experience, I meant it.
Part 2: The Devilfish
Octopus on a sword skewer roasted with a butternut squash puree with fennel pollen. This was cooked perfectly.
This is where things got weirder, the plate the next course was served on a mold of the chefs’ mouth with the tongue sticking out. You had to lick off the uni with date vinegar and wasabi from the plate.
Next on the list was escargot-sea snail with herb butter and brandy. There was a cocktail to help wash down the earthy taste of the sea snail. The mixologist did an awesome job making cocktails to match the courses.
Scallop with shaved black truffle and brown butter. It was heaven and to die for. The giant scallop shell presentation was beautiful.
This next course was not for the faint of heart. It was deep fried shrimp head with molasses powder and shallots. You ate the whole thing…
Whale aka A5 Kobe beef was grilled with rum cherry and topped off with black sesame.
Part 3 Some Days Ashore
Fried jungle bird, was a cocktail with a skewer of fried quail.
On to quail with nutmeg and barbeque sauce. It was served on a wooden plate carved by the staff serving us.
A cocktail was given to us that taken like a green milkshake. It was to help was down the fattiness of our next course.
Then a whole ceremony was performed when a whole pigs’ head was brought into the room for the chef to carve for us to be served. We were served parts of the inner and outer cheeks, the jowls and other parts that were available to the bravest of us.
Part 4: The Coral Realm
A mini sweet “pie” was given to us to cleanse our palates and prepare us for our last few courses.
Uni creme brulee was served with a warm liver “coffee” cocktail drink that tasted like dark chocolate and coffee. It was very tasty.
Mingnardise, this box looked liked a music box with 3 drawers each containing chocolate covered fish, crab and seaweed. The baby crab was available only for 2 weeks each year in Japan. It had a nice crunch. Each box drawer was lined with Asian octopus Kama sutra.
Summary
You truly must be an adventurous foodie to really enjoy this experience. There is plenty for all your senses to experience along with your stomach getting full. The dinner price is worth every penny. The location of the dinner party was very unique inside the Lost Spirits Distillery – Area 15 in Las Vegas, NV was perfect.
If you are looking for a new foodie adventure or experience close to home, I recommend you check this out!!
Have you tried this out? If so, please let me know about your experience below!