Yum Yum Movies: A Secret Cinematic Dining Experience

 Dinner and a movie just got a little cooler…

There are so many amazing restaurants in Hong Kong, but it can get a bit tedious eating out at the same places every week. If you’re looking for something a bit different to spice up your Hong Kong dining experience, then look no further than Yum Yum Movies. From now until June, Yum Yum Movies are hosting three nights of a completely unique dining experience that will delight all the senses…

So what is Yum Yum Movies?

Yum Yum Movies hosts evenings that combine two of my greatest loves, food and film. And what exactly happens at these evenings? Here’s the idea: after buying your ticket you get sent the address of the secret venue, where you’ll be treated to a special screening of a film. As you watch, you’ll also dine on a matching four-course dinner prepared by Chef Andrea, of private kitchen Cuore.

A delicious meal that matches your favourite movie… it sounded like my perfect evening out. I was invited to experience the first event in the series, featuring Baz Lurmann’s epic Romeo & Juliet. Now, I may been overly excited as this is one of my favourite movies anyway, but the mysterious location and the sense of unknown definitely added to the excitement and anticipation of the evening.

I headed over to Wong Chuk Hang and eventually found the huge industrial building where the secret venue was hidden. Opening the huge, red metal door, I wasn’t sure what to expect, and I was quite surprised at the size of the space, which resembled what I imagine a New York-style, rustic loft to look like. The walls were lined with bookshelves filled with travel books and tribal masks from all over the world, the concrete floor covered in a variety of mis-matched rugs. I loved this sense of intimacy and wasn’t surprised to learn that this was actually Chef Andrea’s home and private kitchen space, Cuore.

On arrival, we chose whether we were Capulets or Montagues, and were given a welcome drink dependant on our choice. We also had sit on the ‘Montague’ side of the room! After a welcome from Chef Andrea, the film began… and so did the meal.

Our first course was started with a bang, and was presented just after the gas station blows up in the movie (sorry if that’s a spoiler for anyone who hasn’t seen it!). To complement this atmospheric scene, we were served ‘Smokey Octopus with Burrata‘, the waft of smoke adding to the experiential dining element. It was delicious, the creamy burrata blending beautifully with the octopus.

“Did my heart love ’til now?” – Romeo and Juliet’s love was served with two decadent, gorgonzola oysters which I really enjoyed, and I’m not even an oyster fan.

Next up was a lush green salad and delicate sous vide egg, which matched the scene with the priest in his greenhouse. Very clever… the salad was so fresh and vibrant, and the edible flowers even matched the costume of the priest in the scene.

Arguably one of the most dramatic scenes in the film, when Mercutio is killed, was paired with a firey, red pumpkin curry. And last but not least, we feasted on a moist, rich dark chocolate cake and were instructed to drink our ‘poison’ when Romeo did, except ours was a rather large shot of tequila.

All in all, it was an outstanding evening, playing on the senses of sound, sight, smell and of course, taste. A fab film in a cool yet casual environment where you can sit back, relax and feast on delicious, exciting food that has been carefully thought about… what more could you want? You can even BYOB, and it’s the perfect way to add a little excitement to your weekly routine. I can’t wait to go back for the screenings of either Amelie, on Tuesday, 31 May, or Moonrise Kingdom, on Tuesday, 21 June (both two more of my favourite films – great taste!) and I would recommend booking tickets fast if you’re keen to check it our yourself.

Tickets available for $640 per person on Pelago + BYOB: www.pelago.events

cuoreprivatechef.com