Showcasing the beauty of springtime through the freshest seasonal ingredients, this experiential dinner evokes the moment when winter thaws and seasons shift
In ancient Greece, taking otium (the Latin concept of leisure time) yielded a tranquility and satisfaction that even the most accomplished workaholic could not hope of achieving. In that spirit, new private supper club Otium serves exquisite food and drink over a long, relaxed and deeply engaged experience around a seasonal theme, with dinners that stretch over four hours wherein diners are totally immersed into an alternate realm.
Founded by food designer Alison Tan and Israeli chocolatier Amit Oz, Otium challenge people’s perceptions of fine dining as a one-way state of consumption. Each dinner is built upon modern philosopher Alain de Botton’s definition of a ritual: namely, “attempts to make vivid to us things we already know, but are likely to have forgotten.” The inaugural dinner, 'Tempus', explored themes of ending and beginning with a ritual where guests wrote something they were leaving behind in the past year and burned the paper in a glass vessel, which was then returned to them at the end of the meal with a lily bulb that they could plant for the new year.
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Otium's spring edition, 'Vernalagnia', continues this exploration of experiential dining by asking the questions: How is nature designed to seduce us? What is the relationship between desire and appetite? To this end, the meal will open with a live performance by musical duo Reggie the leaf & riXin, before guests settle in for a 10-course dinner that showcases the beauty of springtime through the freshest seasonal ingredients.
'Active food' plays a big role in the dining experience—think of the dipping of a mezze spread, or slurping a lobster sachetti filled with broth—to cultivate intentionality towards the story that every ingredient tells. The concept of heat will also play a prominent role, in reference to rising temperatures both with the change in seasons and as one enters a state of desire.
Due to high demand, an additional seating of 'Vernalagnia' on May 2 has been made available at Tatler Unlisted. Exclusive to this offer, diners will be invited to blindfold themselves to experience fresh uni through a performance that poetically explores the prickly facets of infatuation and longing. Each ticket is priced at HK$1,388 per person, with the option of adding a wine or beverage pairing. To find out more, and to discover future experiences, head over to Tatler Unlisted now.