Unless you're a brain-guzzling zombie or sweet-guzzling trick or treater, Halloween most likely won't conjure up images of fine dining. But London Town has hunted down the most fangtastic food and drink events celebrating All Hallows this year.
Renowned for hosting quirky and immersive events, the Vaults keep up the tradition with Divine Proportions, a unique dining experience that brings together feast and fetish. Based on the story of Dionysus, God of Wine and Merriment, the immersive event takes the ancient Greek myth as a starting point and offers an exploration of female beauty and sensuality, personal freedom, expression of gender fluidity and sexual desire. Guests will be led on a mythical and theatrical journey before sitting down to enjoy a feast inspired by Greek mythology. Expect juniper and beetroot cured salmon, roast guinea fowl breast with orange saffron, and caramelised white chocolate with coconut milk and Manuka honey ganache. Following dinner, it will be time to venture to the Underworld for late-night revelry amongst the darker celestial beings.
The Bavarian beer hall at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park hosting Oktoberfest by German brewery Erdinger gets a gothic makeover for to a spooky finale on the closing night. On Sunday 28th October beer meets the living dead for the ultimate mash-up. A Halloween Oktoberfest sees Radio 1Xtra DJ Charlie Sloth in charge of celebrations. Go along for live music performances and dance DJs at the huge traditional Bavarian beer hall which will be transformed into a haunted gothic castle. The all day party runs from midday until 11pm in the 3,000 capacity beer hall.
The Midnight Apothecary is repeating its Halloween spectacular this year on its rooftop garden. Situated above Brunel's Thames Tunnel, the garden will be lit up and decked out for All Hallows' Eve, complete with carved pumpkin lanterns and strange blue fire. Guests can enjoy apple bobbing and toasted marshmallows over the roaring fire pit, as well as the special Bitter Pumpkin, Mr Hyde Potion and Peary Scary Brandy Punch cocktails.There will also be tasty hot morsels down on the terrace. Due to previous years being so popular, it is now a ticketed event with tickets priced at £5, which includes optional guided descents into Brunel's underground chamber and the toasted marshmallows.
The Dead Dolls Houseonce again present a Halloween Dinner Party in 2018, suitably taking place at the haunted Victorian townhouse in Islington. The evening commences with a sharing style feast which kicks off with a drink on arrival. Starters include BBQ pulled pork with flatbread and pumpkin and ricotta quiche while mains consist of sticky lamb and mint caramel and pumpkin arancini with cheesy sauce, served with cauliflower cheese and balsamic potatoes. Then, a night of music and debauchery across the two floors will commence, with party mash-up, hip hop, R&B and electro hits until the early hours. Be sure to come in your best fancy dress costume.
Direct your broomstick to Lily Vanilli's Bakery on Columbia Road where baking sorceress Lily Vanilli has created spooktacular Chocolate Tarts with Meringue Ghosts especially for Halloween. Made using Baileys, these rich chocolate sponge tarts are for adults only - proving that Halloween's not just for kids. They're drenched in luxuriously smooth dark chocolate ganache infused with Baileys, and topped with ghostly white meringues with 'scream' like wide open mouths.
Sink your teeth into meaty Sweeney Todd pie if you're brave enough. The New Street Grill pie, created especially for Halloween, is made of diced wild boar, venison, partridge and pigeon... and comes with two partridge legs sticking out of the top. Choose from three deadly cocktails for this spooky time of the year: the Poison Berry, a blend of dark rum, dry vermouth and red berries; the Last Breath, a mix of Jack Daniel's honey, pumpkin puree, lapsang tea syrup and black foam; and the Bloody Scary, a combination of Aperol, sweet vermouth, Campari, strawberry and absinthe soda. Come during Horror Hour, between 4pm and 6pm, and you can sink the cocktails for the reduced price of £7 a pop.
New York style brasserie Balthazar brings 'Balthoween', their all-American All Hallows' Eve celebration to London. The entrance to the boulangerie is transformed into a beautiful autumnal Halloween-themed installation with pumpkins and spooky skulls. Inside, you can pick up spiced dinner party pumpkin and pecan pies, spiced macarons and pumpkin muffins, available to eat in or take away. In the restaurant next door, just for the week-long festivities, pastry chef Regis Beauregard has created the sinful 'Balthobombe' dessert - a chocolate sphere disguised as a pumpkin. Get in the spirit of things and enjoy a hair-raising cocktail. Even better, if you eat in the restaurant on Halloween itself you can play Trick or Treat - flip the coin to see if you get your first cocktail on the house.
Renowned for putting on a superb Halloween party, Sexy Fish hosts Scary Fish for the third year in a row on Wednesday 31st October. The ultimate Halloween bash, the party takes the form of a cocktail style event with more than 20 acts roaming the room with tricks and treats. The room is given a Halloween makeover with special neons while a resident DJ keeps guests dancing long into the night. Highlights from the food menu include lobster and pumpkin gyoza, mushroom skewers with garlic miso, pink shrimp tempura and Wagyu sliders. The Hocus Pocus, made with Absolut Elyx vodka, green chartreuse, berry mix, chili and chinotto, is just one of the special Scary Fish creepy cocktails.
This October, award-winning restaurant Smoke & Salt transforms its POP Brixton container into a culinary house of horrors for a special Halloween supper club. Running for two nights, the Dead Man's Party commences with a sacrificial offering, otherwise known as a welcome drink, courtesy of Strongman's Tipple. Guests will then be able to feast on a six-course tasting menu featuring dishes such as Bloody Beet Tartare, Cod Head Taco and a Witches Brew. There will also be cocktails to match like the Black Widow, a blend of caramel scotch, banana bitters, whites, citrus and activated charcoal; and the Gypsy Tears, made with clarified age spirits, peach green tea, pineapple tinctures and a secret gypsy spice blend. Costumes are highly encouraged.
Step into the Upside Down this Halloween with the special Stranger Things themed menu at All Star Lanes. Running from 10th October to 4th November at all of the All Star Lanes venues, the special menu included The Stranger Pin, a juicy beef burger with Monterey Jack cheese, guacamole and Bloody Mary relish, served in a bloody red bun. Enjoy it with a side of Terror Tots, crispy potato tots with Bloody Mary relish, and wash it down with The Shadow Shake, made from black coconut ice cream, grenadine and raspberry puree and topped with cream, white chocolate and a gummy eyeball. Or, put a boozy twist on the occasion with The Upside Down cocktail, a blend of Jamaica Cove Black Pineapple rum, Blue Curaçao liqueur, hibiscus syrup, lemon juice, orange juice, mango syrup and hibiscus flower. There's also a super spooky shooter with Bacardi Oakheart rum, Midori, Aperol and almond syrup. The menu is also part of a special Halloween package that includes the burger, side, dessert, shake and a game of bowling from £30 per person.
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