The Monarch Theatre: The world’s first fully immersive DC-inspired restaurant experience

The Monarch Theatre, contained within Park Row – the world’s first fully immersive restaurant experience inspired by the DC universe in collaboration with Warner Bros – combines multi-sensorial storytelling with world-class food and drink that draws from some of Gotham City’s most famous (and infamous) residents.

A transportive and completely immersive restaurant experience, The Monarch Theatre holds just 20-seats with state-of-the-art floor-to-ceiling projection mapping, a 10-course tasting menu with paired drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic as equally considered) curated by Executive Chef Karl O’Dell (formerly of Michelin-starred Texture). Guests are taken on a culinary and visual journey for a truly one-of-a-kind gastronomic show, with carefully crafted staging, narration and immersive courses that play with the senses – an experience that Gotham City, nor the world, has witnessed before.

Park Row founder James Bulmer, who worked with Heston Blumenthal for 10 years at The Fat Duck, is the creative mind behind The Monarch Theatre experience. Bulmer designed each element to trigger specific emotions through the room’s environment and the food presented to its guests, tying into the theatrical narrative of the evening.

Highlights from the menu include a ‘poisonous’ mushroom parfait; USDA Black Angus tenderloin with truffle fit for the Bruce Wayne dinner table; a riddle that must be cracked to reveal a course, and edible jewellery, all linking to key DC characters and storylines that have become part of the cultural fabric of modern life, even for those who have little DC comic knowledge. Read a detailed review of the menu below.

Chief Creative Officer and Founder of Park Row, James Bulmer says “I wanted to create a space where guests can escape and embrace a fantasy world, no matter what their age. Whether its playing with the food or the vessels, we want everything to be fun and immersive. The Monarch Theatre is a gastronomical experience that nods to the defining moment where Bruce Wayne becomes Batman. The story centres around the theme of the blurred line between good and evil, and the various characters that embody these emotions. Whether you have an interest in DC or not, the food, drink and experience is designed to take you on a sensory journey.”

Let’s take a sneak peek at each of the 10 courses in the Tasting Menu curated by Executive Chef Karl O’Dell with paired drinks chosen by Head of Wine Milena de Waele. Each dish is named after a DC Comics character but we’ll leave you guessing about the exact ingredients though so as not to spoil the surprise as the Monarch Theatre is a not-to-be-missed experience.

First, you have to crack the code set by The Riddler

Before moving on to the rest of The Riddler course served on a bust…

The Penguin is a seafood dish decorated with gold leaf.

Scarecrow wasn’t a “fun guy” but this dish is.

Harley Quinn is served in a martini glass.

The Joker includes some decadent seafood.

Brought to life by an injection of flavour…

Poison Ivy includes flavours of passion fruit and pineapple.

Come in for a closer look.

Mr Freeze is paired with MV Laurent-Perrier Grand Siécle.

Catwoman features an edible pearl.

Bruce Wayne is a sophisticated dish paired with 2018 Wente Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.

Wonder Woman is decorated with a gold feather and is paired with Graham’s 20 Years Old Tawny Port.

Superman is the passion fruit finale of this gastronomic tasting menu.

The Monarch Theatre is the crown jewel of Park Row, offering elevated dining, and entertainment with an exhilarating restaurant experience unlike no other. Performances will take place at the following times: Tuesday – Wednesday 7pm, Thursday – 8pm, Friday – 12pm and 8pm, Saturday – 12pm, 5:30pm, 8pm, Sunday – 1:30pm and 5pm

Please click here to read our review of Park Row and here’s more on the other four premium restaurant and bar spaces at Park Row.

Pennyworth’s

Named in honour of the Wayne family’s loyal butler Alfred, Pennyworth’s bar is the home-away-from-home for Bruce Wayne. An undisputed Art Deco masterpiece, with nods to Alfred’s British past, guests are invited to savour classic cocktails, the finest caviar, and sample the legendary Inishtree single malt whisky, a rare bottling created for Park Row, named after the Scottish town, where Castle Wayne is located. The bar also houses a unique and elegant whisky decanter, a specially designed cantilever system engineered to provide the perfect pour.

The Iceberg Lounge

The coolest place in Gotham City, The Iceberg Lounge was founded and operated by the infamous Oswald Cobblepot, The Penguin. The design indulges his signature quirks with a giant penguin sculpture situated above the bar, and ornithological artworks adorning the walls. The luxurious banquette seating is the perfect place from which to enjoy free live entertainment, food fresh from Gotham City Harbour and bespoke cocktails such as Love Me, Love My Umbrella – Grey Goose vodka, dry vermouth, St Germain, lemon juice, strawberry syrup and soda and the sweet and silky At Your Service – Seven Tails XO, Mozart White, cream, chocolate.

Rogues Gallery

Fine art connoisseur and curator Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, hosts, with the help of master forger Roscoe Chiara, an exhibition of specially reproduced stolen paintings and sculptures commemorating the DC Super-Villains who call Gotham City home. The restaurant within the gallery is designed in soft, sensual pinks and greens and boasts a menu of culinary masterpieces, giving its elite clientele a treat for the eyes and the palate. Cocktails include the mesmerising The Blue Boy – gin, blue curaçao and citrus which is poured from a painting whose colour gradually drains as the drink fills the glass. In addition, the restaurant gallery presents the world’s first ‘levitating’ cocktail molecule served over a rose gold plinth. Senses are heightened and gravity defied as the drop moves through the air ready to be consumed.

Old Gotham City

Opening later this spring, Old Gotham City at Park Row is said to be inspired by the late-night bar of the same name hidden on the seediest street in Old Gotham City. Inspired by the studies of Dr Pamela Isley and Dr Jonathan Crane, this bar of iniquity offered a safe haven for its criminal clientele to unwind, far from the prying eyes of the law. At Park Row, Old Gotham City will be hidden away from the buzz of the main room and will have the atmosphere of a villainous speakeasy inspired by the character Harley Quinn. It will serve inventive cocktails alongside sharing bites and bar snacks.

The Monarch Theatre (located within Park Row)
77 Brewer St, London W1F 9ZN
parkrowlondon.co.uk/monarch-theatre
@monarchtheatreparkrow

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