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Grantham's Lupulo restaurant hosts 'insane' dine in the dark event to mark Halloween




"It's going to be a night to remember - something Grantham has never seen before."

That was what Lupulo owner Terry Flowers promised as I made a table reservation for his Halloween dine in the dark event.

Inspired by top restaurants in London, Terry hoped to bring the unique - and suitably spooky - event to an unassuming restaurant in Westgate.

Terry Flowers sports his nights goggles
Terry Flowers sports his nights goggles

And unique it certainly was.

Little can prepare you for the moment when the lights in a restaurant, packed with 50 people - some wearing Halloween costumes, are turned off. It was pitch black apart from a glowing green light above the fire exit sign.

Ahead of this, six dishes wrapped carefully in foil had been placed in front of each diner with a warning by Terry "not to take a sneaky peek".

Diners surrounding our table were tempted to do just that but my guests and I stayed true to the experience and, as the restaurant was plunged into darkness, we were left fumbling around trying our best not to knock over the pile of dishes while locating our cutlery. One diner at a table was unsuccessful in this pursuit and we heard his glass smash all over the floor.

Kerry Coupe with her mystery dishes during dine in the dark
Kerry Coupe with her mystery dishes during dine in the dark

Thankfully, Terry and his team of waiters and bar staff sported night goggles to ensure the safety of guests while the lights were off.

The challenge to guess each dish by smells, tastes and textures added a new dimension and instead of simply devouring the dishes, I found myself concentrating on the flavours of each. The first round was by far my favourite - and I got five out of the six dishes correct, including meatballs and tuna salad.

With the lights back on and diners slightly dazzled by the brightness, we scrabbled to write down our guesses on paper provided and refreshed our drinks before the lights went off again for round two.

This was where I came unstuck. The first dish was a delicious dessert (my guess: coconut panna cotta, correct answer: creme brulee) but the second was something I found unpleasant, which made me more anxious about diving into the next four dishes in that round, especially when my friend declared: "This is a bit gristly." As I concentrated on the aromas, a dish that I would usually enjoy - cod with a cream sauce - turned my stomach.

The dishes presented during the first round
The dishes presented during the first round

When the lights went off for the third and final round, my eyes had adjusted to the darkness and I could just about make out the outlines of my companions but still had no chance of identifying what I was eating, other than by taste and smell. This round was "seasonally themed" with pumpkin seeds and pumpkin soup both featuring.

As the answers were revealed at the end, we learned that the round two dish was dates wrapped in bacon while the item my friend described as gristly was a pig's ear! One woman was shocked to discover the dish she'd most enjoyed was chicken giblets.

The chefs, Sofia and Lobelia, shared that over two days of cooking they had individually wrapped 900 dishes - 18 for each of the 50 diners, which is an incredible effort, and they are clearly passionate about sharing good food, including little-known delicacies. Of the 18 courses, I would happily choose more than 10 of them again.

Chefs Sofia and Lobelia
Chefs Sofia and Lobelia

Many of the evening's dishes don't ordinarily feature on the restaurant's menu, with the pair being given free rein to design an unforgettable selection.

Terry, who served in the Royal Navy during the Falklands conflict, hopes that events like dine in the dark will put his restaurant on the map, bringing in diners to taste the delicious food cooked by mother and daughter chefs Lobelia, originally from Portugal, and Sofia.

"It has been an insane evening," admitted Terry at the end of the evening. "I think going out for a meal should be fun and memorable and I can guarantee that no-one here will forget this night. They will still be thinking about it when they are old and grey!"

Kerry's guesses during the dine in the dark evening
Kerry's guesses during the dine in the dark evening

Having taken over the restaurant in August, Terry has faced setbacks but his enthusiasm to make his business work in challenging times for the hospitality industry knows no bounds.

He is already planning a medieval banquet on Saturday, November 19, which promises a meat feast with flagons of ale, wine and lager, and booking is encouraged at: lupulorestaurant.co.uk

A murder mystery evening is planned for the new year and Christmas bookings are being taken.



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