The world’s first TV dinners pop-up restaurant has opened in London, serving gourmet food to enhance the TV viewing experience.
Diners at the restaurant will be offered the ultimate TV dinner experience, with a menu scientifically pairing food with a curated list of TV shows available on UKTV’s new streaming service, U.
The bespoke dishes, created by Michelin-trained chef Sam Brotchie and food scientist Dr Stuart Farrimond, have been devised with each programme in mind to provide the optimum level of enjoyment.
Special guests Katherine Ryan and Shaun Williamson opened the restaurant, by U, the new free streaming service from UKTV, which launches on 16th July.
Once diners have selected their U show of choice from a curated list, including Battle in the Box, The Marlow Murder Club, Katherine Ryan: Parental Guidance, Gemma and Gorka: Life Behind the Lens and many more, they’ll be invited to pop on their headphones and settle in to enjoy their ‘TV dinner’.
For the ‘TV Dinners for U’ restaurant, food science expert Dr Stuart Farrimond identified five genres of TV available on U and spent multiple hours and tested dozens of recipes and possible flavour combinations to inspire the menu.
If a guest were to select a programme like a crime drama at the pop-up, such as Whitstable Pearl or The Marlow Murder Club, the dish they’d be served would pair with their TV choice.
A crime drama food pairing would include the likes of complex (low GI) carbohydrates to provide sustained energy, aroma compounds to increase alertness and caffeine or dark chocolate to increase alertness, energy, and concentration.
Dr Stuart Farrimond’s findings include:
- Factual & Real Life – with calming foods that aid clear thinking.
- Entertainment & Comedy – a mood-boosting menu for sharing
- Action-adventure Shows – intense flavours for added excitement.
- Comforting Classics – comforting foods that feel familiar.
- Crime Drama – food to evoke intrigue and concentration.
Katherine Ryan said: “I have been so excited to try out the TV Dinners for U restaurant – what a brilliant concept! After eating delicious and exciting food that complements some of my favourite programmes, I am more inspired than ever to get home after a busy day and tuck into quality entertainment!”
Penny Brough, Chief Marketing Officer, UKTV said: “To celebrate the launch, we wanted to bring the extraordinary range of U’s free quality content to the public through a culinary immersive experience. Given that the British public love a TV dinner it seemed the perfect match for this unique dining-viewing experience.”
From fact-hounds and drama lovers to armchair sleuths and reality TV junkies, U will be home to almost 8,500 hours of free content, comprising of new programming, exclusive shows, award-winning originals, and iconic programmes from the BBC.
U’s TV Dinners restaurant will be open to the public on Wednesday 17th July 2024 in London’s Holborn is available to book for free here: https://TVDinnersForU.eventbrite.com
