Add exceptional food, a beautiful setting, a room full of the city’s most interesting young crowd and a soundtrack that moves from Punjabi classics to house and you have the kind of night that stays with you long after the last song.
WILLIAM PAGE-BROWN
That was the feeling at the Serpentine for the final Bank Holiday edition of PAIRed, which brought together Australian DJ, producer and artist HAAi with Ellen Parr, chef-owner of East London favourite Lucky & Joy, for an evening that blurred the lines between dinner and dance floor.
Inside the Magazine at the Serpentine, the striking Zaha Hadid-designed space, the night began around the table. But even from the first course, music was at the heart of the experience. Each dish was paired with a track selected by HAAi, creating a dinner where the food and music were constantly playing off one another. It was a fitting combination for a menu as globally influenced as Ellen’s.
WILLIAM PAGE-BROWN
The food moved effortlessly between Mediterranean flavours and Chinese-inspired heat, with every course bringing something different to the table. We started with grilled bread and oregano, followed by sweet and sour aubergines with capers, celery and basil. Then came labneh with seedy chilli crunch, creamy, spicy and instantly addictive.
WILLIAM PAGE-BROWN
The beef manti with tomato sauce, garlic yoghurt and chilli butter was rich and comforting, while the turmeric and lemongrass marinated scallop with onion, dill and rice noodles brought something much lighter and more fragrant. Then came the exploding fish with green mango, cashews and betel leaf, followed by Sichuan spiced chicken wings with Guizhou cucumbers.
WILLIAM PAGE-BROWN
The dishes were accompanied by carefully selected wine pairings, which worked beautifully with the range of flavours. But what made the dinner particularly memorable was hearing each course alongside HAAi’s musical selections. The tracks gave the food another dimension, creating a rhythm to the meal that made the whole experience super elevated.
WILLIAM PAGE-BROWN
The one dish I’m still thinking about
My favourite was the lamb belly skewer with cumin and chilli Shao Koh, tiger salad and lamb fat flatbread. The lamb was smoky, rich and full of flavour, while the cumin and chilli brought warmth and spice. The fresh tiger salad cut through the richness perfectly, and the lamb fat flatbread was the sort of thing you immediately wished there was more of.
And that was really the magic of PAIRed. Food was not simply being served while music happened in the background. The two were connected, with HAAi’s tracks giving each dish its own moment and mood. Dessert finished things on a nostalgic note with fresh mint and chocolate Viennetta, playful, familiar and exactly what you wanted after such a flavour-packed meal.
Then the tables disappeared.
Eventually, dinner gave way to the afterparty, with the soundtrack became just as international as the food. From australian tracks, to afro-house, to punjabi rhythms the tracks brought a completely different energy into the room. The mix felt eclectic and unexpected, moving between sounds and cultures without being restricted to one particular genre.
WILLIAM PAGE-BROWN
There was something especially enjoyable about hearing Punjabi music in such an unexpected setting, before the energy shifted into house and electronic sounds. HAAi’s own tracks then brought everything back to the artist at the centre of the night.
The atmosphere was relaxed but electric. People were dancing, catching up with friends and making the most of one of the last big summer evenings in London. There are few places where you can dance late into the night surrounded by the dramatic curves of Zaha Hadid’s architecture, especially after spending the evening eating some of the most exciting food.
It truly felt like summer in London at its best. Not overly planned. Not trying too hard. Just great food, great music, great people and a fantastic reason to stay out late. The very best way to end the summer.
WILLIAM PAGE-BROWN
Make sure to follow @Paaired.london on Instagram to learn about future events. You really don’t want to miss the next one!