Hear the words ‘Ministry of Sound’ and likely your mind goes to late nights, dancing, ‘90s house music, and a sore head. One place it’s unlikely to go, however, is fine dining. With the launch of Last Orders, however, that might be about to change.
A meeting point of clubbing and gourmet cuisine, this novel dining experience will see Ministry of Sound’s main dancefloor transformed into a restaurant of sorts, with 90 like-minded guests at communal tables – the strobe lights and the state-of-the-art sound system will stay; the Michelin-pedigree menu is new.
While fine dining and ‘90s raving don’t initially feel like a natural match, the late-night culture of both has created many industry kindred spirits (and anyone who’s done a stint in hospitality can attest to the fact that post-shift nights out are a cornerstone of the job).
The project is a collaborative effort from chef Brad Carter, known for his work at Michelin-starred Carters of Moseley, and DJ and house-music pioneer Ralph Lawson, who has hosted residencies across the UK and Europe throughout his three-decade-plus career. Together, they will commemorate 35 years of one of the world’s most important dance-music clubs.
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Carter will present a five-course menu of dishes that tell the geographical story of house music and reinterprets the late-night food culture of the various cities that have shaped the genre – Chicago, New York, Ibiza, Berlin, and, of course, London. There will be deep-dish pizza, prawn rolls, and even a posh kebab. Ralph’s curated soundtrack will run the same course, documenting both the genre’s move across continents and its growth through the decades. Post-dinner, Lawson will host an intimate set for attendees.
“With the menu for this, I wanted it to be highly creative and unique, drawing on the inspiration of house music and its history – the way it travelled the world and evolved,” says Carter.
“The rave scene will always be a huge part of my life and the music is the connection to freedom and creativity,” he adds. “I’m forever grateful to have been involved in, in my opinion, the last young cultural movement of all time.”
While the inaugural Last Orders events are specifically designed to commemorate the club’s milestone anniversary, organizers have shared that the dinners are set to be a recurring occasion, with different guest chefs enlisted.
“With fond memories of coming to Ministry of Sound as a clubber myself, it’s a real pleasure to return and tell that story through music,” says Lawson.
