What do you get when you take 30 wordsmithing Yelpers, one creative and curious independent bar and eatery, and one fine August evening? You get an Alice in Wonderland themed blindfolded tasting, of six secret bites and six wonderful sips! Yes, that's what we've been up to here in Yelp Leeds land, and if you missed it, you missed a once-in-a-lifetime do. The aim of this event? To showcase the creativity and curious of the independent scene, and show off the excellence of this Leeds indie bar – Lazy Lounge.
The heatwave was fully on for this first evening of August, but that wasn't enough to stop an army of Yelpers from piling into the rabbit hole and diving into wonder. With the upstairs area of Lazy Lounge being turned into a crazy and quirky VIP area, the setting for this Mad Hatter's tea party, folks ascended the stairs to find tables adorned with jewels, teapots, and 'eat me' treats. A hint of what was to come…
To open the evening's cavort, Vicky of Krusovice handed out a welcome tipple for all to enjoy. The beer, brewed for kings, was the perfect opener to get folks going in such a carousal fit for red queens and mad hatters. Folks were told to hold on to a portion of the initial beer, so that the inaugural tasting could begin. Diving into darkness for the first time of the evening, everyone donned their blindfolds, to try a second sip – this time the Krusovice Cerne – to see what they thought. After revealing the beer, everyone was then invited to mix their light Krusovice with their dark, to invent a brand new drink!
And then the full tasting began. At the ring of a bell, the signal was heralded to delve into the deep again. At this bell, everyone had to go blindfolded, and peeking was strictly not allowed. With a careful practice to see where their treasured bowls, plates, and cups were, the sampling began. Unbeknownst to the Yelpers, their first course was:
– Mortadella, Manchego, Olives, and
Rustica Tomatoes proffered on a skewer. (Extra snippets of all but the
Mortadello for the vegetarians.)
After a brief reprieve of light and laughter, the bell tolled again. Course two.
Non-fish-types were presented with a grilled goats cheese and fresh
summer fruit crostini. Raspberries, Strawberries, and Grapes. With a
tickle of caramelised red onions.
Before a moment's rest, but after a small amount of murmering to guess the dish, bells sounded again. It was time. Course three.
of bacon and homemade tomato relish. Presented in a miniature donut
ring.
– Served with a Lazy Beer Cocktail. Brooklyn Winter Ale, Salizá Amaretto, Santa Theresa Orange Rhum and Crème de Mûre.
What's that? Time to plunge in once more? Ding dong, the blindfolds are on. Course four.
Served with an alcoholic milk based cocktail, with a rather good slug of
a particularly secretive liqueur. The perfect bedtime beverage. Want to know more? I guess you'll have to ask the masters at Lazy Lounge!
And so, the supper was done. Everyone was left in wonderment as to the tastes, only to find out for sure at the posting of this blog. But! As everyone has become accustomed to at these sumptuously special Yelp exclusives, there was one final challenge to see out the night.
Yes, whilst it was Yorkshire Day, this was an Alice in Wonderland themed event. So what better challenge to win a case of Krusovice beer was there, than to paint the white roses red? Ignoring the implications of painting our white rose red, everyone got stuck into the game. Blindfolded, of course! In one final dark indulgence, Yelpers got into teams to see who could paint their white roses red, in the fastest time. Safely wrapped in Yelp ponchos, the games began, and but one lucky team won out – congrats to the winning team!
And so came the end of yet another incredible evening. The most immense thanks goes out to the wonderful Amy and Tom from Lazy Lounge, for their incredible hosting skills and delectable treats, Matthew Kitchen for his marvellous capture of the evening, Vicky of Krusovice for the most wonderful beer, and of course, the Yelp Leeds Community for always bringing the party.
Did you miss out? There's only one way to get involved – spread the word, share the love, and Yelp!
Here's what the Yelp community thought!
Natalia M – The atmosphere was amazing, hats off to the chef of lazy lounge that
made a 6 courses of which i liked all (i can be fussy on the food) and
many thanks to Rowena and Lazy lounge for this unique experience!
Tori W – This is my absolute favourite Yelp event to date. Everything was so
well-crafted down to the very finest details, it was so much fun &
an event like none I'd ever been to before.
Matt W – BEST. EVENT. YET.
I must admit, I was a *little* hesitant about
being blindfolded for a tasting. I shouldn't of been. I had an absolute
blast. The food was great, the drinks were intriguing, the tables were
dressed with a lovely attention to detail. yeah. really really good do.
Graham S – I can't wait to see what we ate and drank as the suspense is killing me.
This was an absolutely amazing experience and feel very privileged to be a part of it.
I have tasted he future and I can tell you it tastes of Yelp!
Natalie O – I say this every time, but BEST event yet.
So original and really thought out well.
The venue was even more magical then usual with little luxury finishing touches.
So many samples with a mixture of taste sensation to how very odd! Looking forward to seeing the pics of what we ate and drank.
Awesome fun, just brilliant.
