Thinking of coming to Salon du Chat at the Spiegeltent on Monday 2nd June (7:30pm) but not sure what to expect?

First of all we’ll have a glass of bubbly ready for you, so that you can relax and enjoy the menu. And the menu is definitely something to enjoy. Playful, fresh and relevant; some of the menu topics are straightforward enough (like ‘Fantasy Dinner Party Guests’ or ‘Netflixing on Demand’), while others are slightly more enigmatic, inviting you to bring your own interpretation (like ‘Poached Ideals and Puréed Principles’ or ‘Unconscious Coupling’).

WHO TO SIT WITH?

Each table usually has 3 – 5 diners at it. Don’t worry if you’re on you’re coming along on your own – we’ll find you someone interesting to sit with. After all having fascinating conversations with strangers is part of the charm of Salon du Chat.

HOW TO CHOOSE?

The menu is, as you might expect, broken down into starters, mains and desserts. We encourage the table as a group to choose one starter, one main and one dessert. Each conversation usually takes about 15 minutes, so that’s why we keep it to three conversation topics per sitting, if everyone was to choose an individual meal, you’d be in for a very very long night…

DO WE NEED FORKS AND KNIVES?

A host or hostess (they’ll be wearing green aprons) will take your order and write it down for you (in case you forget what you’re talking about – this happens to us all, nothing to be embarrassed about). Your host will make sure you’ve got a cup of tea and a few rice krispie buns as we find the caffeine and sugar keep the conversation stimulated. After about 15 minutes your host will encourage you to move onto your main course (again writing it down for you), and then after another 15 minutes your dessert. So while you don’t need any cutlery, it will help if you bring freshly sharpened minds!

BUT I’M STILL HUNGRY…

If at the end of all that talking you’ve still got more to say then you can start again at a new table with some new people. If you just want to sit back and reflect on all you’ve heard while you wait for the Brad Pitt Light Orchestra then that’s fine too!

SIDES AND SPECIALS?

We always have a ‘Whine List’, and we ask each table if they’ve any particular grievance that they’d like to add to the list. Getting the grievance off your chest and onto the Whine List can be strangely comforting, and should help you relax into your meal. We’ll also have a ‘Specials Board’, for any particularly fresh menu topics that we catch or gather that day.

That’s it – easy right?