Dinner in the Sky: Dining at a height of 50 metres. How is lunch in the clouds?
Brief introduction of Dinner in the Sky
Dinner in the Sky is a mobile crane with raised platform that holds up to 22 guests at once and offers a luxurious view from a height of 50 metres. It currently operates in more than 40 countries. You can experience this unique event from 6 to 16 September 2018 in Riegrovy Sady in Prague. Let’s go up, into the clouds! The actual lifting into the sky was preceded by the somewhat lengthier securing of each “passenger”. We’re buckled in, ladies and gentlemen, and up we go.
Everything is in place, the chef is tuning the final details and I slowly see the starting platform slip away beneath me. “Wow” is the first thing that comes to mind. The view is breath-taking, the weather was fine. I see noon-time Prague flooded by sunlight as we find ourselves 50 metres above the ground. Shortly, executive chef Dalibor Navrátil, with his characteristic charm, and his perfect team start taking care of us.
The sommelier pours out one luxurious glass of white wine after another. I feel I lack nothing at all! Suddenly, my olfactory cells smell a pleasant aroma rising from the centre of the platform. A genuine gourmet concert of flavours and scents begins before our very eyes. Every dish is properly served and we find out how to make it at home. There is nothing to add – it was the perfect highlight of an already exceptional day!
How are unforeseen situations solved?
What if somebody needs to go to the restroom? Has anybody ever got dizzy or felt unwell? These questions leave me somewhat nervous and are stuck in my head. During an unguarded moment, I don’t hesitate to ask. The answer is accompanied by a pleasant smile: “The crane operator would receive instructions and the platform would descend and then ascend quickly back into the sky.”
What specialities will you put you into gourmet ecstasy? There was even a luxurious surprise from the chef!
The food was undeniably luxurious. The executive chef is Dalibor Navrátil, gourmet instructor, excellent cook and knight of the French order Chaine des Rotisseurs for gastronomy.
The starter was a millefeuille of poached Greenland prawns with smoked aubergine caviar, crystallised parmesan sauce and prawn pigment. The main course was veal entrecote cooked sous vide, served with crispy potato strudel in filo pastry, tomato concasse filled with sautéed celery and hearty meat gravy. Finally, a luxurious dessert was served – the master chef’s own creative idea which you won’t taste anywhere else.
I prepared several questions for executive chef Dalibor Navrátil:
What is the toughest thing about this event?
Definitely the preparation. Chilling that quantity of goods, preparing them beforehand, tuning everything down to the last detail. What you experience on the platform is just the show. The greatest applause goes to the team, specifically 8 people today, who prepared the food.
What is your favour food?
That’s a difficult question. I like many foods. As I say: “There is no bad food, just a bad chef who doesn’t cook it well.”
Do you remember the first meal you cooked, and were you happy with it?
(laughs) Yes, I even have a photo of it! Scrambled eggs with onions and bacon. I was three and a half years old at the time, and made breakfast for my dad.
Have you ever had to improvise here in this “kitchen”?
A chef is always improvising. Everything affects the final result.
Do you have a personal dream?
I will be happy if I can continue travelling the world. I would like see myself travelling not just to rest, but also for dining itself. I love discovering new things.
