Doughnut Duck Burgers and Violet Soda

Round the back of Selfridges (by the food hall) is a white car park door lined in red velvet, theatrical curtains. A chefy-shirted door lady ticks you off the list and in you go. The first thing you are met with is a car park with an LED embellished ceiling, courtesy of light artist Jason Bruges. These scintillating LEDs play off the surface of the shiny new Mercedes being promoted. But this Mercedes really is different – it is a cheese cellar Mercedes!

Out of its boot you are offered a tasting array of British cheeses, cheddar, stilton, goat… all delicious and unreservedly mature, mmmm. Car salesmen should definitely change their tactics and employ the hypnotic cheese technique. 

Next you walk to the bar, strangely decorated with musclemen holding KFC style drumsticks. You are offered the choice between:

Violet and Elderflower Soda

Berry Soda with Fine Apple Vinegar Shrub

Orange and Quinine Soda with Khat Bitters

I went for the violet and my +1 went for the orange. Both are served in McDonald’s style take away paper cups full of ice with lids and straws but are much more delicious than coke or Fanta. The violet was particularly good, just avoiding the soapiness that sometimes accompanies floral flavourings.

We were then seated on a revolving platform. The overall design concept is marble with marbled paper takeaway boxes and burger wrappings, giving it an ironic sense of luxury.

To eat you can have a veggie option or, as we did, The Big Merc: ‘a duck sausage patty lubed with damson ketchup and piled with celeriac remoulade and tomato slice vac-marinated with eleven herbs and spices’ with smoked cheese between two doughnut buns…

Sounds pretty weird but it does work… it is a little disconcerting getting the initial doughnut sugar before biting into duck mince meat but the bitter celeriac remoulade pulls it together. My only complaint is that is should have been a little warmer.

As you sit on the revolving platform you can watch the ‘drive-through’ – the main concept of the event but sadly not for me since I don’t have a car and even if I did, I wouldn’t know what to do with it. Roller skating flag-bearing waitresses beckon the car forward with alluring dance moves and skate around serving the drinks and big Mercs.

The sense of theatre is added to by a specially commissioned classical piece of music by Dom James. 

All in all, good fun and, although a little pricier than Burger King, at £10 a ticket its not bad. For those who can drive, there are still tickets available, £40 for a party of 4 in a car, here. 

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