Last June 29, 2024, Plantation Bay demonstrated its ability to mount a Las Vegas-quality dinner show that included not just Michelin-quality food and drink but an immersive and thoroughly entertaining theme experience.
“Flights of Fancy” was billed as a Culinary Journey Around the World, and it lived up to the resort’s claims. The evening started with pass-around drinks and canapés representing Mexico ( — Margarita, of course!), Russia (vodka-based Paisano, their own invention), and Manny’s Manhattan (an addictive version of the popular cocktail).
A pilot’s “in-flight announcement” invited the guests to take their seats and begin what amounted to a 12-course tasting menu of Plantation Bay’s unique “takes” on dishes from around the world, including the Philippines.
Ceviche (representing Peru, but mild, with tropical flavorings) was a crowd favorite, but Quiche Crunch (an allusion to Libya — ask the resort why) and Crabmeat Raviolo (“better than any in Italy, claimed the servers) were not far behind. In this Flight of Amuse-Bouches, the resort management cast caution to the winds and presented three contrasting, unrelated foods, and in the process created a new kind of food symphony that “keeps the palate guessing”.
The Flight of Filipino Flavors featured three “mini rice bowls” infused with concentrated essence of Cebu Lechon, Bicol Express, and Kare-kare, but each was nuanced with a distinct mystery ingredient “popular in another country”.
The Charbroiled Flight (the main course) included Shrimp off the Barbie (the Australian staple, made elegant), Blackened Beef (as good as tenderloin steak gets, which is in Nebraska, said the resort), and a stunning, totally unexpected and in the end unrivaled Nuclear Kagoshima Wagyu. The Wagyu was “nuclear” because it was “burned crispy on the outside, while the inside will explode on your tongue” — that food embodies different cultures and experiences.
In between the Flights were three wildly physical dance shows which ranged from the titillating to the intimate to the spectacular. Though not officially “flights”, the dances took inspiration from Britain, the Sahara, and Brazil. Any dinner club in Las Vegas or New York would be proud to have these numbers.
With Flights of Fancy, Plantation Bay has invented not only a new kind of 4×3 dinner menu, but a new kind of resort experience.
Flights of Fancy is currently the talk of the town, with those who joined still arguing over which dish they liked best. Murmurs are that many who couldn’t attend on June 29 are inquiring: will there will be a sequel?