I watched movie in a totally unique way and now I’ll never enjoy normal cinema again | TV & Radio | Showbiz & TV

I’ll admit it – I love food. I simply adore trying new dishes and seeing what chefs can come up with when they get stuck into experimenting. I also love films – so when I heard about TasteFilm, which combines the two, I was more than eager to grab a ticket.

Put simply, TasteFilm puts viewers inside the film by offering the dishes you see on-screen. It offers a huge range of movies across various UK cities, including London and Manchester. Most films are classics, from animated flicks like Ratatouille to cult hits like Pulp Fiction. I decided to plump for 2011 rom-com Bridesmaids – an unlikely choice to dine to given its rather graphic content.

TasteFilm is a lot more than simply eating what you see on screen. Of course, the courses aren’t exact replicas – instead, they’re often twists on events the characters are attending in Movieland, and sometimes even interactive experiences to play along with as you watch. When I head to London bar The Refinery at City Point, I’m still not quite sure what to expect.

The bar is closed off for our private event, with tables set up around a huge projection screen. Seats are assigned, and we settle down to enjoy strawberry popcorn and pick n’ mix sweets while we wait for proceedings to kick off.

Things don’t start with the film, however – first we get involved in a quiz to test our Bridesmaids knowledge, with a prize of a free drink for the winners. Sadly my friend and I lose out, but that’s not enough to deter us from sampling one of the themed cocktails on offer.

Priced at £12.95 or £10.50 for an alcohol-free version (surprisingly affordable for central London), the two cocktails on offer from the special menu are the Carrot Cake Apology – a fruity martini – and the Fresh Pink Lemonade (with gin, Chamboro and lemonade).

Beware, however, before ordering – cocktails also come in the form of the six-course set menu that comes along with the film. Ahead of time I’m a little concerned about keeping up with eating quickly enough for the next course, but this proves to be a needless worry as the courses are perfectly portioned to give everyone time to clear their plates just as the characters on-screen do.

Soon the lights dim and the film starts – we’re given a Wine and Magazine Party cocktail, comprised of Prosecco, Lillet and fizzy apple juice.

While the cocktails are lovely, it’s the food that impresses me most. First up are the Cringeworthy Canapés for Annie and Helen’s embarrassing warring bridal speech; a Thai sweetcorn fritter served with sweet chilli sauce, a Spanish tortilla with charred red pepper and – my personal favourite – steak on a skewer with Béarnaise sauce.

The meat is cooked to perfection, and while a vegan menu is also available, I’m fully glad to be a carnivore.

As Annie begins to decorate her cake on-screen, we’re invited to do the same with a cupcake. We’re given icing in bottles and sprinkles, and our boxes are even adorned with Cake Baby stickers to match Annie’s failed business.

I’m going to admit, this ended up a bit of a disaster. It’s difficult to see properly with the lights off, and there isn’t enough icing in the bottles to properly cover the cakes, but it’s fun to join in with what we’re seeing play out with Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph.

The main course is stunning – garlic and herb chicken on a hanging skewer, served with black bean Brazilian feijoada, chimichurri and patatas bravas. Admittedly I’d have liked more than one skewer, but it proves a good portion size to save room for the massive dessert platter served for two to share.

Before that, however, it’s time for the Flying High mocktail – a Georgia peach tea. As the bridesmaids board their flight to Vegas, we’re handed pink boarding passes of our own (with the category cheekily marked as ‘poor’ to match Annie’s economy class status) and medicine bottles containing our drinks to match the medicine she’s given to help her sleep.

It’s during Lillian’s wedding party – complete with huge chocolate fountain – that we’re served our Maid of Dishonour dessert – a huge dark chocolate fondue with strawberries, waffles and cookies for dipping. If I complained about the main course being a little on the small side, this more than makes up for it, and even between two of us we aren’t able to polish it all off.

When the credits finally roll, I’m full. And I’m also fairly certain I’ll never be able to watch a film again without wishing there was a themed menu to go along with it.