Photo Credit: Stephanie Hartop

Take to the sky come dinnertime with London’s latest pop-up craze, and join the Dine Mine High club. 

Gone are the days you actually have to go abroad to actually be, well, abroad. Last night StyleNest were whisked to the Italian isle of Sicily and back, in a matter of hours without even leaving Central London.

We’re talking about the Capital’s latest pop-up craze, Dine Mile High – a new foodie concept dreamt up by four cousins who’s shared love and passion for food and design who have created something truly unique.

The pop-up experience is built around the idea of a 1950s plane journey; the departure gate swapped for a chic bar, a Boeing 747 swapped for an exotic location – on this occasion sizzling Sicily, and abhorrent plane food swapped for a four-course delicious dining experience.

We arrive at ‘check-in’ and greeted by some very glamourous Pan Am-style hostesses, all pearly whites, immaculate makeup and white gloves. With our boarding cards and passports ready we head to the ‘departure gate’, which turns out to be a pop-up 50s style bar, complete with low lighting, leather seats and an array of retro tipples.

The Dine Mile High passports entitle passengers to two cocktails, so far, our kind of flight. So we stick to the retro Italiana theme and opt for a Campari soaked Negroni and a classic Aperol and prossecco fizz. In the corner a live duo are singing and strumming the likes of Mambo Italiano and various other toe-tappers.

Whilst we wait to board, the glamourous air hostesses and a rather dashing Italian pilot mingle with guests and ensure we soak up the heady cocktails with fried zucchini and some of the best arancini we’ve ever tasted.

Finally it’s on to the plane through a retro beaded curtain and we’ve arrived in Sicily. 1950s movie posters hang from the terracotta walls, washing lines run round the room and we sit at Italian style long tables. It’s rustic and retro, and in a way makes you feel like you really have arrived in Sicily on a balmy Italian evening.

Photo Credit: Stephanie Hartop

Whist the air hostesses bring round ‘duty free’ – a trolley of wine, we tuck into our first course of marinated orange and cinnamon swordfish with fennel and pine nuts. Fresh and zesty with a retro edge, it fits the theme perfectly. The food is dreamt up and prepared by ex-Moro chef, Oliver Templeton and his team – and showcases a balanced mix of imagination and skill.

In true Sicilian style we move on to a small dish of pasta before the main course. It comes served on mama’s kitchen style sharing plates with a mound of cheese on top. Rich and full of flavour, it was without a doubt our favourite course of the evening.

For main we had a hefty portion of pork belly served up with braised hispi cabbage, white beans and Sicilian lemon. Much like an Italian version of a Sunday roast, it left us belly-full and satisfied.

And to top it all off, burnt peach geleto, pistachio praline and amarreto biscotto was served for dessert.

After dinner it’s back to the bar, this time with a little tipsy pilot, for more cocktails and music. The departure gate bar is open to non-dinners too, for a ‘boarding pass’ price of £5, so by this time it’s in full swing and full of guests.

With a foodie pop-up, popping up almost every day in London it’s hard to know which ones will be a success and which are just gimmicks spruced up with some tasty nosh. Thankfully Dine Mile High is not, it’s simply good fun with good food to match.

Where the pilot and his Pan Am girls go next, who knows? The sky’s the limit.

Dine Mile High is priced at £65 per person, which includes two classic cocktails, departure lounge snacks and a four-course meal. For more information and to see when the next flight departs visit www.dinemilehigh.com.