Edinburgh steak restaurant reopens Film Club with Goodfellas menu
This time around, Ian Boyd-Thorpe is in the director’s chair thanks to his new role as executive chef at the Rutland Hotel, which serves Huxley, Heads & Tails cocktail bar and Kyloe, home of the cinema series.
Ian told us about an extensive planning process and said: “It’s all about timing.
“We consistently re-watch the film seven, eight, maybe even ten times to find the perfect moment for each course.
“Sometimes we send the food out just a few seconds before the on-screen clue, which makes people wonder what it might refer to.
“Then all of a sudden they’re eating or drinking along with the characters on screen, or they hear a line that explains it.
“It takes the whole experience of watching a movie to another level, especially when it comes to cult classics that people know and love.”
A varied resume, ranging from working at the Michelin-starred Peat Inn in his early 20’s to mastering health-conscious recipes at a triathlon training camp, has given Ian a flair for creative cooking ideally suited to the challenge of to bridge the gap between the two movies and dinner.
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The ambitious events at Kyloe will now serve guests a five-course meal and matching beverages inspired by moments of action on screen, carefully selected by the 33-year-old and his team.
He said: “The concept was born before I joined the company and it was brought to life with Pulp Fiction, which is one of my all-time favorite films.”
“When I came on board I immediately jumped into it and started brainstorming ideas for the next film we could do.
“Everyone in the company shares the same enthusiasm and we constantly make suggestions to each other.
“If one lands, we all sit down and watch it as a group.
“From the beginning it brings us all together.
“Trying to think about how we’re going to create a tasting menu with matching drinks based on different scenes really gets every creative spark going.”
First up at the Film Club is Goodfellas. The audience is invited to follow the compelling story of the shrewd Henry Hill, from his first free glass of Dom Pérignon to the sad “egg noodles and ketchup” in the Witness Protection Suburb.
Ian has a few tricks up his sleeve to surprise even the most ardent Scorsese fan and says that when it comes to amplifying a film’s magic, the real devil is in the details.
“It’s all well and good to be able to deliver and bring out a dish on time,” he continued, “but then you also have to consider whether there will be enough distance until the next cue or how long it will take to have plates cleared.” .
“Because of this, the films that we select have to be quite long and the elaboration is a very complicated process.
“For a movie like Goodfellas, we had to be pretty clever because there really aren’t that many obvious food references.
“People who don’t know when something is going to happen are a big part of the fun.”
With the first edition of Film Club almost sold out, Ian is hoping others will share his team’s passion for good food with a dose of drama.
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Although he hardly reveals what to expect from the forthcoming Goodfellas menu, Ian said he should pick a personal highlight from his previous events: “A real favorite of mine was the Christmastime performance of Elf.
“There’s a scene where the main character pours maple syrup on his pasta, which we recreated with spaghetti and strawberry jam.
“Or with Jurassic Park we had a dinosaur egg dessert.
“I could talk for hours about the best ones we’ve ever done because they were really amazing.
“It’s a great feeling to know we’ve given people a menu that they will forever associate with those key moments in movies.”
The Kyloe Film Club menu is £75 per person.
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