HQWS supported renowned ‘Architects of Taste’  Bompas & Parr in the production of a culinary world first situated at the Shlal Canyon in AlUla, home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hegra.

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This first of its kind event offered diners an incredible opportunity to eat sumptuous local produce, cooked across a stream of molten lava heated to a staggering 1350 degrees Celsius. The studio’s venture built on the ground-breaking work of one of the world's foremost experts in molten rock, Prof. Robert Wysocki from Syracuse University in New York.

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Set under the night sky, guests journeyed to the heart of the sublime Shallal Canyon, guided by torchlight through a bespoke sound and light installation, immersing guests in the distinctive geology of the region, its sandstone canyons and black lunar volcanic plateaus.

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Lava technicians poured out the molten rocks in a performance spectacle, where guests’ dinner was cooked across fresh hot lava, seared to perfection in mere seconds, or smoked, roasted and grilled over three roaring fire pits. This immersive experience featured a phenomenal set menu with the finest of local ingredients.

 

Drawing on the raw power of nature, the Forces of Nature set menus prepared by expert pit-masters were inspired by the origins of cooking on open flames, featuring whole salt baked celeriac, charred fillets of beef finished across molten lava, and pit-roasted saddles of goat, grilled across fire pits. Drink offerings included smoked, flamed and charred cocktails, as well as coffee and tea and a heated table side with red-hot loggerheads (drink pokers), fresh from the fire.