Higher Order Is the New Perception-Shaking Immersive Dining Series with Food by Scott Pickett

After emerging from yet another lockdown, even the basic act of dining out at a restaurant feels like a wild time. But if you're game and ready, Melbourne is set to play host to a legitimately impressive food experience to top all the other feeds you've had this year.

Introducing, Higher Order: an experiential event that seeks to shake up the way you think about the future of food, technology, art and more. The latest in a series of happenings from Beta By STH BNK, it'll feature the culinary stylings of celebrated chef Scott Pickett (Estelle, Matilda).

Taking over Southbank's multi-storey Hanover House precinct from Wednesday, November 10–Sunday, December 5, the pop-up invites punters on a 90-minute journey of discovery. As a guest, you'll ascend to Level Five space The Attic and into a whole new realm, as you experience innovative fare alongside a host of other captivating, sensorial delights.

Hanover House, by Beulah

Across multiple themed zones, Cineart Studios will showcase a series of evocative, immersive installations. One will house a larger-than-life bamboo steamer that you can walk inside, while another features a reimagined vending machine built on the idea of eliminating single-use plastics. You'll also encounter a dynamic riff on the concept of communal dining, catch a mesmerising performance of water and light unfold within a mirrored room, and sip vodka concoctions in a bar made of hydroponic greenery and edible foliage.

Plus, Loose Collective and Studio John Fish (Pitch Music & Arts, Beyond the Valley) will unveil a mysterious, perception-warping film and performance piece that's inspired by Japanese culture. And a specially curated soundtrack fuses ambient tones, hip hop and house music in a nod to the story behind the night's ingredients.

Jake Roden

Each menu element is designed to match a different Higher Order space — whether that's scallop sashimi paired with ginger, soy and caviar while you ponder the future of art, or puffed mushroom crackers with avocado and green ants enjoyed in a room that explores the idea of future food security.

Two Higher Order sessions will unfold each evening (at 6pm and 8.30pm) from Wednesday to Sunday throughout the pop-up's duration. And you can look forward to plenty of other experiential happenings hosted by Hanover House in months to come, including the Future From Waste Lab fashion hub launching there early next year.

Higher Order will run from Wednesday, November 10–Sunday, December 5, at The Attic (Level 5), Hanover House, 158 City Road, Southbank. Two 90-minute sessions will take place each evening (6pm and 8.30pm) from Wednesday–Sunday. Tickets start from $148 per person — to find out more and book, see the website.

Images: Jake Roden