I visit a new immersive-dining concept inspired by Alice in Wonderland - here's why it's worth $188

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll is, in my opinion, one of the more trippy and fascinating fairy tales out there.

So when I heard that there is a new immersive-dining concept called Wonderland Upside Down that's inspired by the famed story, I was intrigued. 

To provide some background, the experience is by Andsoforth, an award-winning immersive-dining company that has been in the F&B scene for the last decade. In fact, the debut of Wonderland Upside Down marks their 10th anniversary. 

I actually attended Andsoforth's previous edition, Around the World in 80 Days, three years ago during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

It had been my first-ever immersive-dining experience and I was blown away by the set-up, food and performances. 

With that in mind, I had high hopes for Wonderland Upside Down and was curious to see if it is on par with Around the World in 80 Days.

Meeting the Mad Hatter, Absolem and the Queen of Hearts 

To add an air of mystery, the restaurant's address was kept a secret until a day before the event. 

If you previously attended Around the World in 80 Days, do note that the location is completely different, so don't end up going to the wrong place! 

The entrance was hidden in plain sight and after my colleague and I got ourselves registered, we were led up a dark flight of stairs.

Even before we began, we were impressed by the attention to detail, as the staircase walls were plastered with references to Alice in Wonderland.

Once we stepped into the first themed room, which looks like a hat shop cum bar, things moved along pretty fast. 

We were first greeted by one of the novel's major characters, who served us complimentary welcome drinks.

This room is also where participants can order drinks for other courses of their meal at an add-on price.

As drinks are matched with specific dishes, they will be served in the order of the themed rooms. Guests can choose between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Soon, we found ourselves with several felting tools and being taught how to make our own little felt souvenir, which we got to bring home. 

When we were done, they ushered us into our second themed room, through a secret door. 

This room was the watch workshop of the White Rabbit, except the White Rabbit has been localised for this experience. 

While he talked to us about Wonderland and other stuff, we were served our first dish of the night: a Chinese-style double-boiled soup paired with bread. 

I really enjoyed the soup, which was packed with ingredients like shredded meat, white fungus and goji berries. 

The add-on alcoholic beverage for this room is called Whisper of Time ($21) and features fresh pear juice, simple syrup, lemon juice and premium sake. 

We were given some time to finish our food before being led to our third themed room, again hidden behind another secret door. 

This room belongs to Absolem, the blue, shisha-smoking caterpillar. But here, the character is a bearded man decked out in a turban and shiny robes.

Matching his glamorous attire was the Arabian-themed room, complete with ornate lamps and shimmery curtains. 

Here, we were served a delicious bowl of chicken korma. The add-on alcoholic drink for this room is called Mango Haze ($19) and is made with Alphonso mango, natural yoghurt, Cointreau and Barcardi white rum. 

While you savour your food, watch Absolem entertain you.

Before long, we were ushered to our fourth room, this time through a door of a different kind.

This has a flashy cabaret theme and belongs to Dinah, who is Alice's cat in the book. 

For this course — which also happened to be my favourite of the night — we were served fish and chips in a tin can. The fish used wasn't your typical dory or haddock either and instead, it was salmon. 

For this room, the add-on drink is the Purrfect Martini ($22), which is concocted with Tanqueray No. Ten Gin, 1757 Vermouth di Torino, orange bitters and lemon zest.

As we munched on our food, Dinah slipped away and did some sorcery with a giant cat puppet.

The puppet is meant to represent the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland but in this case, it has a funnier name.

After an amusing session, Dinah brought us to a door with the words "rabbit hole" on it. Guess for yourself what happens next.

In the fifth themed room, which was blindingly white, we soon realised that it was designed to look like a squeaky clean bathroom, complete with towels and bottles of hand soap.

In the centre of the room was a box made out of shelves and there was none other than the Queen of Hearts. 

As she lamented to us about the king's newfound obsession with cleanliness, she served us our next course.

Sticking to the bathroom theme, we were given an edible 'toothpaste' crackers, and tin bowls of ikura and chives. 

I felt that the add-on beverage for this room was the most creative, served in a mouthwash bottle. 

The purple-hued drink, aptly called the Royal Rinse ($18), was crafted with lychee and rambutan juice, vodka, violet liqueur and peppermint. It even had a minty aftertaste, just like actual mouthwash!

After 'getting our mouths cleaned', the storyline led us to our sixth and final themed room. 

This room was designed to look like a little wood cabin and was furnished with paintings that were "freshly painted".

The Red Princess asked us to help with her coronation. 

But before that, we were given our final course, which was an ice cream dessert topped with sliced peaches and a sauce made from cherries and strawberries. 

The add-on drink was called Tea of Rebellion ($32), which was concocted with No. 28 signature black tea, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, black peppercorn, butter and barrel-aged rum. 

It was my first time having alcoholic tea and I found the flavours intriguing. If you enjoy Baileys, this would be right up your alley.

Final thoughts

Ticket prices range from $168 to $188 per pax, which some may find too steep for a dining experience. 

But to me, it was worth every cent. 

You're not just paying for the food — you're paying for the ambience and performances. 

The folks behind Andsoforth have taken great care in designing the set-up and the cast help make the place come to life. 

In fact, for a while, I had forgotten I was in Singapore.

Some may consider the food to be a little gimmicky. But I found all the dishes well-executed and delicious. 

My only gripe was that the entire dining experience does move along pretty quickly and in some of the rooms, I found myself scoffing down my food. 

This also did not give me the luxury of time to slowly savour the dishes or take in the details of each room for as long as I like. 

However, I do understand that the whole concept runs on a tight schedule and to ensure that all guests have the best experience, they have limited time in each room. So if you plan on going, do remember to pace yourself.

And for those of you who've gone for Around the World in 80 Days and Andsoforth's other dining concepts, I'm happy to share that you won't be disappointed by Wonderland Upside Down.

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melissateo@asiaone.com