Beginning in the side alley of B’est Restaurant, Manuel and Basil ushered the giggling guests to allocated tables. Basil insulted the guests on their appearance, timing and everything else taboo. Then inside, the chaos really began. From false teeth in the soup to an escaped rat, actors playing Basil, Sybil and Manuel re-enacted events from the popular TV series, and the loosely scripted mayhem had diners collapsing with laughter and terrified to put a foot wrong. The cast portrayed the characters superbly and Basil Fawlty’s accent, intonation and movement were near perfect. The three-course meal was delicious but also well designed to be in keeping with the theme. Fire drills, frying pans and frivolous wordplay; this is an absolute corker of an experience.

B’est Restaurant, 2-26 Aug, 2.00pm, 8.00pm, times vary.
tw rating 5/5 | [Hannah Sweetnam]