Speak about outlandish ideas! Like dining on a gourmet meal whilst suspended 50 metres in the air in downtown Kuala Lumpur.

Yet that’s precisely what Santa and his reindeer treated diners to one cold and wet day as his “sleigh” took off into the night with the sounds of Christmas carols and jingling bells in the air.

For those with a genuine fear of heights, it was pretty darn difficult eating dinner when their hearts were in their mouths. For the daredevils among them, it was a thrilling experience they just had to try, at least once in their lifetimes.

Fashioned after the Dinner In The Sky concept, Santa In The Sky was a natural tweaking of the original idea to coincidence with the jolly, holly, merry-making season of Christmas.

After assembling at the marquee for light refreshments, invited guests to this special media launch scheduled for 8.00pm, were ushered onto Santa’s sleigh in twos, so technicians on hand could personally strap them into their swivel seats before take off.

Once everyone was seated and snuggly strapped in, the emcee for the night calmed the more nervous among the guests, and introduced Santa as well as Michelin-starred Chef Jeff Ramsey and his two able assistants, who cooked and plated the food that night.

With a mixed soundtrack of familiar Christmas carols and dance music from the 70s and 80s, the sleigh was ready for flight.

For the more faint-hearted, even the super smooth lift off from ground zero was nerve-wracking as they clutched the arms of their chairs or sported a somewhat dazed look like a deer caught in the headlights.

The brave hearts however enjoyed the flight upwards and onwards into the city sky while the show-offs swivelled their chairs for a 180-degree look-see of the cityscape. Some were happy to make a spectacle of themselves as they dangled their feet in the air.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfbtMJU3P-0&feature=youtu.be

Later during the flight, a few eager beavers reclined their seat-backs at the prompting of a technician, who caught them on camera and urged them to smile, swivel their seats or grab a quick look at the city way below. Needless to say, few found the courage to go that far.

Perched so high above, the city scape was indeed resplendent – the Twin Towers sparkled like a cluster of diamonds reaching into the heavens, and other skyscrapers took full advantage of the darkness to display their lights.

To ensure no one missed out on the fascinating cityscape around them, Santa’s sleigh even rotated gradually to the left and right as dinner was served.

Speaking of which, the three-course meal was as unforgettable as the sleigh ride itself.

For the appetiser, Chef Ramsey dished up a refreshing and flavourful salad of salt-baked beetroot with Cameron Highlands Tat Soi, Japanese persimmon and Rulo de Cabra fresh goat cheese.

There were three choices for the main course – beef, fish or chicken.

The Angus beef brisket was braised with soy and Gula Kabung and served with pickled mustard caviar, poached Bok Choy and a purple potato puree while the deep ocean snapper was pan-roasted with Amaranth Cress, Mediterranean Nonpareille capers and sauce Vera Cruz.

The Chinese-style chicken was equally fascinating on the tastebuds, marinated as it was with spices, then slow-cooked with a cinnamon-citrus reduction and paired with candy ginger-glazed carrots. Totally lip-smacking.

Dessert was spectacular – strawberries and cream Nitro poached coconut milk Espuma, with kaffir lime leaf oil and a velvety strawberry coulis.

Everything about the night was magical from the aura of Christmas on the beautifully decorated sleigh, to the friendly chefs in attendance who smiled and danced as they worked, to the beautiful cityscape all around as diners supped while suspended in the air by a crane.

Brought to Asia for the first time ever by Skyland, you can expect Santa and his reindeer to take off into the city’s skies six days a week from Nov 30, 2018 right through to Jan 31, 2019.

There are rides every Tuesday to Thursday and Sunday from 6.30pm and 8.00pm; and three rides from 6.30pm, 8.00pm and 9.00pm every Friday and Saturday.

Santa and his reindeer take the day off every Monday.

The rides are packaged according to Economy Class, Business Class and First Class at the rates below:

• RM499.00/pax inclusive of three-course dinner menu

• RM799.00/pax inclusive of four-course dinner menu

• RM1,499.00/pax inclusive of four-course dinner menu

Operating for more than 10 years in over 45 countries, Dinner In The Sky is a professionally handled production that has been tested and retested to guarantee the absolute safety of diners at all times, with the entire system suspended by a 200-tonne European telescopic boom crane.

In Malaysia, this fascinating experience is brought to you by Skyland in Jalan Bukit Bintang.