It was only last Friday that Warner Bros. revealed the release date for Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and with it the announcement that the movie would be getting an “immersive, at-home dining experience” via a meal kit from Wonderland at Home. The company has just divulged the first “Aquaman inspired” dish, and it’s about as…unexpected as the Snyder Cut itself.
Behold, the “Ocean Trench”:
Our first course is the Ocean Trench, an Aquaman inspired take on the classic fish and chips. Designed by Michelin starred chef Karl O’Dell, it’s Icelandic cod piled high on a crisp potato base, drizzled with a tart French dressing and topped with beer batter scraps. pic.twitter.com/rZThSfgffz
— Wonderland (@Wldathome) January 31, 2021
There’s so much that’s bizarre about this. First, calling this thing “Aquaman inspired” is ridiculous because the only inspiration the dish is taking from the character is that both the hero and seafood are most often found in the sea. You might as well call a can of tuna fish “Aquaman inspired.”
[referenced id=”1661946″ url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2021/01/zack-snyder-sees-his-justice-league-cut-as-an-alternate-branch-of-dcs-movieverse/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/06/m6lvsorqcqcmooukj9yb-300×169.png” title=”Zack Snyder Sees His Justice League Cut As an Alternate Branch of DC’s Movieverse” excerpt=”And it’s a branch that, as far as Snyder’s concerned, he’s too busy to explore right now.”]
Second, this meal sounds — and, frankly, looks — like a mess. I’m willing to believe this is one of those dishes so fancy it’s unfathomable to blue-collar bloggers like myself, but there’s a reason fish and chips aren’t stuck in a bowl and flooded with tartar sauce, and that’s because the moistness of the dressing would destroy the crispiness of the battered fish and fries, turning them into mush. To be fair, this is pickled cod and not fried fish, but those “beer batter scraps” will have about 30 seconds of crunchiness before they dissolve. Also to be fair, the “potato base” might not be crispy either, but if that’s the case then you could dump that can of tuna on a baked potato and call it a “take on the classic fish and chips.” Honestly, the vagueness of “potato base” is itself a little unsettling.
Third, why is this a drawing and not a photo of the food?! What could possibly be the justification for this decision? This isn’t even a good drawing of food, it’s a blueprint. If the company can’t make the “Ocean Trench” look appetizing in art or real life, what chance do you have cooking it at home?
On the plus side, Wonderland at Home has several chances to redeem the kit, as there are several more reveals to go. Surely they can devise a Big Belly Burger that sounds good, and it should be hard to mess up Jitter coffee, Koul-Brau beer, and whatever snacks they have planned. However, the mysterious, “cornfields of Smallville”-inspired “Resurrection” and “Ancient Themysciran Fire” are straight-up alarming.
If you’re based in the U.S. you can order the meal kit for two for $US130 ($171) here, or a four-person kit for $US240 ($315). If you’re in some sort of league with five other superheroes, though, you’re out of luck.