Notoriously eccentric, reclusive, globally celebrated Chef Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) has prepared a lavish tasting menu for his special guests.
With Tyler and Margot on the trip to the island are three "power eaters", yuppie businessmen Bryce (Rob Yang), Soren (Arturo Castro) and Dave (Mark St Cyr); an older wealthy couple and repeat clients, Anne and Richard (Judith Light and Reed Birney); renowned restaurant critic Lillian Bloom (Janet McTeer) and her obsequious magazine editor Ted (Paul Adelstein); and a fading middle-aged movie star (John Leguizamo) with his assistant Felicity (Aimee Carrero).
From the get-go, Seth Reiss and Will Tracy's script for The Menu, perfectly directed by Mark Mylod, is a cutting satire of pretentious attitudes to food consumption, with Margot being the only character that doesn't really buy in to the ambience of Hawthorn.
As each course is served up, the situation gets weirder and darker - not only for the guests, but the staff - and, rather cheekily, the grimmer things become, the funnier the film gets.
Kudos, in particular, to maître d' Elsa (Hong Chau), whose constant deadpan expression only helps accentuate her pithy barbs and snarky double entendres.
It soon becomes clear to the visitors, isolated on the island until the ferry returns to transport them back to the mainland after the meal, that the dining "experience" is more of a hostage situation, with overtones of a death cult.
Amidst rising tension, secrets are revealed and the reasons each guest was invited are laid bare, accompanied by shocking consequences that have been orchestrated by Slowik as part of his grand design.
As the mental sparring partners at the heart of the story, Ralph Fiennes is terrifying as the insane, sadomasochistic overlord of the restaurant and Anya Taylor-Joy continues to demonstrate why she is one of the greatest actors of her generation.
While there are shades of The Hunt and Midsommar in The Menu's commentary on class and culture, it crafts something quite unique in its constant ability to surprise while still retaining a convincing air of realism to the increasingly gonzo occurrences at Hawthorn.
This is a dish of weird fiction served with great glee, where it's not necessary to understand single morsel to get the shock, horror, and point of The Menu.
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