Nothing faulty with this dinner

FAULTY TOWERS: THE DINING EXPERIENCE B'est, Drummond Street
*****
BULLIED, badgered and belittled. Welcome to the Basil Faulty school of customer service – and yes the name is spelled correctly.

My dining companion was probably too young to really appreciate the genius of BBC 2's classic sitcom Fawlty Towers - or was until Monday, when he received a baptism of fire – Faulty Towers The Dining Experience, at B'est on Drummond Street.

You've heard of pre-theatre dining? Well imagine enjoying a meal during the performance and you'll get the gist of this hilarious evening from the Interactive Theatre Australia.

The action starts in the lane by the side of the restaurant. Tonight is a sell-out already. That's 75 covers. And everyone is nervously waiting to be seated. The performance part of the evening starts at 8pm, but get there 15 minutes early for the full effect.

The amuse bouche, a peanut, yes, a single peanut served by Manuel from a silver platter under the ever-watchful eye of Basil, is dispensed at this point.

Then it is time for Basil to reveal the seating plan for dinner. A three-course affair, which, despite the haphazard nature of Faulty Towers, is actually a very presentable affair – but more of that later.

As Manuel guides individual parties to their tables, Basil continues to abuse and amuse in equal measure. Indeed. Nigel Bell makes a scarily authentic Cleese-esque host.

Once inside, the cast of three ensure everyone is seated, if not comfortably, properly: "Elbows . . ." snaps Basil at one middle-aged lady who has inadvertently forgotten her manners, much to the amusement of everyone else.

By the end of the evening everyone will have been the target of Basil's smouldering disdain at some point.

As for the rest of team, well, hear Alison Pollard-Mansergh screeching from the kitchen and you'll swear that Prunella Scales has come on board for the night.

And then there's Manuel, aka the diminutive Tony Nixon, who happily clambers onto a table and stands there when ordered to wait on a table by Sybil.

And talking of tables, the table settings are, well, interesting. Knives and forks are misplaced and for some reason there is a random water glass, smeared with butter and containing two spoons, on our table. Do they really think we are going to complain?

With drinks ordered – the only part of the evening not included in the ticket price – everything steps up a gear.

First course tonight, and every night throughout August, is soup. Just soup.

"That's soup," says Mrs Faulty unnecessarily as she plonks a bowl of broth in front of each of us.

Elsewhere, Manuel is dispensing bread rolls, throwing them through the air to diners, before joining in the soup service at such a breakneck speed that every-one ducks for cover, just in case. One trip is all it will take.

The soup, is obviously not from a can, despite Sybil's joke. Carrot and coriander for some, lentil for others – my dining companion declares it is quite delicious. The broth, too, is tasty. A thick meaty mix. Good old-fashioned comfort food. Although a couple of diners had a surprise in theirs. Not that I'm going to spoil the moment.

Oh, and because Sybil had taken my spoon away, and I hadn't drained my bowl of soup, Manuel insisted I finished it by drinking it from the bowl - only then would he take it away.

Then the fun really begins and before the main courses have even been served we have already experienced a bullfight acted out on a table, a fire drill, the secret bet routine, "I know nothing" and references to Mr Stubbs the builder and the drunk chef.

There's a hint that the main courses are about to appear, when Manuel arrives with a basket of vegetables and places them before the poor woman who plumped for the vegetarian option. Other options include vegan, gluten-free and lactose intolerant.

The rest of us, meanwhile, are served either chicken or lamb – not that we are given a choice. When two diners swap plates Basil quickly swaps them back. When they do it again, he decides to cut up the lamb and feed the chicken-lover himself.

The chicken is fresh and tender and stuffed with well- seasoned haggis. It is served on a bed of mash and with a creamy mushroom sauce. The whole combination just melts in the mouth and is strangely appropriate fare for the French rustic chic of B'est.

The lamb, which my companion has been allocated, is also cooked well and served with seasonal veg and mash. As good as many a meal he has enjoyed he declares, obviously surprised. But then, this evening is not just about the entertainment. B'est have a reputation to uphold and despite the mayhem all around, do just that.

Reaching the finale of the evening – Manuel invites one young lady to stroke his pet hamster, which he keeps in his pocket out of the sight of his bosses. Of course, it's really a rat, and it escapes. More eye-watering mayhem.

To be honest, it is hard to fault Faulty Towers The Dining Experience. The kitchen is run with military precision and a special mention must go to the waiting staff who defer in character to Mrs Faulty while expertly ensuring that everyone's meal is served straight from the pass.

The only problem you might find is that you laugh so hard you end up with indigestion.

Trust me, it is worth it. This evening is set to be a highlight of the 2008 Fringe and will sell-out fast. In fact, a little bird tells me they have already been booked for a return visit next year.

• Faulty Towers The Dining Experience, B'est Restaurant, 16, Drummond Street, until August 24, 2.30pm, £29, 9pm, £37, 0131-556 6040