Ecstatic Dinner - Mafra
Ecstasy doesn’t always have to be loud.
Sometimes it arrives by candlelight.
In the first bite that makes you close your eyes.
In a question you have never been asked before.
In the pleasure of being fully present.
In the moment strangers begin to feel like friends.
Welcome to Ecstatic Dinner: Food for the Soul
An intimate three-course dinner and live sound journey at Terra Sancta.
For one evening, ten guests will gather around a long communal table to explore what becomes possible when we slow down enough to taste, feel and genuinely meet one another.
Through guided sensory practices, moments of silence and playful conversation prompts, we will awaken our senses and rediscover dinner as something more than a meal: a space for pleasure, curiosity, aliveness and belonging.
You may arrive among strangers. Our intention is that you leave feeling more connected—to yourself, to others and to the beauty of being alive.
The Experience:
Karim and Francesca will serve a secret three-course, plant-based menu inspired by the flavours of Middle Eastern cuisine.
The menu will remain part of the mystery. What we can tell you is that the evening begins with a welcome elixir and unfolds slowly around a candlelit communal table.
We will taste slowly, listen closely and let food open the door to memories, stories and meaningful conversation.
After dinner, we will move from the table into a 45-minute live sound journey with Francesca and Karim.
Francesca’s intuitive voice and sound channeling will meet the hypnotic resonance of Karim’s handpan and other live instruments, creating a journey that is grounding, expansive and deeply integrative.
What's Included:
Mats and blankets will be provided. All you need to do is lie down, receive and allow the evening to settle into your body.
This is for you if you...
> are looking for a slower kind of ecstatic experience
> are longing to feel alive without more stimulation or another crowded room
> are desiring beautiful experiences, meaningful connection and spaces where they can soften, be curious and show up exactly as they are.
There is no pressure to perform, impress or become anyone else.
This evening is intentionally alcohol and substance-free. We will let food, sound, presence and human connection create their own kind of high.
Your Hosts:
Karim Kabbani is a Soul Alchemist, musician and the lead chef for Ecstatic Dinner.
His relationship with food has been shaped by a deeply personal journey of returning to his body. After years of using food to find emotional safety, Karim began rebuilding his body awareness through the senses—learning to listen more closely, smell more deeply and taste more slowly.
That journey transformed his relationship with food, his body and himself. It quietly informs the way he cooks and the kind of space he creates: one where nourishment is received with presence, pleasure and care.
As a handpan musician, Karim creates improvised sound journeys through deep listening to the energy of the room.
Francesca Raffa is an intuitive sound channel, space-holder and the visionary behind Terra Sancta.
Her work brings together voice, sound, energy and ancient wisdom to create experiences of reconnection and inner transformation. Through her voice and intuitive presence, she invites people to soften, listen inwardly and return to what feels true.
Together, Karim and Francesca create a responsive live sound experience that moves beyond the thinking mind and into presence, feeling and connection.
The Space:
Terra Sancta means Sacred Land in Latin.
More than a retreat centre, it is a living home and temple created by Francesca as a place of reconnection—with nature, with one another and with ourselves.
Here, earth grounds the body, water softens the emotions, fire awakens the spirit, air brings clarity and the mystery of life is allowed to remain mysterious.
Located in Mafra, around 20 minutes from Ericeira and 30 minutes from Lisbon, Terra Sancta offers a place to step beyond the noise of everyday life and return home.
Reserve your seat at the table.
(limited spots available)
Just ten guests—small enough to meet everyone, spacious enough to be yourself.
Solo guests are warmly welcomed. You do not need to know anybody before arriving.
Date: Saturday, 12 September 2026
Time: 17:30 - 22:00
Location: Terra Sancta, Mafra, Portugal (Free parking at the venue)