Elevated dining at the molecular level
Food that stimulates mind as well as body, palate along with intellect
Test-tube "caviar," froths and foams and taste-teasing flavor infusions, miracle fruit and desserts "cooked" at super-chilled temperatures. . . . Welcome to the brave new world of contemporary cuisine commonly known as molecular gastronomy.
It's not really new, of course. For the past decade or so, the melding of culinary creativity and cutting-edge food science has been gathering steam (or is that dry ice?) in both Europe and America, and gaining plenty of critical plaudits, too.
The leading apostles of the movement are Catalan chef Ferran Adria and Heston Blumenthal in England, and their restaurants — El Bulli outside Barcelona, and The Fat Duck near London — consistently and deservedly rank among the best in the world.
Not that we have to travel that far to discover what the buzz is all about. This avant-garde approach to dining is gaining a foothold in Tokyo too, and its most elevated outpost is the sleek, chic Tapas Molecular Bar, inside the luxurious portals of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Nihonbashi. Thirty-eight floors above street level, it's a highly apt location to embark on such a culinary flight of fancy.
There is also a distinct sense of exclusivity. The Tapas Molecular Bar seats only eight people at a time, with two sittings at precise starting times, 6:00 and 8:30 p.m. each evening. By the time we're shown to our seats, it's hard not to feel a rising sense of anticipation.
Mandarin Oriental Tokyo 38F, 2-1-1 Nihonbashi Muromachi; Chuo-ku
(03) 3270-8188
Open: Daily sittings at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Nearest station: Mitsukoshimae (Ginza Line)
How to get there: Exit A8 of Mitsukoshimae Station takes you straight into the B1 level of the Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower. The elevators to the hotel are on the ground floor at the rear.
What works: Cutting-edge cuisine in an exclusive setting
What doesn't: There's very little time to pause between courses.
Number of seats: 8 for each sitting
BMG: Live jazz drifting up from the bar on the floor below
Smoking: Not permitted at the bar
Price per head: Fixed menu at ¥14,000; 10 percent service charge
Drinks: Beer ¥1,200; cocktails from ¥2,100; wine from ¥1,300/glass, from ¥7,000/bottle; spirits from ¥1,400
Credit cards: Accepted
Language: Japanese/English menu; English spoken
