Due to the highly interactive nature of the molecular experience, there are only 8 counter seats with 2 nightly sessions available at the Tapas Molecular Bar. And if you do not want to be eyeballed the whole evening, be punctual as all had to be seated before the chef will commence dinner since explanations accompanied each and every one of the 20 courses. Also, feel free to snap away as almost all seated are armed with a camera.
An aperitif to set the ball rolling with the smoke effect replacing the drumroll, the Shattered Rose Martini was garnished with a crumbling of rose petals which had been treated with liquid nitrogen.
Next was the Artic Potato Chip. Amazingly, the flavours were all concentrated in that one freeze dried thin crisp. The Puffed Barbequed Pork and Triple Cooked Kuwai were served together with the Puffed Barbequed Pork a clear favourite. Air-dried for two days, it was like a piece of crispy pork crackling, delightful and pleasurable. The Apple and Manchego pairing was not too bad either since I am partial to all things creamy and cheesy. As for the Baccalao Espuma, it was an emulsion of salted sea cod served in a shot glass.
The concept behind the Roast Pepper Caviar was quite riveting. Huge syringes filled with roast pepper were piped into salted water, resulting in the formations of gleaming orange globules. According to our promising young chef, this technique is also used in the making of Ikura. Making an appearance alongside the Roast Pepper Caviar was the Tai Chazuke. The Chazuke was also served in the form of a globule which burst and filled our palates with the taste of this common Japanese dish. The chemical experiments with these foods were actually more interesting than the taste itself.
The Spider Crab and Jamon featured next. The crab meat was simply smeared with Jamon but yet the savoury saltiness of the cured ham lingered. The leafy green garnish on it was quite an intriguing speciment with its appearance mirroring that of a leaf glistening in the morning dew. The Black Truffle and Lily Bulb was another emulsion, this time packed full of the aromatic flavours of truffles.
Secreto de Cerdo came covered with a porcelain bowl. Once opened, the smokiness from the meat hit you squarely in the face. From the look and smell of it, I supposed the shreds of rosy pink pork must have tasted tantalisingly tender. But since I could not quite convince myself to eat it, I decided to transfer my share discreetly to my other half.
The Foie, Coffee, Potato was the runaway favourite. The foie gras was processed into a large block with the chef painstakingly grating it over each plate. The soft curls of foie gras flakes were like delicate Sakura petals falling gently over the roasted potatoes with swirls of coffee sauce. A beautiful contrast both in presentation and taste. The lady next to me, probably an animal activist, almost made me choke as she turned down the dish. Sigh...if only I was dining with her...
Looking too pretty to eat was the Scallop with Cultivated Pearl. The lustrous pearl was actually made from honey yoghurt! Gosh, if only they could make them last, I would wear a strand of these! Collagen instead of the traditionally carbo-laden pasta was used to create the Wagyu Ravioli, Kinome, Maitake. I felt a little squeamish but since collagen is good for me, I lapped everything up:)
The Xiao Long Bao may sound familiar but it came in a totally unexpected package. Aptly named, the hollow inside the meat ensconced the scalding hot meat juices which spurt forth as we took a cautious bite into the lamb chop. The Miso Soup globule was garnished with small globules of tofu and a dusting of seaweed.
For the dessert course, there was a whole lot of candies which would do Willy Wonka proud. There was Snow, Sel Guerande, Genuine Chocolate Truffle, Mont Blanc, gummies from rosemary and even one made from extra virgin olive oil. But the most intriguing was yet to come.
We were each given a meringue and as we chewed, we tried our best to exhale smoke from our nostrils. Not exactly the most attractive picture of me huffing and puffing but hey, it was fun!The last course on the menu was simply written Fruits. In front of us were segments of lemons, grapefruits and oranges. But we knew the chef must have an ace up his sleeves since we were all expecting a rousing finale. The instructions which followed were: First taste the fruits as they were. Next, chew and suck on the tiny red fruit for about a minute and spit the pit out. Lastly, have another go at the fruits. Miraculously, the fruits tasted as if they were dipped in sugar afterwards! We learnt that these miracle red fruits are from Africa and contained an enzyme that has the ability to coat our tongues and convert most flavours to a pleasant sweetness, with the effect lasting for an hour.
As the evening drew to a close, it was like a rude awakening from a trance. I could not quite pin-point the cause but the blend of the strange and common which we had partook the last two hours seemed almost surreal in the still Tokyo night air.
Tapas Molecular Bar at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Tokyo
Address: 38F, 2-1-1 Nihonbashi Muromachi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-8328, Japan
Telephone: 03-3270-8188
Michelin: *
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