when chemistry meets cooking...

the evening had finally arrived. we’d been salivating for weeks after making reservations at tokyo’s mandarin oriental hotel and we were ready to feast, or perhaps nibble is a better description. this wasn’t just any ole high class joint; it’s at tokyo’s only 6-star hotel and it’s a molecular tapas bar.



i’ve previously confessed my addiction to podcasts and food blogs. this dangerous combination has rendered me incredibly well informed about current gastronomic trends; i know more about restaurants and chefs in new york and chicago than any non-resident ever should. so i’d heard of this trendy type of cuisine, often called molecular gastronomy, that’s kinda like cooking with chemistry- think mr. wizard meets julia child [without the bald head and impending stature]. this genre of cuisine is not for food purists, as it employs techniques and utensils that seem more well suited for the laboratory, but the inventive foodstuffs that emerge from this collision of imagination and avant garde technique are often unbelievably interesting and, i now know, delicious. about a month ago i was perusing tokyo’s online current events mag, metropolis, and ran across an article about the capital city’s first stab at a micro/molecular cooking establishment. i simply had to go. luckily the girls were in, as was chris, carrie’s boyfriend, who would be flying in from the states.
sunday, february 24: i was sweating in my sexy, backless top and fancy crinoline skirt. a clueless cabbie was driving us in circles around mitsukoshimae station. the dinner was scheduled to start in literally one minute. i finally managed to get the hotel on my cell phone and pass it off to the driver who needed the help. [how is it possible the ancient cab driver had never even heard of this hotel?!] how terribly un-japanese-y of us to turn up 5 minutes late but, as we were the bulk of the seating [we’d reserved 4 of the restaurant’s 6 chairs], they had waited on us to begin the meal/performance. and as the onslaught came, it was clear they were making up for the lost time. before we could even open the wine list, they were spooning yakult yogurt foam onto 6 shots of beer, which would be the first of about 25 courses.

it was accompanied by 2 crunchy and fragile nests, the white one made of daikon radish and the red of beets, which had a wonderful tangy flavor accented by intertwined slivers of sea salt.

next up was candy floss [cotton candy to the non-brits] liquid that packed a sweet kick in its virtual nothing-ness.

by this time we had chosen a bottle from the extensive wine list. even though our eyes perused the pages lustily, our wallets begged us to settle on the cheapest available offering, a 7000 yen Italian red. when ordering, we questioned the temperature at which the wine would be served, as japan’s restaurants are notorious for over-chilling their bottles. i was impressed when the waiter said they were absolutely not cooled and even offered up the temperature of the cellar in which they’re stored.

the chef began torching the top of individual ramekins holding a delicious soufflé meant to showcase the effect varying temperatures can lend to a dish. a nearly frozen layer of puree made from skin-on potatoes and coarsely ground spices topped with a warm, bubbling layer of the same. we were instructed to dig deep, sampling both at once.

as the other 2 diners that evening were from hong kong, the head chef relied mainly on english to explain each course [and Japanese to crack jokes with us in down time]. he’d honed his language skills while working at restaurants in new york city for 15 years.


this test tube of ikura suspended in a passion fruit medium had one redeeming factor; its method of consumption. we were told to give a strong, quick suck on the end, which sent the concoction jumping into your mouth and down your throat at lightning speed. we were left savoring an after taste with big, shocked eyes.

next came the most amazing noodles, if that term can be used to describe this transparent fettucine that had never met an egg or any flour, and was instead born of 100% parmesan cheese. i don't have a grip on the process of reducing hard cheese to its essence and spinning that into noodle-like strands. the sharp, nutty flavor was a pungent treat that paired perfectly with the quality olive oil drizzle and basil.


i was prepared to challenge my taste buds on this evening and my first opportunity came served in a striking ceramic bowl. although oft considered an expensive delicacy, over the course of informal polling i’ve conducted in the classroom and among friends, i’ve come to believe an equal number of people love and hate sea urchin. uni, as it’s called in japanese, is not really meat, but roe that has a mushy, creamy texture. the flavor and consistency of eggs don’t interest me, and if i think long about the fact i’m ingesting ovum, i may not be able to choke them down at all. there are various grades of uni, as with most types of sushi. that appearing in my bowl was undoubtedly of high quality as it lacked any strange odor and was vibrantly colored. the urchin was mixed with apple slivers and green tea foam to form a surprisingly palatable dish. the flavors cooperated well and the differing textures; crisp apple, slightly chalky tea and velvety uni, truly complemented each other.


one of the tough tasks this meal repeatedly accomplished was combining seemingly disparate flavors into harmonious blends. the next dish embodied this idea. it was a smooth, deep pink soup that relied on tomatoes and watermelons for its zing and color. chunks of melon peeked out of the refreshing concoction and the top-notch olive oil and fresh basil made another appearance dotting the surface.


a delightful, but not outstanding dish followed; sautéed eringi mushrooms topped with a tender langostine and almond butter foam. the whole dish had a unique herby flavor which the chef confirmed was chervil [i’m not sure exactly how i even guessed that. i mean, i’ve never bought chervil and who knows if/when i’ve ever eaten it before. is it possible to have knowledge of the quality of a taste without having sampled it?]


many of the evenings creations relied heavily on the use of nitrous oxide, favored for it’s non-combustible property and the fact it’s extremely soluble in fatty compounds. we didn’t bother to stifle the laughs [born of our recreational drug days] when the chef introduced our next course by holding up a whip cream canister. no, we wouldn’t get our own to huff, but would instead feast on a tenderloin that had been cooked and infused with the gas in the sealed container. after inserting the meat into the stainless steel tube, they’d filled it with nitrous charges, then heated the whole device in boiling water. the chef expelled the gas from the canister in front of us before unscrewing the cap and sliding out a beautiful hunk of beef.

the perfectly fatty rounds were aerated and bubbling as the gas escaped the meat carved moments before. accented with red peppercorns and sea salt, it was a delicious treat to rival the short-lived euphoria we’d have experienced from the nitrous alone.

i knew immediately this device would be responsible for producing the carrot cavier listed on the menu after seeing its bright orange contents.

mr. head chef explained that the syringes contain 100% carrot juice which will coagulate into perfect balls when dropped into the liquid solution of water and magnesium chloride, the same chemical used to make tofu congeal. the process was more interesting than the product with its sweet but shallow flavor.


i’m a die-hard eel fan and quite the critic of it’s quality. the next dish layered pineapple and tender unagi domino-style on a bed of super smooth avocado sauce that was dissected by a brown drizzle of a mirin/soy/sugar/sake mixture [if i recall correctly]. isn't that plate beautiful?

the chef claimed the marrying of the flavors would call to mind miso. while i didn’t find that to be true, the parts combined perfectly, absolutely singing to my taste buds. i’m eager to attempt something like this at home.

i’m not much of a liver fan. the earthy, mustiness of the soft organ is overpowering, not to mention unhealthy. luckily i am adventurous and this is one time when it paid off. enter foie gras cappuccino, a blended concoction of duck liver and spices topped with a frothy, semi-sweet corn foam.

the texture was as smooth as the flavor was rich. based on originality, flavor, and presentation, this was the course that i voted to remain on next season’s menu.

liz’s vote went to the manchego cheese ice cream wrapped in dried apple, which was as delicious as it was simple.


7-11s in japan are no joke. i’ve eaten many a healthy and satisfying meal off the shelves of the convenience store. one omnipresent product is Japanese curry bread, a bun filled with brown gravy and bits of meat and vegetables that are the trademark of the national curry. the next course was their spin on deconstructing the snack. several types of bread were some how dissolved, condensed and reformed into the curry flavored slice seen here.

instead of beef, they relied on fresh grilled quail. these were to be eaten in equal parts per bite, along with the accompanying vegetables. i joked how glad i was to be paying exorbitantly for a snack i can buy at the 7-11 for a dollar. glad the chef’s initial disapproving glance was only an attempt to suppress his laughter. he did seem a little embarrassed after completely losing his train of thought momentarily. although an interesting idea, this dish lacked pizzazz and came up short of elevating curry pan [bread] to a truly gourmet level.

we’d finished our bottle of wine and i was looking for a something they pour by the glass to accompany the rest of my meal. there were only 3 offerings in the red category [too few for such a classy restaurant that shares space with a dazzling piano bar if you ask me]. i ordered a shiraz which was delivered to the table so cold that condensation had gathered on the glass. i thought about just dealing, but it was a 13$ glass of juice that had the potential to be very tasty. i pointed out the problem, asked if there was any at cellar temp, and was met with slight disdain and reluctance, the only point in the evening when service was less than stellar. [the wine was only available cold, so i opted for a glass of anything red and cellar temp]


in fact, this cup of nothingness was served with excellence. a bartender mimed making a shaker full and pouring it into each empty glass. a swift suck on the cool metal straw was rewarded with an intensely fruity cocktail; only in taste, not in substance, as the flavors were simply in the gas that had been trapped in the straw.


next up was a tender piece of white fish topped with a crusty, buttery slice of bread. the dish had a pleasant lemon and herb flavor and beautiful presentation but wasn’t inventive enough to excel this late in the lineup, making it seem a bit like filler. i wonder what the chef’s reasoning behind placing it so late in the meal is…

did i mention i’m not a big egg fan? that made me leery of sucking down this concentrated miso soup that was a yolk look-alike.
meant to be eaten in a single gulp, the bubble unleashed intense miso flavor, complete with tiny balls of tofu [undoubtedly born of the same machine as the carrot cavier] and ground nori, seaweed.

a refreshing frozen lime disc cleansed the palette for dessert.


as they ground fresh black pepper, the chefs were guarded in explaining the bacon and eggs. a pleasing sensory experience unfolded as we sampled the raspberry cookies laced with tiny pork chunks that resembled marbled bacon and the apricot poised on a puddle of coconut milk.


as i don’t have a sweet tooth in my head, i wasn’t particularly looking forward to the dessert courses, all 8 of them. the first was a unique experience; noisy, smoky, freezing cold chunks of something with a fruit juicy flavor that simply sizzled and evaporated in your mouth. think pop rocks candy on speed.


most of the other sweets were presented on a wheel to be split by 2.

i nibbled most of the treats but found none of them delicious enough to warrant eating. to be fair, i just don’t like sugar and chocolate. the others in my party were much more impressed with the dessert offerings, even finishing off mine. of them, i found the raspberry and black pepper drops most intriguing in the flavor category, the candy with edible ‘plastic’ wrapping was the most tactilely pleasing, and the bubbles housing colored sweets resting on chunks of moist chocolate cake were most visually interesting.

when i saw the final course was a fruit plate i couldn’t hide my disappointment; the epitome of anti-climax i thought. we were told to sample a strawberry and taste a lemon wedge to ensure they were what they appeared to be. uh-huh. then we were each presented with a tiny maroon colored seed and were instructed to chew the skin and meat off and roll the pit around in our mouths until the hour glass on the bar expired. this little seed turned out to be a “miracle fruit” and its namesake became clear as i bit into a lime wedge. it was the juiciest, sweetest, most delicious fruit i’d ever put in my mouth. then a strawberry that tasted like it had been picked at the height of sweetness and then rolled in sugar. then a grapefruit slice that was intensely delicious despite the fact i hate grapefruit. then i made the mistake of sipping some wine and nearly coughed it up all over the bar. the chef laughed, ‘oh yeah. i forgot to mention that was going to happen.’ after devouring the fruit chunks and other random tidbits to test the limits of the miracle fruit, we drank a mug of hot water which nullified its effects. we carried our wine to some over-stuffed chairs facing the floor to ceiling windows that afforded a stunning view of tokyo.

of course this doesn’t begin to do it justice.
i was terribly disappointed to realize our time was short if we were hoping to catch the last train. we reluctantly left our 38th floor perch and headed for the station. we were back to reality after a feast fit for royalty in the chicest surroundings. although we paid exorbitantly for the experience [a $630 check!?!?], this memorable dinner sets quite the standard for what i hope will be many a dazzling meal to follow.