Fed up with foie gras; tired of truffles; and simply sick of sturgeons' eggs? If you're one of those gourmets who's gagging for a new and taste-transporting experience, Tapas Molecular Bar at the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo hotel may be the eatery of your dreams.
Created by Japanese-American chef Jeff Ramsey — winner of Eat-Japan's "Sushi of the Year" award in 2006 — the 25- to 28-course menu in the 38th-floor Oriental Lounge is nothing if not highly unusual — complete with breathtaking views. Eat-Japan is a UK-based organization dedicated to promoting Japanese food, drink and culture outside Japan.
Dubbed by some as "tasty science," the fantastic fare available there on a recent visit included, for starters, a dreamy, frothy, shaving cream-like cloud of near-vaporized olives, followed by a delicious soba that diners had to squeeze out themselves through a syringe and, to top it all off, an apricot-and-coconut dessert that looked just like bacon and eggs.