Tapas Molecular Bar

Creating culinary magic and serving it sushi-bar style in the Oriental Lounge on the 38th floor of the Mandarin Oriental hotel, Japanese-American Ramsey (an ex-sushi chef) says, “We’re pushing for fun dining as well as fine dining.”

There are only seven seats per seating and reservations are essential for the nightly 6 p.m. or 8:30 p.m. slots. ‘Food as theatre’ is an oft-used phrase but diners at this one-star Michelin restaurant peer behind the counter with the same anticipation as The Metropolitan Opera’s opening night. As the stage comes into full view, there’s nothing to do but sit back and enjoy the ride.

For the ultimate dish, Ramsey presents a plate of lemons, limes, oranges, a strawberry and a little red berry in its own dish. First, he invites diners to suck on the lemon to prove no one in their right mind eats a lemon by choice. Ramsey instructs to suck the berry, the Ghana miracle fruit, for 30 seconds explaining it has a 90-minute effect of turning anything sour to sweet by binding the sour receptors on the tongue preventing their flavor being detected. Diners proceed to suck the lemons and limes bone dry, craving more, and champagne tastes like Botrytis Riesling.

Priced at ¥14,000 (+10% service charge), is the meal worth it? Resolutely, yes. A meal at the Tapas Molecular Bar is a memory that travels with you for life. Where else to experience countless taste sensations ingeniously presented in an intimate atmosphere with two hours of personal interaction from one of the world’s top chefs? And anyway, can a value ever be placed on art?

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