Forget liveried butlers swishing up gourmet gospels while pouring in the Bollinger. Move aside dramatic fumes engulfing your amuse-bouche. Molecular gastronomy, eclectic platters, food perches, and zany coloured preparations with edible flowers are passé. 2020 wings in fun laced with drama into your dining experience for that ultimate pizzazz. A riveting animated 3D dining adventure makes your heart do a double flip. The Le Petit Chef experience brought to the Indian turf at The Grand Hyatt Mumbai Hotel & Residences receives resounding applause.
Communal dining at a secluded space at Celini offers an edgy meal. The tiniest chef in the world, Le Petit Chef, comes complete in a size measuring 58 mm. He forages skilfully and prepares your six-course gourmet meal in front of your eyes, coursing through the legendary Silk Route and beyond. “The idea was to combine fun, cinema and drama on the plate,” says Balraj Pannu, CEO Elements KL, that brings this experiential dining with 3D projection on your plate. The food doesn’t disappoint either. Your mini khansamah talks to you, greeting as he pops out of a tent and exclaiming as he is snapped up by an oyster. He pulls out fresh catch—lobster, fish and octopus—to prep them on your plate, with the entire table awash in a sea.
Acoustics flow in the swish of waves, the cry of the rooster, the tabla and sitar. Heirloom tomatoes get yanked out from a farm setting and a flourish of saffron adds a theatrical touch to your dessert as the fiery dragon disappears in your face. What glides in to replace the final rendition is a gorgeous replica of the dish from the expert kitchens of the hotel. There are other eye-poppers like the quirky mozzarella balloon salad. “Food is more than what meets the eye,” says Saurabh Raturi, Executive Chef at The BlueBop Cafe in Mumbai. He dips the mozzarella cheese cube in warm water to soften it and brings it to a soda siphon nozzle, gently wraps it around and releases gas from siphon to inflate the balloon. “All of us love balloons and it’s amazing to be able to eat one,” he says.
The stretchability of the cheese lends it the versatility of shape as the inflated balloon is finally placed on top of arugula leaves, topped with a spray of tomato water and salt, balsamic reduction and basil oil as a piece de résistance. Shaping stunning chocolate jewellery studded with crystals, pirouettes in at JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar, where pastry chef Santosh Rawat, showcases some of the best edible accessories. In artistic collaboration with Swarovski, Santosh has brought forth stunning necklaces, bracelets, earrings and cufflinks wrought in chocolate and adorned with zirconia.
“The crucial part lies in planning, identifying and creating the moulds and consistently maintaining the optimum temperature. The chocolate needs to be malleable enough like clay, yet not set,” he shares. So when you dine out for the composite sensorial experience after the coronavirus pandemic subsides, the plate is your palette this year.