Multisensory experiences, where several senses are excited during the course of a meal, are fast emerging as the future of the fine dining industry. You’ve just settled in at a top-notch restaurant when the room lights up and you’re transported to outer space. An iPad lets you “explore” your projected surroundings — so you can zoom into specific constellations or scribble messages that will show up as projections. The cutlery is made cold using liquid nitrogen to add to the space experience. As your senses acclimatize, out comes the first course of the 90-minute meal — smoked duck and lentil salad with a squid ink risotto moon rock and roselle bubbles. Or artisan mozzarella with heirloom tomato jam and balsamic pearls, if you’re dining at the Ritz-Carlton Doha, where this event — aptly titled Whimsy — was launched in January. Whimsy kicked off in Kuala Lumpur last April, as from Tokyo to Phoenix and Mumbai to Copenhagen, entrepreneurs, chefs, artists and tech whizzes are coming together to change the way you eat. Multisensory experiences, where several senses are excited during the course of a meal, are emerging as the future of the fine dining industry. Like most industries, fine dining too has been hit by the coronavirus pandemic. But multisensory dining experiences are even more exclusive, smaller gatherings than most fine dining restaurants, and typically cater to only a handful of people at a time — reducing the risks of virus transmission and so, of cancellations. |