The Tapas Molecular Bar on the 38th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo might be the closest it comes to dining in Wonderland. The restaurant itself is a feast for the eyes, with soaring windows looking out on Shinjuku and the bar set like a stage, complete with pipettes, syringes and other assorted scientific paraphernalia.
The tasting menu is a marathon 18 dishes long, so warming up with a cocktail like the liquid nitrogen–infused rose martini (which will arrive with a plume of smoke spilling out beneath an icy crust) is a good idea. Of everything on the menu that evening, the standout course was the small yet mighty “miracle fruit berry.” In signature molecular gastronomy style, eating even something as humble as a berry becomes a production. The chef instructed me to chew off the bright red skin with my teeth for exactly 30 seconds, discard the pit, and then bite into a lemon wedge. As I prepared to pucker at the expected tartness of the lemon, I was shocked to find the taste was as sweet as a tangerine. The after-effect of the berry’s powers (the aforementioned miracle) can last up to two hours, though drinking hot water will help wash it away. One tip: be sure to finish your wine pairing before the berry, as it’s been known to transform a dry white into a wine sweeter than port — a transformation you won’t mind, as long as you’re ready for dessert. Just be sure to leave room for the truffle-infused chocolate truffle.
The spring menu at Tapas Molecular debuts on March 1st. Reservations at either of the two nightly seatings (6 or 8:30 PM) are accepted up to one month in advance.
Jen Pollack Bianco is the voice behind the travel blog My Life’s a Trip. Photos courtesy of Tomostyle.
