Ultraviolet is the kind of travel experience you talk about 10 years later. French chef Paul Pairet first dreamed of a multisensory dining adventure in 1996, but it took until May 2012 to open this transcendent restaurant. There’s room for only 10 diners to experience the 20-course meal at one time, and the dining room is a theater with HD screens for walls. With every course, the sounds, sights, and even smells change to complement and amplify the menu. The sublime sea bass Monte Carlo—sea bass with fresh mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes inside a baguette—is served to the sound of Debussy, and as you eat you’ll notice a vibrant aquarium has appeared right in front of you.
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Ambiance, Redefined in Shanghai
Celebrated French chef Paul Pairet describes his new 10-seat, single-table Ultraviolet as the first restaurant attempting to “unite food with multisensorial technologies in order to create a fully immersive dining experience.” You’re delivered by private driver to Ultraviolet’s secret location and then served 20 creative courses such as “foie gras can’t quit,” a delicate “cigarette” of foie gras encased in fruit-flavored skin and placed on a silver ashtray. Video projections, music, and custom aromas sprayed from a scent machine redefine ambience. 86/(0) 21-6142-5198.
Truffle Burnt Soup Bread from Ultraviolet!
Utraviolet’s TRUFFLE BURNT SOUP BREAD is one of the most delicious dishes in one of the most delicious (20-course!) meals you will ever experience, and it only happens in Shanghai... somewhere. (You’re delivered by private driver from 18 The Bund to Ultraviolet’s secret location.) French chef Paul Pairet calls his 10-seat, single-table creation a “fully immersive dining experience,” and I am happy to report, it is. I feel like all of the stars aligned to get me into this culinary funhouse while I was in Shanghai. The food is the star, but the other audiovisual elements (and scents!) and the staff’s performance and attention to detail conspire to make this a night you will never forget. If your going to Shanghai, get on the Ultraviolet website and reserve your seats now. But don’t forget to take someove you love (or someone who loves food) with you. photo Scott Wright (May 2013) courtesy of Ultraviolet 86/(0) 21-6142-5198
