Any night out in Tokyo is an adventure on its own but combine it with a culinary experience at one of Tokyo’s incredible restaurants and you’ll open up a whole new door into your Japan-made memories. Of course, to say that choosing the perfect place to dine proposes a myriad of choices is an understatement, to say the least. Tokyo is home to well over 60,000 restaurants and choosing one from the horde is no simple feat. Enter, Tapas Molecular Bar at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel near Tokyo Station.
You don’t need to be a guest of the hotel to enjoy an evening at this exclusive dining experience. With only eight seats available per night, you do need a reservation, however. Head Chef, Kento, will explain every dish in English and Japanese, so you're sure to get the full experience of every bite. Although a trip to Tapas Molecular Bar will cost you roughly 25,000 yen per person (not including drinks)—believe me when I say, every course is worth its weight in gold.
By Kento's own admittance, “a dining experience in a restaurant is the most complex form of art,” and nowhere is this truer. A menu that changes over the year ensures that you’ll never have the same meal twice, but just what are the contents of a Tapas Molecular Bar meal? Let’s have a look at some of the most unique course items—but not everything! After all, we wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise when you visit for yourself.
Donut
A beautifully glazed donut is our first course. Decorated with flecks of gold, blossoms, and delicate petals; blackberry jam seems to overflow from the sides. Chef Kento explains succinctly that this is no ordinary donut. One bite and you quickly realize how right he is as black caviar bursts with savory saltiness to combine with the floral notes of the bread. That’s right, blackberry jam it was not—a recurring theme of the night is to not judge a book by its cover…well, don’t let your eyes tell you what you’re eating.
Café latte
Soup is a joy to taste at the restaurant. It’s an unusual amalgamation of flavors: almond, king crab, and espresso; but one that creates a bitter, nutty aftertaste that works oh-so-well with the crab. The soup is presented as a mixed ice latte, crema and all.
Egg masala
If you love curry, this next dish is sure to win you over. You’ll begin by hand-grinding the spice toppings of your curry with a mortar and pestle. When the curry arrives, it’s topped in a whole soft-boiled egg that runs rich orange as soon as you poke it with your curry spoon. Once again, don’t be deceived! Egg it is not. It’s actually soy-based milk tofu around pumpkin puree. Let the flavors of the curry, spice, papadum, and pumpkin mix together and make something truly magical.
There are thirteen dishes in total, so what are the other ten? Well, you’ll have to visit and discover them for yourself. Every bite is sure to become a memory that will last long after the taste fades.
