food and decor down to a science?

molecular gastronomy, or food chemistry has become an increasing trend over the past decades. after being quite intrigued by bo bech's paustian restaurant menu, i decided to look more into molecular gastronomy and the relationship of such meals to the restaurant interiors. developed by nicholas furti, the "physicist in the kitchen", pioneers of the gastronomic cuisine which include ferio adria of el bulli (spain), pierre gagnaire (intl), grant achatz of alinea (chicago), and wylie dufre of wd-50 (nyc) have experimented with different chemical processes and combinations of ingredients to create unique dishes. for example, using liquid nitrogen to make tobacco-flavoured ice-cream or serving earl grey tea as hot and cold gel in a glass.

while there are still a couple degrees of variation in the style of each restaurant, moto's design philosophy may sum up the underlying reason behind these characteristically modern and simple interiors that most of these restaurants appear to follow: "our minimalist decor - warm whites accented with chocolate and cinnamon - allows diners to focus on the main attraction: Chef Cantu's food." as a recent diner at the hotel fox kitchen , i agree that decor, however cool, should be at minimum to detract from food (the nearby neon pink and blue LED light screen projected on the wall admittedly made me feel sleepy and stuck in a perpetual dream world). i also agree that gastronomy can work: for one dish i was served roast venison on grilled [dehydrated?] corn with a side of cherry ice cream paired with an elderberry cocktail, which was surprisingly good. but my only qualm is how long a diner will continue going to such a kind of restaurant before the food loses its novelty. obviously the aforementioned have found a way to retain the businesses of their restaurants, but in places such as nyc, few gastronomic restaurants have yet to be accepted. also, that if one does not enjoy the food, then they might not get much out of the atmosphere that was created most purposefully to compliment the food. so i guess the question is, can you have the success of a restaurant rely completely on the food itself? i'll let you be the judge of that.


moto, chicago


the fat duck, london

alinea, chicago


paustian, copenhagen


the paul, copenhagen


fox kitchen, copenhagen

more on food experimentation, analyses, and gastronomy:

molecular gastronomy: the science behind cooking
hungry in hogtown: gastronomical reviews
drink science: make jellied jin and tonic
wild sweets: molecular gastronomy hits the chocolate scene

first post

helloo~

this is mlin, or minimalnectar here with my first post. i am currently a 3rd-year interior design student who loves all thing design. this blog is meant to share some of my interests and commentary on current design and improve my writing skills, as well as give updates on a new design community web project for my university. a bio on me if anyone cares: i'm a californian-born girl going to school upstate new york and I freeze at anywhere below 50 degrees. i'm currently studying abroad in copenhagen for the fall semester and am addicted to two things here: the danish style and hotdogs. My favorite museum is the Tate Modern, my favorite artists are van gogh and rauschenberg, and I don't care what anyone says, but the modern art museum I.M. Pei built on my campus still looks like a giant concrete toilet. hope this intrigued you. enjoy!