Malaysia’s first 360° motion-sensitive immersive dining experience
Technology is now the driving force of everyday life, transforming how we live, work, play, and also how we dine and wine it seems from the collaboration between Hennessy and Tapestry Malaysia in tandem with the creative direction of chef James Won.
A tasting of the rare and elegant Hennessy Paradis, the pinnacle of cognac craftsmanship and the apogee of the art of selection for Maison Hennessy released in 2017, made for a decadent aperitif before the time came to adjourn to the specially built dining space at Enfin, the modern French fine-dining eatery by James Won located at Menara Hap Seng.
From start to finish, the symphony of lighting, visual and musical effects, coupled with advance multi-sensorial interactive technology capable of 360° immersive projection brought us on a magical culinary journey where a unique Malaysian narrative did much to enliven the senses of sight, scent, taste, sound, touch and emotion.
“The secret to making this dining experience truly immersive is how we use technology as a way to tell a new story. It’s a theatrical production but on an entirely different platform, where food plays a leading role in this new form of artistic expression,”
-Chef James Won
The dinner unfolded with a tropical forest scene as we were served canapés that looked like they came straight out of a fairy tale. Featuring eclectic taste profiles and textures that ranged from rich and creamy to crisp, the edible morsels of art in the shape of a mushroom and a delicate chunk of log were concocted from the likes of truffle egg yolk, mushroom tartare, roasted quinoa, foie gras mushroom, sambal olek a la Enfin, all paired with Krug bubbly.
Next, a palace backdrop with traditional Malay music accompanied us as we dined on an eye-catching kumquat made of smoked mackerel with a laksa emulsion centre, covered in kumquat glace whose citrusy flavour gave the dish an appetising kick. This was paired with a glass of Terrazas de los Andes Reserva Chardonnay.
From the palace, we were transported to an underwater setting to feast on flavourful lobster tail and lobster bisque, with a side of burnt cauliflower topped with sumptuous caviar, also paired with Terrazas de los Andes Reserva Chardonnay.
As a palate cleanser, the yogurt and olive oil ice cream with kumquat, capeberry and wasabi was delightfully refreshing with the intermingling of sweet, fruity, zesty and spicy notes.
For the next scene, a cruise down Malacca River, flanked by its historical shophouse architecture shaped the scenario.
The main course offered a choice of garoupa, delectably cooked with crisped skin, and accented with dried scallop, shrimp, fermented chilli, truffle mousse and a host of ingredients; or chargrilled wagyu beef, tender and heartily laced with spices and Sarawak peppercorn, with pomme de terre à la Chinoise, charred broccoli, capeberry mustard and wild fermented chilli olek on the side.
A glass of Margaret River’s Cape Mentelle Shiraz paired supremely well with the main dish.
With the lighting changed to that of nightfall for the final scene, dessert was served. The Coconut Bombe Alaska with spikes of parfait glace shrouding a 70% single origin dark cacao sponge was flambeed with Hennessy XO cognac, making for a sweet and luscious finish to an unforgettable dining experience, with petit fours to seal the night’s gourmet pleasures.
The 5-course degustation menu immaculately created by Won makes use of the finest ingredients, and comes with non-pairing and alcohol pairing options at RM790+ and RM999+ respectively. Diners can also choose to upgrade to Hennessy Paradis, Hennessy Paradis Imperial and Richard Hennessy for the pairing menu.
The experiential dining event ends November 9. For more information and to reserve a place, go to TABLEAPP at: https://www.tableapp.com/tapestry-malaysia
