Last year “EL BULLI”, (near Barcelona) in Spain considered as the top restaurant in the world, was closed.

Chef Rene Redzepi’s Nordic temple “NOMA” (Copenhagen, Denmark) has been showered with just about every accolade known to man. It got an even bigger boost this year when it soared to the No. 1 position on S.Pellegrino’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants list: (Strandgade 93 – 1401 København K Denmark – +45 32 96 32 97 noma.dk)

In May 18, 2012 – (After more than 2 years of construction, 1 year of delay – 8,000 double espressos & 50,000 cigarettes…) Paul Pairet in Shanghai open Ultraviolet, the new concept restaurant. This can become the world top new restaurant. Conceived by Paul Pairet for over 15 years, Ultraviolet is the first restaurant of this kind, attempting to unite food with multi-sensorial technologies in order to create a fully immersive dining experience.

WHAT
A single table with ten (10) seats only.
A 20-course ”Avant-garde” set menu.
All the guests sit together. The experience begins. Food leads.
Dinner unfolds as a sensory play choreographed by chef Paul Pairet and the Ultraviolet Team. No décor, no artefacts, no paintings, no views… Ultraviolet’s dining room is ascetic by nature. Specifically equipped with multi sensorial high-end technology, the dining room is dressed-up by lights, sounds, music, scents… a cool air blow, an immersive projection, images and imagination… and food.
Each course is enhanced with its own taste-tailored atmosphere.
Ultraviolet is the first experimental restaurant of its kind.

WHY
To offer a bold and exclusive dining experience that engages all the senses to create the ultimate luxury: Emotion.

WHERE
Somewhere in Shanghai?
After your reservation, guests meet at the bar of Mr & Mrs Bund, 6F, Bund 18, 18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, Shanghai 200002, China for a glass of champagne and take the private bus to Ultraviolet

For your information:
The 2012 That’s Shanghai Food & Drink Awards
Mr & Mrs Bund has received the awards of:
”Best Chef – Paul Pairet”
”Best French Restaurant”
”Best Fine Dining”

MORE FACTS
OPENING HOURS: Ultraviolet is open from Tuesday through Saturday for dinner only.
SEATS: 10 seats are available from a single table each evening. Ultraviolet welcomes everyone to the table including single diners. Ultraviolet is not a private restaurant; yet you can privatise the evening and the entire table.
MENUS: All guests receive the same 20-course set menu at the same time. Set menu prices start from RMB 2,500 per person, including beverage pairing.
BOOKINGS: Bookings are open 3 months in advance through the website (WWW.UVBYPP.CC/BOOKINGS – Director)

You take the private bus to the restaurant, and after around 15 min you will arrive somewhere in Shanghai near a canal, but it is impossible to know the exact address. You will see a sort of “hangar” or industrial building and after the entrance by a secluded door you will arrive into a rectangular large cubicle space with a high ceiling & a rectangular 10 seats table in the middle, with the names of the guests projected on the table.

Then the show will start with music and “light show” on the four walls of the space. The dining room more closely resembles a movie theatre, with 360-degree video screen walls, surround-sound speakers and high-tech overhead lighting. Each dish is accompanied by a carefully choreographed set of sounds; visuals and even scents, all intended to create a specific ambience to enhance the flavours of the meal.

With each of the 20 dishes of the menu, drinks, music & light show change. It is never loud or disturbing for your eating and for each dish, 10 waiters deliver the new dish in front of you, a great experience! It takes too long to define all the 20 dishes, but this is an example, in the format of #food > drink > and music:

# Ostie > Apple Wasabi > Gothic Church Hell’s Bells
# Foie Gras > Light Sherry > West & Smoke Ennio Morricone
# Pop Rock Oyster > Green Tea > Pop-Pop Comic Strip
# Micro Fish no Chips > Baby Beer > Rain UK Obladiblada
# Cuttlefish Guimauve > Aglio & Olio, Xo E Sichuan, Caramel Coco > Hypnotic SFX Invaders
# Lobster Essential > Riesling Grand Cru, “Hengst” 2008, Josmeyer, Alsace > Sea-Steam Waves
# Charred Eggplant > Tendon Tahine > Mauresque > Diaporama Zorba Crunch
# Encapsulated Boullabaisse > Mauresque > Marseille Pagnol Raimu
# Cucumber Lollipop > Frozen Gado-Gado > Bali Garuda & Cepot
# Seabass Montecarlo > Château La Coste Rosé 2010. Coteaux d’Aix > Aquarium & Debussy
# Engloved Truffe Lamb > Pago Florentino 2008, Arzuaga, Castilla > Restaurant Shanghai
# Wagyo Simple > Château Domaine de l’Eglise 2003, Pommerol > Restaurant Paris
# Tomato Pomodamore > Strwberry Gaspacho > Spanish Gallery Olé
# Cheese > Cidre du Pays d’Auge Dupont Reserve > Wheat & Harpsichord > Thunder Crunch
# Salad > Thunder Crunch
# No Shark Fin Soup > Tomato – Peach > China 1933 Tian Mi Mi
# Suzette Carrot Cake > Orange Ginger Carrot > Kitchen Ground Parody
# Mandarine > Mint Tea > Mandarin Mandarine
# Avocado > Avocado Brulee Nutella > French Mansion Jazz-Funk
# Hibernatus Gummies > Cola Rocks / Evian Gummies > The race Mario Bross & Rossini # Mignardises > Egg Tartelette & Co > Champagne Brut Jacques Lassaigne Les Vignes de Montgueux > Sundays Cake d’Amour
# Ispahan Dishwash > Litchi – Rose – Raspberry > Foamy Josette – Edith Piaf

The End Love Boat

It is impossible to explain the taste of each dish, it is a symphony, and I think difficult to forget. After that you can relax & have a last drink, and be ready to be transported back to Mr & Mrs Bund, the initial departure point.

Ultraviolet is having a great welcome on the International Gourmet Press (See New York Times – Travel – (October 3, 2012). Even the competition (the Adria brothers) & the (Roca brothers) in Spain, are now thinking of opening new restaurants near Barcelona on the inspiration of the Ultraviolet menu, (remember “El Bulli” is closed now) since last year.

In Shanghai don’t forget one of the best hotels for your stay can be “The Shangri-La Pudong” where Paul Pairet at his arrival in Shanghai set-up his reputation in China with the “Jade on 36” restaurant at the hotel.

For booking uvbypp.cc/bookings – Alternatively you may contact thehost@uvbypp.cc
or call +86 21 6142 5198
(Tuesday to Saturday – 1 pm to 6 pm Shanghai Time)

Freddy Santamaria “The Smooth Operator”
fredmarcom@aol.com
Paris, France — October 12, 2012
For Elektronik i Norden
Copyright © 2012— Freddy Santamaria
All rights reserved

Filed under: The Gourmet Corner