How does Ultraviolet control every course and atmosphere?

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Ultraviolet Orchestrates a Multi-Sensory Dining Experience Through Controlled Environments

Ultraviolet, the Shanghai-based restaurant helmed by French chef Paul Pairet, meticulously controls every aspect of the dining experience to create a multi-dimensional journey for its 10 nightly guests. This control extends beyond the plate, encompassing visual projections, soundscapes, and even scents, all orchestrated to enhance the perception of taste and evoke specific emotions. Pairet refers to this holistic approach as "psycho taste," a concept that leverages the diner's mind to influence their sensory reception of the food, aiming for an experience that transcends the inherent flavours.
Theatrical Beginnings Set a Dramatic Tone

The dining experience at Ultraviolet commences with a deliberate theatrical flourish designed to immediately immerse guests and heighten anticipation. Upon entering, diners are plunged into darkness, punctuated by the jarring sound of a foghorn and the opening of a kitchen door. This dramatic introduction is further amplified by the echo of Haka chants and the visual of a blazing fire, setting a powerful and almost confrontational tone for the initial courses. This carefully constructed opening act serves to shock and engage the senses, preparing the palate and mind for the unconventional journey ahead.
Environmental Immersion Enhances Dish Perception

Specific courses are meticulously paired with corresponding atmospheric recreations to deepen their impact and imbue them with a sense of context. For an autumn woodland-themed dish, the dining room transforms to evoke the feeling of being in a forest, complete with appropriate visuals and the scent of damp earth and leaves. This environmental alignment is particularly evident with a mushroom course, where an earthy forest atmosphere, complete with visuals of the forest floor and the aroma of wet soil, is employed to resonate with the dish's natural origins. This deliberate fusion of environment and cuisine aims to create a more profound and memorable sensory connection.
A 20-Course Menu Allows for Creative Disruption and Rebalancing

The restaurant's expansive 20-course menu provides Pairet with the creative latitude to deviate from traditional culinary structures, such as the strict requirement for a main course or adherence to conventional flavour pairings. This flexibility allows for dishes that might be intentionally unbalanced in terms of sweetness or saltiness, with the understanding that subsequent courses will be used to restore equilibrium. This approach is exemplified in dishes like "Bye-Bye Gummies," where gummy bears are melted in hot consommé while the Bee Gees' "Staying Alive" plays, or "The Race of Gummies," a playful dessert involving diners choosing a gummy bear to race on screen, set against the backdrop of artificial elements like Evian water, Lapsang Souchong syrup, Coca-Cola, and Super Mario Brothers music.

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How does Ultraviolet control every course and atmosphere?

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