What does Pairet mean by controlling time and food?

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Pairet's Concept of "Psycho Taste" Revolves Around Controlling Time and Food to Enhance Culinary Creativity

Chef Paul Pairet's approach at Ultraviolet, his Shanghai restaurant, hinges on a meticulous control over the timing of food service and the ingredients themselves. This control, he explains, unlocks significant creative potential by allowing for the precise orchestration of the dining atmosphere and the enhancement of each dish. Pairet terms this philosophy "psycho taste," a concept that extends beyond mere flavour perception to manipulate the diner's anticipation and overall sensory experience. His ultimate objective is to present food at its absolute peak, a principle he attributes to his mother's childhood practice of ensuring he ate meals precisely when they were optimally prepared.
Orchestrating the Dining Experience Through Controlled Scenarios

The core of Pairet's innovative dining experience lies in his ability to control both the temporal aspect of service and the composition of the food. By managing when dishes are served and what they comprise, Pairet gains the power to curate the entire atmosphere and design specific scenarios that amplify the culinary offerings. This deliberate orchestration allows for a departure from traditional gastronomic constraints; for instance, a 20-course menu, unburdened by conventional rules of flavour balance or the necessity of a distinct main course, can be intentionally unbalanced. This allows for dishes to be deliberately skewed towards sweetness or saltiness, with subsequent courses designed to rectify these imbalances, creating a dynamic and evolving flavour journey for the diner.
"Psycho Taste": Engaging the Mind Beyond Palate

Pairet defines "psycho taste" as encompassing all elements that contribute to the dining experience beyond the intrinsic flavour of the food itself, describing it as "the taste of the taste." This involves leveraging anticipation to influence how an individual ultimately perceives the taste of a dish. He illustrates this through experiences like enhancing a mushroom course with an earthy forest atmosphere, complete with visuals of the forest floor and the scent of wet leaves and soil, thereby creating a sense of belonging and deepening the diner's connection to the food. This multi-sensory approach aims to engage the diner's mind and emotions, making the act of eating a more profound and memorable event.
Prioritising Food Perfection Through Rigorous Recipe Development

Despite the elaborate theatrical elements that define Ultraviolet, Pairet stresses that the fundamental focus remains on the food itself. A significant amount of time and effort is dedicated to perfecting each individual recipe. An example of this dedication is seen in the development of the iconic UV Gummies, which required 20 iterations before Pairet was satisfied. Even more demanding was the Beijing Cola Duck, a dish incorporating Peking-style duck lacquered with Coca-Cola, which took 12 years to perfect, driven by Pairet's unwavering commitment to achieving the precise result he envisioned. This meticulous attention to detail underscores his belief that true culinary innovation stems from rigorous refinement of core recipes.

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What does Pairet mean by controlling time and food?

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