Tapas Molecular Bar in Tokyo

While highly touted, we found Tokyo's Tapas Molecular Bar to be more akin to Vegas entertainment than a Michelin-starred establishment.  Usually, we wouldn't write up a restaurant that doesn't excite us, but here we do, as it is heavily marketed.

Chef Ngan Ping Chow, originally from Hong Kong, is entertaining, an outstanding performer with knowledge of different languages and the main attraction.  He creates decent examples of current modernist techniques.  This is a good introduction for people not immersed in modernist cuisine, a.k.a.tourists.  Tapas Molecular Bar is definitely not for gourmets, as the food is not breathtaking in flavour at all.

In addition to the food quality, the service does not meet the high standards of Japan.  When you are paying $$$ for a meal, minor gaffes become more noticeable.  Like most high-end restaurants with multiple-course menus, TMB presents you with a menu at the end of your meal, its beauty and form in line with the artistic expression of the restaurant.  Here, we received a simple printout that did not even reflect the meal we had.

Ok - enough of that - now onto the meal (which admittedly photographs beautifully!)

Dinner commences with a small toolbox containing a small hammer, mini shovel, tweezers, saw and a tape measure with the menu printed on it (which was pretty slick).  A series of dishes follow this.

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Chef Kento Ushikubo leads the Tapas Molecular Bar at Mandarin Oriental - ©Mandarin Oriental  [/caption] [caption id align="alignnone" width="1500"]

Cigar Leaf Smoked cherry root and crispy potato crust; lined with an green apple gel sheet and filled with cucumber black sesame ash [/caption]

 Mandarin Oriental Hotel 
(81) 33.270.8188
2-1-1 Nihonbashi-Muromachi Tokyo 102-8328, Japan 
www.mandarinoriental.com