Molecular gastronomy may not be new, but the bonkers creations of celebrity chef Homaro Cantu never fail to surprise.
His kitchen at Moto utilises lazers, helium, inkjet printers that produce edible surfaces, ion particle guns, liquid nitrogen, produce from the restaurant’s own aeroponic farm and ingredients that chemically reprogram your tastebuds to think sour = sweet and vice versa.
As a result, deceptively familiar-sounding dishes like Greek salad actually come served as the liquid essence of cucumber, tomato, onion and oregano in a pipette, in turn embedded in a cube of feta cheese. The Cuban pork sandwich comes disguised as a half-smoked cigar, complete with grey-black ash.
Meanwhile Cantu’s longer-term projects include a beer with alcoholic effects that wear off after 20 minutes.
The restaurant is nestled in the loading docks and historic warehouses of Fulton Market. Its so-called ‘molecular tasting room’ is a simple, unflashy space. Here, the food is the focus; the space has no need of gimmicks.
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