Chicago 2011: Unforgettable and joyful meal at Moto
Joyful is hardly a common description for a meal and yet that was the feeling that filled our heart at the end of our 3.5 hour meal at Moto. Located at the meatpacking district, the restaurant is completely nondescript except for the tiny sign that says "Moto". Once inside, the atmosphere was completely different in that it felt fairly formal and quiet with smiley waitstaff in suits. Our first molecular gastronomy experience was a bit of a letdown but still we were hopeful that Moto will be wonderful. The reason for this is because we have seen an episode of Iron Chef America where Chef Cantu, the executive chef of Moto won the battle against the legendary Morimoto. We were also very intrigued with the dishes that he and his team prepared for the battle. With empty stomach and great anticipation we waited for the evening to unfold. Man, it was the most awesomest dining experience that we had. We would liken it to being on a front-row seat for a Cirque du soleil performance. I will attempt to explain why and let the pictures tell the story as well. As some time has elapsed some of the details have escaped me but I will try my best to describe what you see.
The first thing that greeted us. This is an edible menu with nori powder forming the words! The only option we had for the night was the 15-course meal at USD160 (before tax). After we have read the menu, we were to assemble our own maki with the ingredient provided. There was sushi rice with bits of rice puff, dried carrots and other stuff that I can't remember and soy sauce in the dropper. The evening looked promising as it started on such a fun and novel note. The taste was nothing to shout about but the idea was really really cool.
Close up of the menu. I can only imagine the the amount of work that goes into creating this. It's so intricate and delicate.
This is Snowman Sashimi. The snowman is made from champagne frozen in liquid nitrogen (LN2) and the eyes are himalayan salt. It is served with tuna tartare and chives emulsion. This was delicious and fun to eat. Visually very pleasing too.
Black and White. Here we have scallop, squid ink and peruvian potato. The waiter spooned out of sizzling saucepans super-cold leaks with LN2. Scallop was beautifully cooked and I loved the black and white contrast. Definitely a successful dish.
Italian biosphere. Our eyes popped open when this was brought to the table. The sphere was fully covered and when the waitstaff opened the seal, a wonderful aroma filled the air. The ingredient in the sphere (rosemary, chilli and herbs) that have been smoked were meant for another dish.
Close-up. Do you see the mini rake and shovel? That's for our next dish!
This is a "dirt" garden that came with a mini rake and shovel as the utensil of choice. There were different textures in this dish - crumbs, soft vegetable - that made it quite delightful. Again I love how much thoughts and novelty is injected in creating this.
Shrimp and grits. The smoked ingredients from biosphere were meant to be consumed with this. I took a sprig of rosemary and chili which I was told it was not spicy. It was! The Langostino shrimp was super fresh and it went really beautifully with the lobster bisque that had been cooked with grits and cheese.
This is Kentucky Fried Pasta. The pasta was made from chicken. The chicken was frozen, dried, ground into powder and made into pasta. The amount of work that goes into this is astounding. It is served with freshly grated truffles and the sauce was actually red wine that had been reduced. There were little chunks of meat in the pasta as well. Excellent! Don't you also love the spoon infused with tarragon?
A whole chunk of truffle goodness to be grated into the pasta. Hmmmmm
Corn and wax. Squab with corn sauce over cornbread. As the waitstaff presented this dish he ended with, "and the final ingredient is..." and he promptly took the candle that had been burning innocently on the table, blew it out, and POURED the wax over our plates! At our incredulous look of shock, the waitstaff beamed his satisfaction at pulling this stunt on us and explained that it wasn't a wax candle, but rather a sage and butter emulsion that had been liquifying during our entire dinner. Other than the shock value it also added a great flavour to the dish. I absolutely loved it.
See the candle that sits innocently on the table? Who would have thought that it is food?
Philly Monte Cristo and Cuban Cigars. I think it's genius to use the ashtray to serve this dish. These were meat (bacon, iberian ham and wagyu beef) wrapped in grape leaves with edible paper served in and ashtray with ashes made of sesame cooked in LN2. As the waitstaff presented this dish he kept stirring at the ashes before placing them on our plates.
Rare occasion when he gets to smoke cigar.
Looks real doesn't it? It looks exactly liked a half-smoked cigar
NUAC man. Foie gras and pork belly with a mushroom puff that disintegrated in your mouth when your ate it. This is absolutely divine and pretty to boot. Black stuff should be truffles.
Soda du jour. Erlenmeyer flask with soda and marshmallow on top. When you drink the liquid smoke comes out your nose and mouth when you speak. Reason is that the liquid was mixed with LN2 which "gassifies" when drunk. Steven was so shocked and thrilled when this happened. He tried to get my attention but I missed it because I was taking a pic. By the time I drank mine the effect was lost because this must be drunk immediately after it's been served. Pity.
Egg-drop soup. This totally looks like an egg dish doesn't it? It is a dessert so the "yolk is actually mango spheres. The "egg white" is some cream and the translucent bit is gelée. Gorgeous presentation and we were totally fooled. Best of all, it tasted wonderful. Easily our favourite dessert.
Melon and spruce. Can't remember much about this other than it's melon in different texture with ice cream. Again, visually stunning and it was yummy.
Tea Time. Earl-grey infused chocolate mousse with earl-grey ice cream and crumbs and raspberry sauce. Delightful. Perfect for tea lover.
Acme bomb! A chocolate sphere with a marshmallow wick sticking out of it. The server lights the wick and it burns down just like a bomb. You have to eat it in one bite. It's a chocolate bomb filled with s'more so when you bite it, it explodes and fills the mouth with something that tastes like a hot s'more. Once again a fine example of outstanding creativity. On this note we ended our extraordinary meal.
We left the restaurant feeling really high from the experience. As we were leaving Stvn remarked that he had never felt so many positive emotions in one sitting before - joy, surprise, delight, fun, inspired, awed, playful. Truly we paid not just for the food but for creativity, science, effort, humor, fun and joy it brought to us. To be surprised repeatedly had certainly activated the reward pathway in our brain and that's just fantastic. These are not just chefs who pride themselves in creating great food but clearly they care about the total dining experience and seek to delight and exceed customers' expectation. Brilliant! It was also apparent that all those who worked in the restaurant share the joy of delighting customers because they looked thoroughly pleased when they saw our reactions. We will highly recommend Moto to anyone who loves food, science, humour and surprises. Be sure to make a reservation one month in advance. The menu changes from time to time so do share your experience if you made a trip there. I can assure you that my descriptions pale in comparison to the actual experience.
The first thing that greeted us. This is an edible menu with nori powder forming the words! The only option we had for the night was the 15-course meal at USD160 (before tax). After we have read the menu, we were to assemble our own maki with the ingredient provided. There was sushi rice with bits of rice puff, dried carrots and other stuff that I can't remember and soy sauce in the dropper. The evening looked promising as it started on such a fun and novel note. The taste was nothing to shout about but the idea was really really cool.
Close up of the menu. I can only imagine the the amount of work that goes into creating this. It's so intricate and delicate.
This is Snowman Sashimi. The snowman is made from champagne frozen in liquid nitrogen (LN2) and the eyes are himalayan salt. It is served with tuna tartare and chives emulsion. This was delicious and fun to eat. Visually very pleasing too.
Black and White. Here we have scallop, squid ink and peruvian potato. The waiter spooned out of sizzling saucepans super-cold leaks with LN2. Scallop was beautifully cooked and I loved the black and white contrast. Definitely a successful dish.
Italian biosphere. Our eyes popped open when this was brought to the table. The sphere was fully covered and when the waitstaff opened the seal, a wonderful aroma filled the air. The ingredient in the sphere (rosemary, chilli and herbs) that have been smoked were meant for another dish.
Close-up. Do you see the mini rake and shovel? That's for our next dish!
This is a "dirt" garden that came with a mini rake and shovel as the utensil of choice. There were different textures in this dish - crumbs, soft vegetable - that made it quite delightful. Again I love how much thoughts and novelty is injected in creating this.
Shrimp and grits. The smoked ingredients from biosphere were meant to be consumed with this. I took a sprig of rosemary and chili which I was told it was not spicy. It was! The Langostino shrimp was super fresh and it went really beautifully with the lobster bisque that had been cooked with grits and cheese.
This is Kentucky Fried Pasta. The pasta was made from chicken. The chicken was frozen, dried, ground into powder and made into pasta. The amount of work that goes into this is astounding. It is served with freshly grated truffles and the sauce was actually red wine that had been reduced. There were little chunks of meat in the pasta as well. Excellent! Don't you also love the spoon infused with tarragon?
A whole chunk of truffle goodness to be grated into the pasta. Hmmmmm
Corn and wax. Squab with corn sauce over cornbread. As the waitstaff presented this dish he ended with, "and the final ingredient is..." and he promptly took the candle that had been burning innocently on the table, blew it out, and POURED the wax over our plates! At our incredulous look of shock, the waitstaff beamed his satisfaction at pulling this stunt on us and explained that it wasn't a wax candle, but rather a sage and butter emulsion that had been liquifying during our entire dinner. Other than the shock value it also added a great flavour to the dish. I absolutely loved it.
See the candle that sits innocently on the table? Who would have thought that it is food?
Philly Monte Cristo and Cuban Cigars. I think it's genius to use the ashtray to serve this dish. These were meat (bacon, iberian ham and wagyu beef) wrapped in grape leaves with edible paper served in and ashtray with ashes made of sesame cooked in LN2. As the waitstaff presented this dish he kept stirring at the ashes before placing them on our plates.
Rare occasion when he gets to smoke cigar.
Looks real doesn't it? It looks exactly liked a half-smoked cigar
NUAC man. Foie gras and pork belly with a mushroom puff that disintegrated in your mouth when your ate it. This is absolutely divine and pretty to boot. Black stuff should be truffles.
Soda du jour. Erlenmeyer flask with soda and marshmallow on top. When you drink the liquid smoke comes out your nose and mouth when you speak. Reason is that the liquid was mixed with LN2 which "gassifies" when drunk. Steven was so shocked and thrilled when this happened. He tried to get my attention but I missed it because I was taking a pic. By the time I drank mine the effect was lost because this must be drunk immediately after it's been served. Pity.
Egg-drop soup. This totally looks like an egg dish doesn't it? It is a dessert so the "yolk is actually mango spheres. The "egg white" is some cream and the translucent bit is gelée. Gorgeous presentation and we were totally fooled. Best of all, it tasted wonderful. Easily our favourite dessert.
Melon and spruce. Can't remember much about this other than it's melon in different texture with ice cream. Again, visually stunning and it was yummy.
Tea Time. Earl-grey infused chocolate mousse with earl-grey ice cream and crumbs and raspberry sauce. Delightful. Perfect for tea lover.
Acme bomb! A chocolate sphere with a marshmallow wick sticking out of it. The server lights the wick and it burns down just like a bomb. You have to eat it in one bite. It's a chocolate bomb filled with s'more so when you bite it, it explodes and fills the mouth with something that tastes like a hot s'more. Once again a fine example of outstanding creativity. On this note we ended our extraordinary meal.
We left the restaurant feeling really high from the experience. As we were leaving Stvn remarked that he had never felt so many positive emotions in one sitting before - joy, surprise, delight, fun, inspired, awed, playful. Truly we paid not just for the food but for creativity, science, effort, humor, fun and joy it brought to us. To be surprised repeatedly had certainly activated the reward pathway in our brain and that's just fantastic. These are not just chefs who pride themselves in creating great food but clearly they care about the total dining experience and seek to delight and exceed customers' expectation. Brilliant! It was also apparent that all those who worked in the restaurant share the joy of delighting customers because they looked thoroughly pleased when they saw our reactions. We will highly recommend Moto to anyone who loves food, science, humour and surprises. Be sure to make a reservation one month in advance. The menu changes from time to time so do share your experience if you made a trip there. I can assure you that my descriptions pale in comparison to the actual experience.