crown

Subscribe Now

FOLLOW US

Sign in

Photos | A feast for the senses: Multisensory fine dining in Shanghai

At Ultraviolet restaurant’s secret location in Shanghai, French chef Paul Pairet immerses guests in a 360-degree parade of sights, sounds and smells tailored to evoke a matching sense of "place" for each dish in one of the most unique --and expensive-- dining experiences on the planet.

Updated on: Nov 09, 2017 2:19 PM IST

Share via

Copy link

1/10

French chef Paul Pairet of Ultraviolet restaurant stands inside the dining room ahead of service for the night’s guests in Shanghai. Every night ten diners experience a multisensory meal at the city’s newest three-star Michelin eatery, where adventurous gourmands happily pay up to 6,000 yuan ($900) per head and the waitlist for a seat is three months. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

Updated on Nov 09, 2017 2:19 PM

French chef Paul Pairet of Ultraviolet restaurant stands inside the dining room ahead of service for the night’s guests in Shanghai. Every night ten diners experience a multisensory meal at the city’s newest three-star Michelin eatery, where adventurous gourmands happily pay up to 6,000 yuan ($900) per head and the waitlist for a seat is three months. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

2/10

A van spirits Ultraviolet restaurant’s ten nightly diners to its secret Shanghai location where they enter a minimalist dining room in a non-descript industrial building to Wagner’s theme from “2001: A Space Odyssey”. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

Updated on Nov 09, 2017 2:19 PM

A van spirits Ultraviolet restaurant’s ten nightly diners to its secret Shanghai location where they enter a minimalist dining room in a non-descript industrial building to Wagner’s theme from “2001: A Space Odyssey”. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

3/10

A staff member seen mid-service inside the kitchen at Ultraviolet in Shanghai. Each group dines on 22 courses --served in an atmosphere tailored to that dish and created by video and other images projected on the walls, pumped-in aromas, and its own soundtrack. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

Updated on Nov 09, 2017 2:19 PM

A staff member seen mid-service inside the kitchen at Ultraviolet in Shanghai. Each group dines on 22 courses --served in an atmosphere tailored to that dish and created by video and other images projected on the walls, pumped-in aromas, and its own soundtrack. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

4/10

A view inside the dining room at the secretive Ultraviolet restaurant with the ambience defined by a mood projection. Guests are taken on a culinary world tour, while mood music ranges from Claude Debussy to AC/DC. Pairet’s take on fish-and-chips for instance comes in a London rainshower to the Beatles’ “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

Updated on Nov 09, 2017 2:19 PM

A view inside the dining room at the secretive Ultraviolet restaurant with the ambience defined by a mood projection. Guests are taken on a culinary world tour, while mood music ranges from Claude Debussy to AC/DC. Pairet’s take on fish-and-chips for instance comes in a London rainshower to the Beatles’ “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

5/10

Chef Paul Pairet, 53 is seen in the background as a staff member adjusts the lights inside the dining room prior to a course. Pairet says the aim is to “connect the dots” between the mind and palate by triggering “the right atmosphere, linked to the right plate,” which he believes helps to enhance the flavours of each dish. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

Updated on Nov 09, 2017 2:19 PM

Chef Paul Pairet, 53 is seen in the background as a staff member adjusts the lights inside the dining room prior to a course. Pairet says the aim is to “connect the dots” between the mind and palate by triggering “the right atmosphere, linked to the right plate,” which he believes helps to enhance the flavours of each dish. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

6/10

Ultraviolet was more than two decades in the making, Pairet explains. Its continued success, five years after it first opened, is testament to Shanghai’s burgeoning food scene -- Michelin launched a dedicated guide for the city in 2016 -- the only one in mainland China. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

Updated on Nov 09, 2017 2:19 PM

Ultraviolet was more than two decades in the making, Pairet explains. Its continued success, five years after it first opened, is testament to Shanghai’s burgeoning food scene -- Michelin launched a dedicated guide for the city in 2016 -- the only one in mainland China. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

7/10

A staff member plates a dish of lobster, one of 22 served to each diner, in the kitchen at Ultraviolet restaurant. This course was paired with footage of ocean waves crashing on the walls and the scent of sea air blowing into the room. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

Updated on Nov 09, 2017 2:19 PM

A staff member plates a dish of lobster, one of 22 served to each diner, in the kitchen at Ultraviolet restaurant. This course was paired with footage of ocean waves crashing on the walls and the scent of sea air blowing into the room. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

8/10

Guests dine immersed in a themed room with sights and sounds to match their meal at Ultraviolet restaurant. “You are using all your different senses to feel this experience,” Cheryl Chen, a Shanghai consultant, dining at Ultraviolet, explained. “It’s multi-dimensional versus others that probably have good food and a good environment, but this is one of a kind,” she added. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

Updated on Nov 09, 2017 2:19 PM

Guests dine immersed in a themed room with sights and sounds to match their meal at Ultraviolet restaurant. “You are using all your different senses to feel this experience,” Cheryl Chen, a Shanghai consultant, dining at Ultraviolet, explained. “It’s multi-dimensional versus others that probably have good food and a good environment, but this is one of a kind,” she added. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

9/10

A staff member pores over monitors keeping time with the kitchen as well as the audio, visual and extra sensory elements of the meal in progress at Ultraviolet restaurant’s nightly service. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

Updated on Nov 09, 2017 2:19 PM

A staff member pores over monitors keeping time with the kitchen as well as the audio, visual and extra sensory elements of the meal in progress at Ultraviolet restaurant’s nightly service. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

10/10

A security person guides a woman at a garage outside Ultraviolet restaurant in Shanghai. Chef Pairet says the rising consumer interest also indicates the growing disposable income and culinary curiosity of Shanghai citizens. He points out that demand among Chinese eaters actually increased after he hiked up Ultraviolet’s prices to sustain the project. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

Updated on Nov 09, 2017 2:19 PM

A security person guides a woman at a garage outside Ultraviolet restaurant in Shanghai. Chef Pairet says the rising consumer interest also indicates the growing disposable income and culinary curiosity of Shanghai citizens. He points out that demand among Chinese eaters actually increased after he hiked up Ultraviolet’s prices to sustain the project. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

Related Photos

Home/Photos/News/Photos | A Feast For The Senses: Multisensory Fine Dining In Shanghai

© 2026 HindustanTimes