As there is intense debate at the moment about the term "Molecular Cooking", I'd like to contribute to the discussion by sharing some thoughts about how we work here at Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong. 

Firstly, I think the great debate about cooking trends is tired. The world of cooking has already moved on.  What Ferran Adria has done is to open the door for chefs like us to allow us to understand what is possible - and I believe everything is possible. 

I also believe that the job of a chef nowadays is more than just to cook. In a way, we have become entertainers. How do we entertain our clients, friends? By creating such an incredible experience that they will want to remember it forever.

In order to create this experience you have to use the most powerful tool in a human which is the brain.  This brings us to the subject of memories; memories will make you happy, sad, relaxed etc.  And what triggers memories? I believe it's our five senses.

To create memories we use all the senses - smell, touch, sound, taste and sight. Let's call these the "Building Blocks". 

Our senses surround us, sending us messages all the time even if we're not aware of them. Take the sense of smell for example; if you walk through a morning fish market, then pass by a bakery and stop on the way to grab a quick espresso, right there you have three aromas hitting your brain. These will linger in your subconscious mind, forming links to this morning walk in your memory even though you may be unaware of this process.

Each one of those three very different scents will mean something different to each of us; it could be something as evocative as the smells of the fish market reminding us of the salty ocean, which will take us back to childhood trips to the beach or seaside. This is what inspires me as a chef.  

Waking the Diner's Memory

Creating a dish from the initial concept is very hard to pinpoint and I couldn't tell you exactly where an idea comes from, but one step in the creation process is vital: we will always try to evoke at least one of the senses, in order to wake up the diners' memories.

For example, serving a simple vegetable salad but in a flower pot instead of a bowl and with the ingredients ‘planted' in an edible ‘earth' will make you think of the vegetables in their natural state. If we then encourage you to pull the carrots from the "soil" in the flowerpot, I hope it will take you back to years gone by of gardening with your parents, or perhaps the first time you were allowed to plant a flower in a flower pot.  

A dish like this never fails to put a smile on diners' faces and open their minds to what an incredible experience dining really can be.