900 Plates, 14 Courses: Chefs Turn Dinner Into Art
Restaurants like Tresind and Raga by Gaggan are redefining fine dining with immersive experiences, where presentation and plating tell a story, driven by social media and gastrotourism
Chefs are now using plates as a canvas to tell a story and create an immersive experience for diners, with presentation and plating becoming a key aspect of fine dining. At Tresind, dinner for 60-75 people can mean some 900 plates over 14 courses, each one a carefully crafted work of art.
One of the key drivers of this trend is the desire to create an immersive experience for diners. Restaurants like Raga by Gaggan in Delhi are pushing the boundaries of plating, with dishes like Lick It Up, a popsicle painted on the plate that is experienced by licking it clean. Another dish, Golden Egg, features a gilded egg resting on a crisp nest, which carries the old flavours of pani puri.
Other chefs are also experimenting with innovative plating ideas. Chef Nikhil Nagpal at ITC Maurya’s Avartana presents thayir sadam in a see-through glass jar finished with dried red chilli, while Himanshu Saini at Tresind Studio in Dubai serves khichdi on a marble cutout map of India. Rahul Sharma, chef at Nila in Bengaluru, takes a more rustic approach, serving Ladakhi dishes on rocks, which recall those he saw at the Sangam where the Indus meets the Zanskar.
According to food expert Rashmi Uday Singh, several factors have contributed to the evolution of plating in restaurants, including greater disposable incomes, travel, especially gastrotourism, international restaurant awards, molecular gastronomy, and social media. As a result, restaurants have become destinations in themselves, involving all the senses.
## Why it matters The trend towards immersive dining experiences is not just about aesthetics; it's also about creating a memorable experience for diners. With the rise of social media, restaurants are under pressure to create dishes that are not only delicious but also visually stunning. This has led to a new era of creativity in plating, with chefs using a range of techniques and ingredients to tell a story on the plate.
As the culinary landscape continues to evolve, it's likely that we'll see even more innovative plating ideas emerge. Whether it's a gilded egg or a popsicle painted on a plate, the art of plating is redefining the way we experience food, and restaurants are becoming destinations in themselves, where the plate is just the beginning of the story.
