There’s a click as the doors of the minivan lock shut. Inside, ten strangers exchange nervous glances as the vehicle growls into motion. Surrendering all autonomy, the group edges towards an unknown location, concealed amongst the stretching streets of Shanghai. They halt at the mouth of an alleyway, as the glare of headlights reveals what appears to be an industrial warehouse. The smell is unmistakable. Burnt bread, with a hint of truffle. There’s the creak of a gate, the plunge of an elevator and a large metal door reveals their fate: the ten-seater setting of the world’s first multisensory dining experience, Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet.

Tucked away in the outskirts of Shanghai, Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet merges intricate technology with inventive French cuisine. Five nights a week, the single-table restaurant takes ten guests on a 20-stage journey, fuelled by playful theatrics, high-tech graphics and culinary wit. Each meal is meticulously choreographed, as sights, scents and sounds coordinate to create an environment dedicated to each dish. Through his avant-garde experience, French chef Paul Pairet seeks to alter perceptions, catering for the mind as much as the taste buds.

The unique dining experience made its debut in 2012, 16 years after its conception. Whilst working in Australia, Pairet developed a desire to escape the constraints of a professional restaurant in order to perform at his best. Removing the à la carte, he imposed a menu and devised the idea behind Ultraviolet; ten guests served simultaneously at one table. Seizing all autonomy from his customers, he could plate his food at its peak, with the flexibility to serve each course in a specific sensory environment. Years later, the success of Shanghai’s only three-Michelin-star restaurant speaks for itself, having claimed countless awards including ‘The World’s 50 Best Restaurants‘ and ‘World’s Greatest Places.’

Pairet designed his creation around the concept of psychotaste, the idea that flavour goes beyond physical sensations, to include personal perceptions and emotions. Described by the Michelin star chef as ‘everything about the taste but the taste,’ the theory affirms that every detail of the dining experience can influence the palate. Pairet therefore seeks to serve each dish under the best possible conditions, creating a fluctuating atmosphere tailored to each course. To do this, he needs a blank canvas: a plain room with four white walls and a single table.

The room’s blank décor hides multiple LED screens, ready to fill the space with surreal, psychedelic imagery. Pairet’s signature dish, ‘Truffle Burnt Soup Bread’, is served with autumnal mist and the smell of damp moss, reviving personal memories of truffle hunting in Dordogne. With the arrival of ‘Fish-no-Chips’, the table transforms into the Union Jack, as the tinkle of the Beatles’ ‘Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da’ begins to play. Rather than overwhelming or shocking, each scene is parodic and playful, provoking reflection, nostalgia and delight.

Despite the emphasis on environment, food remains the foundation of each experience. The restaurant in Shanghai has three rotating menus: UVA, UVB and UVC. Each offering includes around 20 courses, from an egg gruyère raviolo to a Yakult and orange blossom ice cream, served in a chilly Alpine scene. Through his famous creation, ‘Tomato Mozza and Again’, Pairet plays with assumptions of taste, presenting two seemingly identical dishes with contrasting flavour profiles. Another dish, a chocolate, rum and hazelnut dessert, takes the form of a stubbed cigar, served with a sweet ash powder. Each course of the unique dining experience is paired with exquisite wines, with a special UV8888 menu available for liquor lovers.

Servers outnumber guests two to one, and each dish is served with the harmony of a synchronised swimming squad. Backstage in a control room, multiple screens control the action, meaning that staff can assess the night without disturbing their guests. The experience begins at Pairet’s other restaurant in Shanghai, Mr and Mrs Bund, where hosts greet the guests and whisk them to their three-Michelin-star destination in a humble white minivan. Despite the potential for pretension, service is executed with such jest that it is comforting and comical. As guests eat melted gummy bears, the Michelin star chef and his servers do laps around the table, and each meal is concluded with a round of applause. The finale is perhaps the highlight of the dinner, when guests are welcomed into the kitchen to mingle with Pairet himself.

When it comes to Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet, the lesser said the better – surprise is what makes the experience. Sensory stimulation, culinary alchemy and gregarious service construct a night which escapes definition, giving guests an opportunity to surrender all expectations and control. More than just a meal, Ultraviolet proves that risks do pay off – with a three month waiting list to prove it.