One long table under a projection of Jonker Street, Melaka.

The fourth scene, Jonker Street, Melaka. Photograph courtesy of Maison Hennessy and MHD Malaysia.

Immersive dining

Tapestry Malaysia

A dinner in five Malaysian scenes, projected around one table at Enfin in 2018.

Enfin by James Won · Menara Hap Seng 10 July to 9 November 2018 One table of sixteen Sold out before opening

In 2018 Malaysia had never had a dining room like it. For four months, one table at Enfin travelled through the country, from the rainforest to the sea to the shophouses of Melaka, in 360° projection that answered to touch. The menu carried Malaysia: torch ginger, kumquat, Sarawak pepper, Musang King.

It was not mine alone. The House of Hennessy and Tapestry Malaysia conceived the dinner with us, Visa presented it, Tourism Malaysia supported it, and the Enfin team cooked and served every sitting. What it showed was simple: a Malaysian kitchen could lead a collaboration of this calibre, and Malaysian flavours could carry it.

What it changed

Every seat was sold before the first night. BMW then took seven nights of the series for its BMW White Card Privilege dining programme, bringing its own guests to a Malaysian menu.

The room

Sixteen guests sat at one long table, and each guest’s name was projected onto it. Touch the water and the fish swam away; touch the table and it rippled. From a tablet, a guest could send a wish down a projected river. The walls changed with every course, so the table travelled while the guests stayed where they were.

When it opened, L’Officiel Malaysia ran Tan Siok Hoon’s report under the headline “Malaysia’s first 360° motion-sensitive immersive dining experience”. In The Star, Sunita Chhabra called Hennessy’s undertaking “a first in Malaysia”.

Guests at the long table under a projected rainforest, glasses of champagne and the first course before them.
The first scene, the forest. Photograph courtesy of Maison Hennessy and MHD Malaysia.

Malaysia on the plate

Five courses, each in its own landscape. Technology was the stage; Malaysia was the story.

Mushroom tartare and an amuse-bouche on a white stone plate under projected flowers.Scene oneThe forestA rainforest in bloom. Baby baguette with chicken skin and sambal olek; mushroom tartare with truffle egg yolk. With Krug.Photograph courtesy of Maison Hennessy and MHD Malaysia.
The second course under a glass cloche, with a slice of bread.Scene twoThe palaceSmoked mackerel with rendang confetti, torch ginger and a laksa emulsion; kumquat glace; rye bread.Photograph courtesy of Maison Hennessy and MHD Malaysia.
Lobster and caviar in coral bisque in a glass bowl, over a projected sea.Scene threeUnder the seaLobster and caviar in coral bisque, ice plant and burnt cauliflower, while fish swam across the table.Photograph courtesy of Maison Hennessy and MHD Malaysia.
Wagyu beef with Sarawak peppercorn on a white plate.Scene fourJonker Street, MelakaWagyu with Sarawak peppercorn, or garoupa with dried scallop, fermented chilli and a squid ink tuile.Photograph courtesy of Maison Hennessy and MHD Malaysia.
Garoupa under a squid ink tuile on a white stone plate.Scene fourThe garoupaThe fish choice for the main course.Photograph courtesy of Maison Hennessy and MHD Malaysia.
Coconut Bombe Alaska flambéed at the table, blue and violet projections behind it.Scene fiveThe night jungleCoconut Bombe Alaska with Musang King durian parfait, flambéed at the table with Hennessy X.O., under digital fireflies.Photograph by CK Lam, What2seeonline.com.

How the partnership worked

A cognac house, a card brand, a carmaker and the national tourism body stood behind one Malaysian menu. The House of Hennessy conceived the dinner with Enfin and Tapestry Malaysia, and Moët Hennessy poured the pairings, from Krug to Hennessy Paradis Impérial. Visa presented the series with Hennessy and gave its cardholders a week’s priority booking. Tourism Malaysia supported it, and its logo, beside Malaysia Truly Asia, closes Tapestry Malaysia’s own films.

For whoever comes next

People sometimes ask what it meant to be first. A first counts only if someone follows. If Tapestry showed one young cook in Malaysia that our flavours can hold a room like that, it did its work.

The films

Five films from the series: three from Tapestry Malaysia and two from Metta Studio.

Teaser. Film by Tapestry Malaysia.
Welcome to Tapestry Malaysia. Film by Tapestry Malaysia.
Highlights. Film by Tapestry Malaysia.
Highlights. Film by Metta Studio.
The cuisine. Film by Metta Studio.

The secret to making this dining experience truly immersive is how we use technology as a way to tell a new story.

James Won, Robb Report Malaysia, August 2018

Selected Press

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Read next

Collaborations

Beyond the kitchen

 Hennessy

The cognac house that conceived the dinner with us

 Enfin by James Won

The room at Menara Hap Seng where it ran

 BMW

The marque that took seven nights of the series
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