Glow-in-the-dark cuisine combines food and entertainment

Experimental food experiences combine story-telling with dinner through glow-in-the-dark cuisine.

Spotted: Food is constantly in flux as a sector, with consumer taste and priorities changing rapidly. From 3D printed food to health trends, Springwise has spotted various innovations that seek to revolutionise the way we eat. Now a new take on ramen combines eating with theatrical entertainment.

Nakamura-ke is a pop-up restaurant that also functions as an entertainment venue. All food inside the restaurant glows in the dark and every element of the experience is part of a detailed story. Creator Ami Sueki was inspired by a dream she had, where the images of glowing food first occurred to her. She then later teamed up with Courtney Hammond, co-founder of Atlanta-based creative agency Dashboard. Together they have put together this tiny, freestanding space for people to find both food and entertainment simultaneously. They also sought advice from food inventors at Bompas and Parr, a culinary events studio who seek to push the boundaries of experiential food.

Visitors will receive dinner and drinks from Japanese cuisine with a mythical backdrop of fairytale spirit creatures. Tales from the underworld and Japanese legends accompany luminous shochu and sake cocktails, along with the centrepiece glow-in-the-dark ramen. To find the perfect recipe, creators tried infusing jelly with quinine. Quinine comes from tree bark and glows under black light. Applying similar methods to ramen by playing with quinine levels and natural food colouring resulted in their trademark glowing bowl of noodles. It is also completely safe to eat, whilst adding an ethereal glow to the experience.

The restaurant is open from 30th January 2019 to 16th February 2019 and all tickets have sold out.