In his latest menu, this 2-toque chef makes a nod to the film Matrix

Mathilde Bourge | 10/7/24, 1:39 PM

Accustomed to offering multi-sensory experiences in his restaurant SON', in Bordeaux, Sylvain Renzetti surprises once again by integrating a reference to the film Matrix into his menu. The chef tells us more.

Dining at Bordeaux's SON' restaurant (2 toques) is a real experience. Sylvain Renzetti proves it once again with "Le SON' de Morpheus". At the end of the meal, diners are invited to slip into the shoes of Neo, the famous character from the Matrix film, by choosing between a mysterious blue pill or a red pill...

The SON' of Morpheus

"Theidea came to me one day when my apprentice brought a bag of Haribo Carensac sweets to the restaurant. They're candies in the shape of pills, and two of them had fallen to the floor: a red one and a blue one. It immediately reminded me of the mythical scene in The Matrix, where Neo must choose between a red pill, which reveals the hard truth about the world, or a blue pill, which leaves the hero in a false, but softer reality", explains Sylvain Renzetti.

A fan of cinema, and of The Matrix in particular, the chef came up with the idea of a nod to this sequence, to bring his menu to a close. "First, we bring a touch-sensitive tablet to customers, who have to choose between the two capsules," says the chef. Each is made from a different herbaceous plant, to be melted on the tongue to prepare the palate."At this point, the voice of Morpheus, one of the film's main characters, is transmitted through a speaker hidden under the table. It's a very authoritative voice, explaining how to crunch the pill to get the right effect. It's bordering on kitsch, but it's really great," laughs Sylvain Renzetti.

Guests are then invited to share two desserts, and exchange emotions as they taste them. The first, in the shape of a red pebble, is composed of guava and strawberry mousse, a hibiscus flowing heart and a white Fragosta sorbet.a white Fragosta sorbet, while the second, in blue, is made with avocado and rhubarb mousse, a spirulina flowing heart and a brède, spirulina and nori sorbet. "Depending on the pill chosen, no two people will have the same mouthfeel on each dessert.
Generally speaking, customers really like the dessert associated with the color of the capsule they've ingested, and the other less so, because the plants and berries contained in the pill have altered their perception of taste", details the SON' restaurant chef.

Sylvain Renzetti is no novice. The chef has already filed a patent for an "incandescent" sauce, hidden in the form of a candle. "When it's time to serve the meat, diners notice that something is missing from the plate: the sauce. We explain that it's the candle that's been burning on the table since the beginning of their meal. At that point, we come into the dining room to emulsify the sauce and add it to the dish. For the rest of the surprises, you'll have to go directly to SON' in Bordeaux.

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