We try The Ritz-Carlton Bangalore’s “dinemation” animated dining experience

Immersive storytelling and 3D visual mapping come together for this interesting animated concept dinner

A fantasy about a king in a distant land, 3D visual projection mapping and a seven-course contemporary Indian dinner. This is what the new “dinemation” animated dinner at The Ritz-Carlton Bangalore promises.

While concept dining is not new, this confluence of tech and food seems interesting. Especially in this age of social media, when the visual aspect of dining and “Instagramability” is a huge factor. Intrigued, we make our way to the hotel to try this experiential meal. 

‘The Banquet of Hoshena’: As we walk into a private dining area at the Riwaz restaurant, the room is dark and mysterious, and the spotlight shines on a vintage photo frame displaying these words. We are among a group of 12 around a long table. Equipped with projectors on the ceiling, the room is transformed with pictures of castles and creatures from fairy tales. Images and videos are projected onto the walls and our plates. 

With music and a voice-over, we are transported to the land of Hoshena, where the queen narrates a story about her king. I will not give too many spoilers: let’s just say the characters go on various quests for their kingdom. Meanwhile, diners are given interactive tasks to complete before each course. For example, we open the little pearled box in front of us to get the jewels, which turn out to be passion fruit bon bons. Each task furthers the story along. 

Now, let’s get down to business: the food. The seven courses, which are themed around the story, feature contemporary Indian dishes created by chef Anupam Gulati. The set menu has an amuse bouche, a modern avatar of chips and dip, a soup, an entree, a main and then dessert.

The chips and dip are fun. A savoury yoghurt tart is topped with shards of crispy spinach, mathri, and lotus stem crisps. I love the play on textures, and the familiar Indian snacks. The Kashmiri style almond and asparagus soup has mellow but deep flavours from the delicate spices. For mains, I choose the gucchi korma: Morel mushrooms stuffed with cheese and served with khameeri naan. And the pairing is excellent. The other main course option, raan tian – roasted leg of lamb, is also delicious.

But some of the dishes don’t quite hit the mark. The entree of dal baati churma is not the best choice for a knife and fork kind of affair. We struggle to cut through the baati. The dessert of shahi tukda mille feuille is a good idea, but is ruined by my toast being burnt. Another complaint which some diners may have is that the meal isn’t served with any wine pairings or cocktails, save a glass of bubbly in the beginning. The dinner also comes with a rather hefty price tag with bookings starting at ₹12,500 per head.