Have you ever waltzed into a restaurant and felt a sense of serenity, a sudden burst of joy upon taking your seat? If you have, it’s all thanks to the power of scent. Much like your taste buds, your sense of smell affects the way you dine. It could be the sweet, smooth scent of sandalwood, like Santal 33, floating in the air or anything in between. No wonder restaurants are starting to embrace the concept of scent perfuming the dining experience.
Scent Sets the Scene
A restaurant’s scent is the first thing you will notice. The smell could be something subtle, like a mix of freshly-harvested herbs or something cozy and familiar like a note of sandalwood. One thing’s for sure: scent literally shapes the atmosphere of the dining space.
Scientific studies have shown that scent, even more so than taste, has an impact on the way your palate perceives the taste of food. A scent like sandalwood isn’t just your basic wood scent. It’s known for its warm, earthy and grounding appeal. It’s a type of scent that can go well with any sort of cuisine. So, in a fine dining scenario, that fragrance essentially amps up the flavour of your meal.
Enhancing the Flavours
There’s a symbiotic relationship between food, drink and fragrance. A woody scent goes well with richer, heavier dishes, like beef stew or mushroom risotto. Citrus and floral notes in a scent can complement a lighter dish like seafood or salad. By selectively using a scent to enhance the flavours paired with a dish, restaurants create an experience that isn’t all about taste. Instead, it’s also about how you feel when you taste the food.
Creating a Memorable Dining Experience
Dining isn’t just about the food and restaurants know this. It’s about the entire experience – the mise en place, the company and the fragrance. Pairing a great wine with a dish? How about adding an unforgettable scent to heighten the mood or atmosphere? With its subtle wood-like aroma, Santal 33 can create an intimate setting.
There are even restaurants that offer a multi-course fragrance with their experiences. The premise is to accompany scents with their menu that give a reference to the flavours of what is on the plate. It’s a powerful and subtle experience that can align emotions and memories to your visit long after you have finished your meal.
Scents as Part of the Dining Ritual
Chefs are dabbling into having scent on your plate. Not literally spraying perfume on the plate but building recipes that include rosemary or lavender and other spicy scents. Well-known restaurants also serve a tasting menu with a paired fragrance experience, transporting diners to another place through another sense.
There are some concepts that bring everything together in fragrance, whether it is the smell of freshly cut flowers in spring during the evening or the sultry scent of smoked food coming out of a wood-fired oven heating up in the early hours of the day.
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