Theatrical, avant-garde Shanghai restaurant Ultraviolet earns three Michelin stars

SHANGHAI has gained a new three Michelin-starred restaurant, with French chef Paul Pairet's multi-sensory, avant-garde restaurant Ultraviolet unlocking the guide's highest honor.
In the second edition of the Michelin guide Shanghai, Ultraviolet joins T'ang Court in the exclusive three-starred club, a designation that denotes exceptional cuisine, worth the journey.
Opened in 2012, Ultraviolet elevates the dining experience to a multi-sensory, interactive form of entertainment that stretches the imagination and challenges the conventional à la carte dining model, in which dishes are presented under the same décor, and to the same music.
At a clandestine, undisclosed location, diners sign up for a conceptual experience that involves a wraparound projection system which transports guests to the Black Forest or puts them smack dab in a wintry blizzard.
To evoke the smell of the forest floor, atomizer sprays may infuse the room with the smell of soil.
During a deconstructed fish and chips course, the strains of AC/DC may blast overhead, as images of the Union Jack and a steady London rainfall appear on the 360-degree screens.
It's not the first big win for Pairet. In 2012, the French chef was named the inaugural recipient of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants awards' Lifetime Achievement Award.
Overall, a total of 129 restaurants get nods in the sophomore edition of the Michelin guide Shanghai, including 30 starred addresses.
While the two-starred club remains unchanged from the year before, five new addresses earned their first star, including Jean-Georges, another address from a French chef (Vongerichten).
Here is the full list:
THREE STARS
T'ang Court
Ultraviolet
Two Stars
8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana
Canton 8
Imperial Treasure
L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon
Yi Long Court
Yongfoo Elite
One Star
Bo Shanghai - New
Da Dong (IAPM & Park Place)
Dashu Wujie (Bund) - New
E' Fu Ren (Madam Goose)
Fu He Hui
Jade Mansion
Jean Georges - New
Jin Xuan
Kanpai Classic
Lao Zheng Xing
La Patio & La Famille (Sichuan Zhong Lu)
Lei Garden (IAPM & IFC)
PHENIX
Seventh Son
Shang-High
Sir Elly's
Tai'an Table -New
Xin Rong Ji
Yong Fu - New
Yong Yi Ting
— AFP