Personal work – a Koi collaboration

PERSONAL WORK | Post-Modern Dining For The Fine
Tanya Zouev & Reynold Poernomo from Koi

PROJECT DATE
July 2019

A series of conceptual food images based on The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe, a fictitious venue that appears in one of my all time favourite science fiction books and TV series written by Douglas Adams. This classic space traveller’s manifesto is the The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, and I wanted to know what you could actually eat there were you ever to actually go.

I pitched the idea to Reynold Poernomo from Koi Dessert Bar and he was excited to come up with a menu to match the space-travel idea. We created a six course degustation consisting of:

– Sorrel Bloom – coconut tart with bonito cream & sorrel.

– Bubble Tea – parmesan foam with porcini tea, served with a mochi donut filled with brown butter potato cream.

– From The Herb Garden – green bouquet with rose vinaigrette, creme fraiche & brik pastry.

– Otherworld Quail – BBQ quail with pumpkin puree, jus & red elk.

– By The Fire – geranium parfait with brown butter almond and yuzu marshmallow, toasted over charcoal soaked with overproofed rum.

– ⁠Mysterious Black Box – yuzu caramel, hazelnut, caramelised chocolate cremeux, palm sugar genoa.

It ended up quite the delicious menu to travel all the way to the end of the universe for. The only thing missing was a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster, but I’m pretty sure they could mix one up for you once you got there.

(Footnote – anybody born before the mid 1980’s will have no idea what I’m talking about so do yourself a favour if you’re into science fiction and google it).

Photography and retouching by Tanya Zouev | Food styling by Reynold Poernemo | Set styling and merchandising by Janet Mitchell.