iPad Digital Menus: The Art of Food Design at Langham Place2 min read
iPad digital menus embody the very definition of food design and reflect the five-star hotel’s passion for culinary artistry.
Time Magazine once called it the “Best Art Gallery Masquerading as a Hotel.” Langham Place, Mongkok, Hong Kong, it said, “houses one of the world’s largest collections of modern Chinese art.” The hotel also houses a superb wine collection. Unveiled by Langham Place’s two Michelin-starred, Ming Court, last September, Ming Cellar now houses over 400 wines “from 16 different countries and from over 90 regions,” ranging from Gran Sasso, Montepulciano, Abruzzo, Italy, 2007, which costs only HK$320 (about $41.00 USD) per bottle to Pétrus, Pomerol, France, 2001, at HK$38,000 (approximately USD$4,875.00) per bottle.
The entire collection is catalogued on iPad digital menus, along with detailed information on each label, and wine pairing tips from Ming Cellar’s sommelier, Zachary Yu, who is known affectionately as “Wine Guy, Zach.” Hotel Designs says the iPad digital menus are a hit with Ming Court’s guests; besides housing the hotel’s wine list, Ming Cellar’s iPad digital menus “engage guests in a series of wine-related entertainment.” Wine Guy, Zach, plans to develop even “more captivating features” for the iPad digital menus over the next few months.
The iPad digital menus have been so successful for Ming Cellar; Langham Place has replaced its traditional paper menus with 30 iPad digital menus in three of its other dining venues: Tokoro – Robatayaki & Whisky Bar, Portal – Work & Play, and The Backyard. The hotel’s Executive Assistant Manager – Food and Beverage, Elaine Joe, says that, before converting to the iPad digital menus, the hotel could only update their old paper menus with new items on a seasonal basis. Implementing the iPad digital menus, she said, has “elevated the dining experience” at the hotel’s restaurants, “by creating sparkling surprises on the menu every week.”
Langham Place’s “passion for art certainly extends to [its] kitchens. Each of [its] chefs is a master artist, adept in culinary creativity.” That passion and creativity is reflected by the iPad digital menus which represent the ultimate in food design. Pinch Food Design in New York defines food design as, “The art of displaying food in a way that enhances its integrity while drawing the guest to it with visually stunning, mouth-watering presentation.” IPad digital menus, which present cuisine in photos so life-like they make guests hungry and evoke memories of flavors, are, therefore, the penultimate embodiment of the very definition of food design. iPad digital menus enable guests at each of Langham Place’s unique dining venues to visually sample the chef’s culinary offerings before placing their order.
