Belgian ‘godfather of molecular pastry’ serves desserts-only meal

Chef Roger van Damme of Michelin-starred Het Gebaar in Antwerp is getting a lot of attention for his incredible dinner made entirely of desserts, reports CNN Travel. Often called the ‘godfather of molecular pastry’, the Belgian chef showed off his beautifully crafted dishes during an innovative five-course ‘dessert for dinner’ event as part of the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok’s annual World Gourmet Festival. Van Damme claims to be inspired by everything from Belgian painter Roger Raveel and the architecture of the famed Brussels Atomium to the Antwerp botanical gardens and the colours of Lego blocks. He acknowledges, however, that a meal made entirely of desserts might prove too sweet for some. And, by the end of the Four Seasons dinner, there were indeed a few people craving something salty. But the taste combinations and ingredients, including bergamot, five-spice, gingerbread, pistachio and clove, as well as fresh fruits, tonka and Belgian chocolate, made the meal less daunting than it sounds. "I try to seduce the diner with the beautiful appearance of the dessert, using different textures and interesting tastes," says Van Damme. "There is a large difference between the levels of sweetness in each dessert: if they were all very sweet, it would indeed be too much."