The WooHoo restaurant has become one of the most talked-about gastronomic spots in Dubai due to its recent innovations.
Fine dining restaurants have long been accustomed to surprising guests, but the Dubai restaurant WooHoo has decided to go further than anyone else by making artificial intelligence the main menu developer instead of an experimental chef. The innovative system Chef Aiman creates recipes that look as if they have come from a science fiction film: from "dinosaur tartare" to seaweed oil served with marble beef.
Despite the loud name, the AI does not work at the stove – it is responsible for the concept and the formation of flavor combinations. As Ridlife.ru reports, the algorithm is trained on thousands of recipes, molecular gastronomy research, and databases on the chemical properties of products. Based on these data sets, Chef Aiman suggests combinations that WooHoo calls new gastronomic hypotheses.
The most discussed item on the menu has, of course, become the "dinosaur tartare," which the restaurant describes as an attempt to "recreate the taste of extinct reptiles." The actual composition of the dish is kept secret, but it is known that the base is duck, and the presentation is accompanied by an unusual "breathing" plate. The cost of a portion translates to about £44.
Other experiments include seaweed oil – a product with a rich umami flavor that pairs perfectly with wagyu cooked in a Japanese clay pot. The AI suggested such combinations due to the high natural glutamate content in the seaweed and its ability to enhance meaty notes.
However, there is still no readiness to fully entrust the kitchen to the algorithm. The final touches and taste control remain with the human – chef Serhat Karangfil. He admitted that he does not always agree with the AI's decisions and adjusts the recipes after tasting.
The project developers explain that Chef Aiman uses data on guests' taste preferences, product structures, and chemical reactions. This allows for the creation of dishes that can surprise even experienced gourmets. Nevertheless, many experts are skeptical about the idea of an AI chef, pointing to the lack of intuition and organoleptic experience, which remain unique human skills.
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