As the world braces itself for the reopening’s new normal and wonders what that will look like, a waterside Amsterdam restaurant will be serving guests candlelit plant-based meals in the safety of individual glass greenhouses.

To maintain minimal physical contact with diners, waiters wearing gloves and transparent face shields will serve dishes on long pizza boards.

Mediamatic ETEN, part of a local arts center, conducted a trial run with staff and friends on Monday April 27, 2020 and Tuesday May, 5 in preparation for a possible reopening contingent on restrictions lifting on May 19.

“In these times we are re-inspired by contamination precautions and the redesign of togetherness,” the restaurant wrote in their post about the project. “Our greenhouses protect you from the outside and others while offering you a unique experience of intimate dining.”

The owners have dubbed the project “Serres Séparées” (Separate Greenhouses) because they think it sounds sexier in French. “It suggests a sexy kind of intimacy, here things can happen that should remain hidden from plain sight and not be heard by all. We’ve decided to name our greenhouses in French too. Although what happens inside will be a lot more public…”

The restaurant, which advertises “creating dining experiences designed to feel a sensorial orgasm,” serves plant-based dishes based on the availability of seasonal ingredients that they pick from their own aquaponics garden and also collaborates with local farmers.

Suggested for two or three people already living together, the private four-course meals will cost €100 (about $108) for two people–and although scheduled to run through June, they have already sold out.

Photos: Willem Velthoven for Mediamatic Amsterdam.