Canapes just went crazy

But imagine the look on your neighbour's face as you bite into a crumbled oyster or when you are let loose on some Heston-esque frozen green tea foam or deconstructed lemon meringue pie.

This summer party season, head chefs at some of London's top catering companies are deploying shock tactics to get the guests talking. In Clapham, after a morning spent preparing futuristic nibbles for Bubble Food, which has recently launched its Molecular Canapés section, Alejandro Diaz is eager to see if his latest creations can get us chatting.

We are each handed a cocktail glass containing a white mixture, with instructions not to bite too hard on the red ball within. As the taste of goat's cheese fills our mouths, the red ball suddenly pops, giving way to the sweet sensation of beetroot. It is a bizarre combination but worth it for the overall taste and, before we know it, all six of us are considering how he could possibly have constructed it.

The same goes for the frozen green tea foam. Diaz places a spoonful of green tea and lime mousse into a cloud of the vapour that is bubbling from a flask of liquid nitrogen and within minutes our raised eyebrows and stares are replaced with sounds of "mmm" as the slippery, citrus-smelling balls instantly disappear on our tongues.

At Lambeth-based events company Nomad, which, like high-end caterer Rhubarb, caters for fashion heavyweights including Stella McCartney and Dolce & Gabbana, more orders are now being taken for food art and experimental canapés than for the usual suspects of old - and not only because they kick-start conversations.

Nomad's events director Michael Namock says he is currently designing a range of alcoholic milkshakes and alcoholic candyfloss for one client, which he hopes will prove popular.

"We're finding that the experimental stuff works well as a quick taster rather than for the main meal and it goes down a storm. People have become much more knowledgeable about food and about how it's produced. It's fun to be at an event that is really visual and it gives the chefs a chance to interact with the guests rather than being tucked away in the kitchen," he tells me, midway through planning a party for 1,000 people which might include anything from a nitro skewer of honeycomb, salted caramel and milk chocolate to a strawberry with cream and balsamic snow.

Unsurprisingly, giving your guests something to talk about doesn't come cheap: party hosts wanting top-notch canapés will pay a premium, with prices per head between £2 and £4. This enables caterers to cover the high production costs, which is something Paul Tvaroh, owner of Shoreditch cocktail den Lounge Bohemia, understands.

Tvaroh's private commissions include canapés such as mock tuna sashimi made from melon or super-sour dried Martina cherries.

He admits people's reactions can be surprising: "Some are good, some not. But even though a lot of work goes into them - for example, some canapés I make take an hour to prepare but are gone in three minutes - it's loads of fun and they are very popular."

Of course, if you aren't hosting a party any time soon, check out the new east London bar and restaurant Worship Street Whistling Shop. We hear Dragon's Breath Popcorn will shortly be arriving on the menu.

bubblefood; nomadlondon.co.uk; rhubarb.net; loungebohemia.com; whistlingshop.com