Chef Amedeo Ferri "paints" a dessert on a picture-frame plate. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Connections, interpretations and inspirations are highly individual, and every diner may not see precisely what Goo sees. As the old saying goes, the journey is as important as the arrival.

Events connecting art and food are becoming popular at restaurant venues, too. The "connections" don't have to be literal.

At Ce La Vi in Hong Kong, for example, chef Kun Young Pak (Phillip) has designed a menu for Savoring Art Month through the end of March, with fine-art inspired dishes to complement a series of art exhibitions and events at the resort. His seafood poke with its vibrant fresh fish and vegetables takes inspiration from Murakami's flowers and geometric shapes, but not a specific artwork. Blackened miso and a chocolate trio evoke Banksy's mostly monochromatic satirical street art and graffiti.