Bistro in vitro: Virtual restaurant serving in vitro meat

Fancy munching on an Einstein 'Celebrity Cube' for dessert? Or perhaps another cube of meat grown using cell samples from famous personalities?

Welcome to the first virtual lab grown meat restaurant, Bistro In Vitro, where the menu features everything from knitted mince to sausages made from living pigs.

Launced by Dutch artist and philosopher, Koert Mensvoort, Bistro In Vitro is a fictitious restaurant with a conceptual menu of dishes that could be made possible in the future by using lab grown meat.

According to the Bistro in Vitro website, researchers believe that in the future, in vitro meat (produced from animal cells cultured in a bioreactor) could offer a sustainable and animal friendly future. Apparantly the first lab grown hamburger has already been cooked.

The concept has been designed to challenge a wider audience and engage with the possibilities of growing meat using tissue engineering. Online diners will be offered 'food for thought' and the chance to create a three course meal from a selection of dishes using in vitro meat.

And now for the scary bit, if the previous bit hasn't already blown your mind. Dishes have a star rating system with 5 stars representing dishes that are actually able to be made today. One star reflects a dish that probably won't be around for a while yet.

Have a look at some of the examples from the menu and see if you're tempted....

Starter: Lab sweetbreads (4 stars)