There’s no doubt there was a hefty dose of pretentiousness involved. But the main problem I have with the writer is they position themselves as being someone who writes about food, so I expect them to walk into an establishment like that armed with certain knowledge. This would include knowing tasting menus in a Michelin star restaurant don’t have a main course; the very fact that it is a Michelin star means there’s likely to be a certain amount of theatre (some may call it pretentiousness) involved; if you want the chef to mess around with the menu, you have to let them know in advance. Sure, they got a lot of views, comments, and support. But for me the writer lost credibility when it comes to writing about food, and they and their friends came across as being quite unpleasant and rude. Maybe the chef was as well, but two wrongs and all that.

They did note that there was no menu, only a scannable code for the meal leading to a video of the chef doing extreme sports. So if anything, they could probably be forgiven for not realizing that they would be served food that they would be allergic to, which would include a large portion of the tasting menu. Hell, they almost certainly didn’t know there would be no main course because there was no information available to judge what they would be eating. Also, if you dislike pretentiousness, what did you think of the chef’s reply?

I take your points, and personally dislike pretentiousness in cooking if it’s just for the sake of it. Of course it should be held to account if the food/service etc. doesn’t warrant the price tag (like the Salt Bae fiasco in London recently) and the experience amounts to little more than a case of the emperor’s new clothes. But, thanks to many of the alarm triggers I’ve mentioned from the review itself (did they consult the restaurant beforehand about dietary requirements as is normally the case with restaurants of this ilk? Why did they expect a tasting menu to have a main course?), I wonder if that was fully the case? It might be, it might not be. We’d only know for sure if we experienced the restaurant first hand. From other food posts on the blogger’s website it looks like their M.O. is ripping the piss out of other countries’ foods.

Art has a habit of becoming a bubble where any criticism is dismissed as a failing on the consumer’s part, and the idea that if the general public likes it you’re not any good is very pervasive, and leads to a perception that you have to do inaccessible, convoluted work to be great. Mozart was popular throughout his life and still is the most renowned composer. The review seems pretty clear to me and mentioned clear issues with service and respect for their customers’ health needs ( a bare minimum), and also stated that there was no attempt to help the diners follow the narrative which should be a given particularly if you’re trying to be “edgy” in a difficult to digest way.
No shame in going too far trying to create something great, just don’t be condescending about it and act like the gods of all art.