At one of America's most regarded restaurants, diners are encouraged to throw table manners out the window and eat like a kid with a one-of-a-kind edible balloon.

The completely-edible green apple balloon is just one of around 20 courses on the pricey tasting menu at Chicago's Alinea.

But getting the opportunity to pop or suck the helium out of one of these taffy balloons will set you back. As one of only 12 American restaurants with three Michelin stars (and the only one in Chicago), the menu ranges from $210 to $265 per person depending on the night, according to Eater.

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Eat like a kid: At Alinea restaurant in Chicago, diners are entertained with edible balloons made out of taffy and dehydrated green apple

Culinary mastermind: The edible balloon is the brain child of Alinea head chef and co-owner Grant Achatz (left). On the right, a sous-chef at Alinea prepares one of the famous inflatables

The balloon is the brain child of head chef and co-owner Greg Achatz, who is widely considered to be one of the most important chefs in the world - pushing culinary boundaries with his modernist technique to food.

Achatz and a few sous-chefs recently recorded a video, showing how the balloon is made and presented to each table at Alinea.

The balloon's taffy base is created using a machine that fills it with helium, drawing from the same tank you'd see at kid's birthday.

Method: Achatz and his team at Alinea recently recorded a video showing how they make the famous balloons

Tubes: The taffy balloon is blown up using a tube connected to the same standard tank of helium you'd see at a kid's birthday party

Up it goes: Chefs carefully assemble the rest of the balloon which includes a dehydrated apple string and a dusting of sugar

The inflatable is then tied with a 'string' made of dehydrated grannysmith apple and the whole thing is sprinkled with a dusting of green sugar.

The ballon is then carefully carried out to the table by a server, who gives the diner an option of either poking it with a sharp object, or sucking the helium out.

According to pictures posted on social media, most people go for the latter.

While inhaling helium is childhood pastime as old as time, it should be noted that ingesting too much of the gas can cause a person to pass out and some people have even died after stepping into giant balloons filled with the gas.

And there's also the issue of helium being a finite resource which experts have predicted we may run out of in the next 25-30 years if current consumption patterns continue.

Enjoy! Waiters then carry the ballon out to the table with pinchers and give diners the option of either sucking up the helium or pricking it with a pin

Silly: A diner is filmed going for the helium method, before bursting out into the Star-Spangled Banner

Achatz and his business partner Nick Kokonas opened Alinea in 2005, and it quickly became one of America's must-visit restaurants.

Having a three-star Michelin star qualifies a restaurant as a place worth traveling to, just to eat at.

Achatz's culinary origins, however, are surprisingly humble. He first started cooking when he was a kid, helping his mom and dad at their diner in Michigan.

In July 2007, once he achieved culinary fame, Achatz had a scare when he was diagnosed with stage IV tongue cancer, which threatened to take away his sense of taste. However, five months later he was able to beat the disease into remission.

To prick or not to prick? An Alinea diner ponders popping the edible balloon in this picture posted to Instagram