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Ok, so today, I had the immense pleasure of going to the Fat Duck for lunch to enjoy the Tasting Menu.
Let me start by saying that I have been a big fan of Heston for quite some time, and this has been very high up on my to do list. It is not easy to get a place mind you, with bookings only opening two months in advance. To put this into perspective, this is, for me, a belated 21st present, and my birthday was in December.
14 Courses, took us almost five hours. We did slow down quite a bit in courses, and it is recommended to allow at least three and a half by the site itself.
Let us begin
We arrived, about fifteen minutes early, at 11:45, and as such, had a bit of a wander around Bray, which is quite clearly a lovely village. Seeing as I was there, I figured I would wander down to the Waterside Inn:
The Waterside Inn by King Damager, on Flickr
We swiftly returned however, to The Fat Duck itself. Right in the centre of Bray, with parking easily done in the Hinds Head (I believe another pub in Bray owned by Heston). The restaurant itself is fairly discreet, and is marked most prominently by the sign outside:
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
We started promptly at 12 with the food:
Nitro Poached Aperitifs
The Nitro Poached Aperitifs included a Beetroot and Horseradish bite that was absolutely delicious:
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
We then, advanced to the Aperitifs themselves, where we were given a choice of Vodka and Green Tea, Gin and tonic and Tequila. This was perhaps one of the biggest 'show' pieces we had of the day, as it was made almost live in front of us:
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
As a first course this worked really very well as a pallet cleanser. Between the three of us who went in my group, we each one. I went for the Gin & Tonic myself, and it was certainly more Gin than Tonic, but unbelievably delicious. One of each, would have been nice however.
Red Cabbage Gazpacho
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
The Red Cabbage Gazpacho was served with a Pommery grain mustard ice cream. It was, again very nice, even if the ice cream did stick slightly to the spoon. The oddity was strong with this one, with savoury ice cream being an unusual and new concept to me.
Jelly of Quail, Crayfish Cream
The Jelly of Quail consisted of, the Jelly of quail, with crayfish cream, layered on top a Chicken Liver Parfait and a Pea Puree of some kind
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
It also came with Truffle Toast
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
and 'Oak Moss'
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
The Oak Moss, was again, more theatrics, but did also help to add an oaky smell to the air. The Truffle Toast was delicious, and to be honest completely flawless. The Jelly of Quail 'bowl' was exceptionally rich, in particular the crayfish cream, and chicken parfait. What's more the pea layer underneath didn't add vast amounts of flavour and were more a texture based item in my opinion. That said, it was still a fantastic course.
Snail Porridge
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
A well known dish, it was served with Iberico Bellota Ham and Shaved Fennel. Overall it was a very nice dish. I've had Snails before, but never without Garlic Butter. This was a fantastic dish, and possibly one of the more enjoyable of the 'famous' dishes that are currently on the Tasting Menu.
Roast Foie Gras
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
Served with Gooseberry, Confit Kombu and Crab Biscuits.
There was also some seaweed underneath, and some form of seed on top. Combined together this made for an absolutely delicious meal. No faults can be made of this dish, but at the same time it also didn't truly wow me.
Mad Hatter's Tea Party
Again, a very famous dish, it comes with a gold coated stop watch which you dunk into a tea pot of hot water, and swirl
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
You pour this into your cup which already has a small assortment of ingredients, to make Mock Turtle Soup:
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
and are also served the Mad Hatter's 'Hat' with two small sandwiches each on.
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
Again, quite a famous, and 'show' piece. I have to say, the essence of this is the gold watch, which is in it's basic form a gold leafed stock cube (admittedly a very good one). The flavour of the soup was actually a bit of a let down. It had quite a radish flavour to mine, which was slightly overpowering by the end of the soup. The sandwiches however were absolutely delicious, and the soup in its early stages also. Furthermore you received a bookmark which explained the origins of Mock Turtle Soup, and how it was effectively made from calves head and feet. The Soup certainly had quite a heavy flavour which did stick with you for quite a few courses.
Sound of the Sea
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
I have no idea what was really in this meal in terms of ingredients. It is served with a shell (as shown) with an iPod inside playing some wave sounds, which I must admit was very soothing. The meal itself, was admittedly a bit of a disappointment. Again quite a famous meal, whilst some elements were nice (I could eat shovels of the 'sand'), others were weaker (the foam was far too salty, tasted like seawater, and left by my entire party). Whilst I appreciate the seawater is part of the sea, it's not really a flavour I want to be eating in a meal. Other elements too, in my mind had far too much sea water in them. Generally, given the hype of this dish, I was sorely disappointed.
Salmon Poached In a Liquorice Gel
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
An interesting dish, I wasn't sure it worked. It had a number of elements including artichokes, vanilla mayonnaise and golden trout roe, along with pink grapefruit and a swirl of spanish oil to finish.
In my mind, this, along with the two previous courses comprised the worst three courses on the menu. The salmon here was absolutely lovely, however compared to the strength and richness of the previous two dishes, did taste a bit weak in terms of flavour. The Liquorice Gel I also found to not really taste of liquorice, and the seasoning (peppercorns) to be not finely ground enough. If you bit into one that entire bite tasted or pepper. Roe, is not something that I myself enjoy, so I left to the side. The Vanilla Mayonaise was ok, and the pink grapefruit was lovely, but did nothing for the artichokes. I have seen in the Fat Duck cookbook that a variation of this meal was served with asparagus instead, and, in my mind this would have worked much better.
Lamb with Cucumber
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
Served with green pepper and caviar oil and a side dish of various cubes of meat:
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
The main itself, was really, quite exquisite. The lamb was fantastically cooked. I have never, ever had lamb which was quite so melt in your mouth fantastic. The sauce it was served with was also very nice, and it went well with the cucumber, (toasted, I think), and accompanying sauces. The biggest issue on this plate was the caviar oil, which wasn't too my taste. The side was served with three cubes of meat, which I'm not sure of quite what they were (although I suspect various lamb cuts), and they were again, truly exquisitely cooked. A great course really.
Hot & Iced Tea
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
By this point in time, you are feeling quite full, and not looking forward to more rich food. Enter, Hot & Iced Tea. This dish truly had a fantastic ability to completely refresh you, following from the main. Also, it's novel. Very, very novel. From the cookbook, my understanding is this is one of the oldest dishes that has lasted through the years, and it certainly deserves its place on the menu! The combination of hot and cold was truly amazing, and an incredible dish. Possibly my favourite on the entire menu in fact.
Clove Caramelised Blackberries
The Clover Caramlised Blackberries,
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
Was served with a side of Hojicha Tea Ice Cream Cornet:
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
Let's start, as I did with the Cornet. I ate this pretty much whole, and in my mind this was the best way to eat it. The tea leaves on top of the ice cream were a bit strong a taste to begin with, but afterwards the softness of the ice cream, and the jelly, jam or compote (whichever it was) that sat in the bottom of the cone was very nice, and made up for the initial shock.
The Blackberries were again absolutely gorgeous, with some form of aerated fruit and a tartan white chocolate paper, that again, was absolutely delicious. A very solid course, and one of the favourites amongst all there.
Eggs in Verjus, Verjus in Eggs
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
Slightly theatrical again in that you had to split the egg open yourself:
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
This dish was a pleasant surprise, odd, but lovely. The egg itself was a white chocolate egg, and of course, completely edible. The nest and orange it was on was again truly very nice. That said, it wasn't a stand out dish, and happily settles in the middle of the dishes in terms of flavour and desire. If I could only pick a limited number of courses from the Tasting Menu to try again, this probably wouldn't make the cut, with other dishes being simply better.
Whisk(e)y Gums
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
Five gums were provided, with an order recommended to eat them in. The whiskys on offer, and in order are:
Glenlivet, Oban, Highland Park, Laphroaig and Jack Daniels.
Being somewhat of a whisky fan, I was looking forward to this dish. It did not disappoint. We were instructed to take a gum, place it on your tongue, and just let it dissolve, and wow. The flavours really developed well through this method. This dish we did spend quite a bit of time eating, however it was worth it, and very very nice. Even anyone who doesn't like Whisky should try these. They hold true to the flavours, but being gums are slightly sweeter and slightly subtler in their flavouring. If only they sold these in bags in the shops...
Like a Kid in a Sweet Shop
I believe, this is the most recent addition to the menu, and something that had an entire video devoted to it with narration from John Hurt. Prior to going to the restaurant we had received an email with three viewings per guest of a video that described a sweet shop in much the way Willy Wonka would, or you had with Olivander's wands in Harry Potter.
You were presented with a simple, pink and white bag and multicoloured plate:
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
Inside, was a menu:
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
and four sweets:
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
The queen of hearts was particularly impressive:
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
This, was a fantastic dish, however I shall address each 'sweet' by itself.
The Aerated Chocolate: Think Jaffa Cake Aero, but ten times lighter, and so much softer in the mouth. It's incredible.
Coconut Baccy: Possibly my least favourite in the bag, this was still an incredible item, and I still have some left as you get a reasonable amount.
Apple Pie Caramel - with edible wrapper: Lovely, and exactly what you would expect. The wrapper did take a while to melt in your mouth, but was delicious.
The Queen of Hearts - The show-piece of this course, it was a jam tart inside, inside a white chocolate shell. The shell was extravagantly sprayed on both sides to look like a card, and, came in an envelope sealed with the Fat Duck stamp.
Overall course was fantastic.
Kitchen Tour
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
Finally after the meal we were asked if we'd like to have a look at the Kitchen. This is only the fat duck kitchen (not where quite a bit of the cooking is done), but we did get to meet the chef, and have a look at what must be one of the smallest Michelin starred kitchens around. A nice way to end the meal.
Conclusion
The high points of the meal was really the entire desert course, and the low point was really the three courses of Mad Hatter's Tea Party, Sound of the Sea, and Salmon in Liquorice Gel. It was entirely worth the £195 price (for tasting menu), and absolutely delicious (although still had room for improvement) I'm not sure it's something you'd ever do twice, but I would more than happily go again! Truly fantastic cuisine, and I suspect I'll be waxing lyrical for months about it!
Points to note
Everything else was, as to be expected, from an expensive restaurant.
kd
Let me start by saying that I have been a big fan of Heston for quite some time, and this has been very high up on my to do list. It is not easy to get a place mind you, with bookings only opening two months in advance. To put this into perspective, this is, for me, a belated 21st present, and my birthday was in December.
14 Courses, took us almost five hours. We did slow down quite a bit in courses, and it is recommended to allow at least three and a half by the site itself.
Let us begin
We arrived, about fifteen minutes early, at 11:45, and as such, had a bit of a wander around Bray, which is quite clearly a lovely village. Seeing as I was there, I figured I would wander down to the Waterside Inn:
The Waterside Inn by King Damager, on Flickr
We swiftly returned however, to The Fat Duck itself. Right in the centre of Bray, with parking easily done in the Hinds Head (I believe another pub in Bray owned by Heston). The restaurant itself is fairly discreet, and is marked most prominently by the sign outside:
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
We started promptly at 12 with the food:
Nitro Poached Aperitifs
The Nitro Poached Aperitifs included a Beetroot and Horseradish bite that was absolutely delicious:
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
We then, advanced to the Aperitifs themselves, where we were given a choice of Vodka and Green Tea, Gin and tonic and Tequila. This was perhaps one of the biggest 'show' pieces we had of the day, as it was made almost live in front of us:
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
As a first course this worked really very well as a pallet cleanser. Between the three of us who went in my group, we each one. I went for the Gin & Tonic myself, and it was certainly more Gin than Tonic, but unbelievably delicious. One of each, would have been nice however.
Red Cabbage Gazpacho
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
The Red Cabbage Gazpacho was served with a Pommery grain mustard ice cream. It was, again very nice, even if the ice cream did stick slightly to the spoon. The oddity was strong with this one, with savoury ice cream being an unusual and new concept to me.
Jelly of Quail, Crayfish Cream
The Jelly of Quail consisted of, the Jelly of quail, with crayfish cream, layered on top a Chicken Liver Parfait and a Pea Puree of some kind
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
It also came with Truffle Toast
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
and 'Oak Moss'
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
The Oak Moss, was again, more theatrics, but did also help to add an oaky smell to the air. The Truffle Toast was delicious, and to be honest completely flawless. The Jelly of Quail 'bowl' was exceptionally rich, in particular the crayfish cream, and chicken parfait. What's more the pea layer underneath didn't add vast amounts of flavour and were more a texture based item in my opinion. That said, it was still a fantastic course.
Snail Porridge
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
A well known dish, it was served with Iberico Bellota Ham and Shaved Fennel. Overall it was a very nice dish. I've had Snails before, but never without Garlic Butter. This was a fantastic dish, and possibly one of the more enjoyable of the 'famous' dishes that are currently on the Tasting Menu.
Roast Foie Gras
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
Served with Gooseberry, Confit Kombu and Crab Biscuits.
There was also some seaweed underneath, and some form of seed on top. Combined together this made for an absolutely delicious meal. No faults can be made of this dish, but at the same time it also didn't truly wow me.
Mad Hatter's Tea Party
Again, a very famous dish, it comes with a gold coated stop watch which you dunk into a tea pot of hot water, and swirl
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
You pour this into your cup which already has a small assortment of ingredients, to make Mock Turtle Soup:
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
and are also served the Mad Hatter's 'Hat' with two small sandwiches each on.
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
Again, quite a famous, and 'show' piece. I have to say, the essence of this is the gold watch, which is in it's basic form a gold leafed stock cube (admittedly a very good one). The flavour of the soup was actually a bit of a let down. It had quite a radish flavour to mine, which was slightly overpowering by the end of the soup. The sandwiches however were absolutely delicious, and the soup in its early stages also. Furthermore you received a bookmark which explained the origins of Mock Turtle Soup, and how it was effectively made from calves head and feet. The Soup certainly had quite a heavy flavour which did stick with you for quite a few courses.
Sound of the Sea
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
I have no idea what was really in this meal in terms of ingredients. It is served with a shell (as shown) with an iPod inside playing some wave sounds, which I must admit was very soothing. The meal itself, was admittedly a bit of a disappointment. Again quite a famous meal, whilst some elements were nice (I could eat shovels of the 'sand'), others were weaker (the foam was far too salty, tasted like seawater, and left by my entire party). Whilst I appreciate the seawater is part of the sea, it's not really a flavour I want to be eating in a meal. Other elements too, in my mind had far too much sea water in them. Generally, given the hype of this dish, I was sorely disappointed.
Salmon Poached In a Liquorice Gel
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
An interesting dish, I wasn't sure it worked. It had a number of elements including artichokes, vanilla mayonnaise and golden trout roe, along with pink grapefruit and a swirl of spanish oil to finish.
In my mind, this, along with the two previous courses comprised the worst three courses on the menu. The salmon here was absolutely lovely, however compared to the strength and richness of the previous two dishes, did taste a bit weak in terms of flavour. The Liquorice Gel I also found to not really taste of liquorice, and the seasoning (peppercorns) to be not finely ground enough. If you bit into one that entire bite tasted or pepper. Roe, is not something that I myself enjoy, so I left to the side. The Vanilla Mayonaise was ok, and the pink grapefruit was lovely, but did nothing for the artichokes. I have seen in the Fat Duck cookbook that a variation of this meal was served with asparagus instead, and, in my mind this would have worked much better.
Lamb with Cucumber
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
Served with green pepper and caviar oil and a side dish of various cubes of meat:
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
The main itself, was really, quite exquisite. The lamb was fantastically cooked. I have never, ever had lamb which was quite so melt in your mouth fantastic. The sauce it was served with was also very nice, and it went well with the cucumber, (toasted, I think), and accompanying sauces. The biggest issue on this plate was the caviar oil, which wasn't too my taste. The side was served with three cubes of meat, which I'm not sure of quite what they were (although I suspect various lamb cuts), and they were again, truly exquisitely cooked. A great course really.
Hot & Iced Tea
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
By this point in time, you are feeling quite full, and not looking forward to more rich food. Enter, Hot & Iced Tea. This dish truly had a fantastic ability to completely refresh you, following from the main. Also, it's novel. Very, very novel. From the cookbook, my understanding is this is one of the oldest dishes that has lasted through the years, and it certainly deserves its place on the menu! The combination of hot and cold was truly amazing, and an incredible dish. Possibly my favourite on the entire menu in fact.
Clove Caramelised Blackberries
The Clover Caramlised Blackberries,
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
Was served with a side of Hojicha Tea Ice Cream Cornet:
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
Let's start, as I did with the Cornet. I ate this pretty much whole, and in my mind this was the best way to eat it. The tea leaves on top of the ice cream were a bit strong a taste to begin with, but afterwards the softness of the ice cream, and the jelly, jam or compote (whichever it was) that sat in the bottom of the cone was very nice, and made up for the initial shock.
The Blackberries were again absolutely gorgeous, with some form of aerated fruit and a tartan white chocolate paper, that again, was absolutely delicious. A very solid course, and one of the favourites amongst all there.
Eggs in Verjus, Verjus in Eggs
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
Slightly theatrical again in that you had to split the egg open yourself:
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
This dish was a pleasant surprise, odd, but lovely. The egg itself was a white chocolate egg, and of course, completely edible. The nest and orange it was on was again truly very nice. That said, it wasn't a stand out dish, and happily settles in the middle of the dishes in terms of flavour and desire. If I could only pick a limited number of courses from the Tasting Menu to try again, this probably wouldn't make the cut, with other dishes being simply better.
Whisk(e)y Gums
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
Five gums were provided, with an order recommended to eat them in. The whiskys on offer, and in order are:
Glenlivet, Oban, Highland Park, Laphroaig and Jack Daniels.
Being somewhat of a whisky fan, I was looking forward to this dish. It did not disappoint. We were instructed to take a gum, place it on your tongue, and just let it dissolve, and wow. The flavours really developed well through this method. This dish we did spend quite a bit of time eating, however it was worth it, and very very nice. Even anyone who doesn't like Whisky should try these. They hold true to the flavours, but being gums are slightly sweeter and slightly subtler in their flavouring. If only they sold these in bags in the shops...
Like a Kid in a Sweet Shop
I believe, this is the most recent addition to the menu, and something that had an entire video devoted to it with narration from John Hurt. Prior to going to the restaurant we had received an email with three viewings per guest of a video that described a sweet shop in much the way Willy Wonka would, or you had with Olivander's wands in Harry Potter.
You were presented with a simple, pink and white bag and multicoloured plate:
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
Inside, was a menu:
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
and four sweets:
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
The queen of hearts was particularly impressive:
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
This, was a fantastic dish, however I shall address each 'sweet' by itself.
The Aerated Chocolate: Think Jaffa Cake Aero, but ten times lighter, and so much softer in the mouth. It's incredible.
Coconut Baccy: Possibly my least favourite in the bag, this was still an incredible item, and I still have some left as you get a reasonable amount.
Apple Pie Caramel - with edible wrapper: Lovely, and exactly what you would expect. The wrapper did take a while to melt in your mouth, but was delicious.
The Queen of Hearts - The show-piece of this course, it was a jam tart inside, inside a white chocolate shell. The shell was extravagantly sprayed on both sides to look like a card, and, came in an envelope sealed with the Fat Duck stamp.
Overall course was fantastic.
Kitchen Tour
The Fat Duck by King Damager, on Flickr
Finally after the meal we were asked if we'd like to have a look at the Kitchen. This is only the fat duck kitchen (not where quite a bit of the cooking is done), but we did get to meet the chef, and have a look at what must be one of the smallest Michelin starred kitchens around. A nice way to end the meal.
Conclusion
The high points of the meal was really the entire desert course, and the low point was really the three courses of Mad Hatter's Tea Party, Sound of the Sea, and Salmon in Liquorice Gel. It was entirely worth the £195 price (for tasting menu), and absolutely delicious (although still had room for improvement) I'm not sure it's something you'd ever do twice, but I would more than happily go again! Truly fantastic cuisine, and I suspect I'll be waxing lyrical for months about it!
Points to note
- Wine - We chose not to have wine. There is a wide selection of bottles available (they offer a book of a menu), but you can also have a £135 wine tasting menu with your meal. Personally, I think given the richness in some of the earlier dishes, adding wine would have been a bit too much, and even though we had a glass of (very nice)wine, mine was left largely untouched and I mostly drank the water.
- Bread - You are served a choice of two breads early on throughout the 'starters' (a whole grain, and a sour bread), and I tried both. Both were very good, but I personally preferred the whole grain, and opted for that again when asked which I would like the following time. The butter it came with was ample, and also delicious.
- Dress code - Most people were wearing jeans and a shirt. Officially the dresscode is 'whatever you feel comfortable in' and I geuinely think they have no major issue with what you wear. That said, I went in Jeans, a decent t shirt and an open shirt, and felt slightly under dressed.
Everything else was, as to be expected, from an expensive restaurant.
kd
