The chef, Heston Blumenthal, is known for "molecular gastronomy", being innovative with ingredients, techniques, etc (e.g. he loves liquid nitrogen, but who doesn't), and for involving all the senses. This restaurant got it's 3rd Michelin star in 2004. It won San Pellegrino’s world's best restaurant in 2005 and then was in 2nd place after El Bulli in Spain (which is impossible to get in to with 400 booking requests per table and a limited season Apr-Sept) until Noma bumped them both down by taking the #1 spot in 2010 (see Noma post under Michelin **). Anyway, Heston definitely didn't disappoint, but this place also gets minus points for demanding a credit card number. (Are the restaurants getting greedy/desperate or are their clients really that unreliable, or is it something else?)
The restaurant is located in Bray outside Maidenhead, a 20-60 min train ride from London (depending on which train you catch), and then a 10 min taxi ride from the station. I didn't get a picture of the exterior, but it's basically a nondescript building among all the others in the village, right along the roadside, so the taxi basically has to stop in the middle of the road to let you out. Our reservation was for 13:45 (last lunch order at 14:00), so the place was full and busy when we arrived, but we were the last to leave so it just got more relaxed as more and more people left. There are 15 tables total.
Note: As we were at Gordon Ramsay the previous day, there will inevitably be some direct comparisons.
The staff were dressed in grey "suit" uniforms with a light purple tie. They were quite formal and efficient (and from many different countries, e.g. Italy, Germany, Austria), so that didn't create quite as relaxed an atmosphere as at Gordon Ramsay, but I preferred the interior style of the restaurant at Fat Duck. A modernized old country house feel. I'll put all the interior shots first even though they were taken at different times during the afternoon.
The bathrooms are upstairs, past the well-hidden wine storage area (behind some wood paneling).
In case you need to wait outside the bathrooms
Interior women's (same as men's)
The sink had an interesting design with the water running out along the back
Now to sit and enjoy!
Table decoration
Here are some other table decorations. We actually took such a long time that they apologized profusely and said they needed to start preparing the tables for the dinner service. We jokingly said we'd try to ignore them. They were actually very quiet and it wasn't intrusive. It was actually interesting to observe (at least the one time).
Now for the food. Prepare to be amazed! I'm sure you'll raise your eyebrows at some of the combinations, but everything tasted absolutely amazing, so I won't bother writing "This tasted amazing" by almost every single picture. There was just one dish that I personally thought didn't quite work, but I'll comment on that below.
I started with Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 1998. Quite a filling champagne, almost closer to wine, and not really something to just sip. Good, but I'd choose something else next time.
Some olives to keep you busy while you look at the menu
As I said, we ordered the tasting menu. There were also two wine accompaniment menus. We took one of each, but as about half the wines were the same, we're not sure the higher-priced wine menu was worth it.
Now for a series of starters. Wines: 1990 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese, St. Urbans-Hof, Mosel, Germany and 2004 Collio Bianco, Klin, Primosic, Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, Italy (it differed as to which wine went better with each starter).
They came to the table with some liquid nitrogen, green tea powder, and egg whites, and made a frozen-on-the-outside mousse. They demand you eat it immediately, so I think I irritated our (German?) server by taking a pic first. Too bad for her!
Starter 1: Nitro-Green Tea and Lime Mousse (2001)
To cleanse your palate.
Starter 2: Orange and Beetroot Jelly
They came to the table and explained what it was, and recommended starting with the orange jelly. But we figured out that he was making a point, and sure enough, it was Blood Orange & Yellow Beetroot, so the opposite colors most people would expect.
Starter 3: Oyster, Passion Fruit Jelly, Lavender (with Horseradish Cream underneath)
Starter 4: Pommery Grain Mustard Ice Cream, Red Cabbage Gazpacho
Oak Moss
Then they come out with some oak moss, on top of which is sitting what looks like "breath strips" in the little plastic cases. Of course they're not breath strips, it's another palate cleanser that tasted oaky, and then after you eat them, they pour liquid nitrogen over the oak moss and it covers the table. Beautiful effect!
Last starter: Jelly of Quail, Langoustine Cream, Parfait of Foie Gras, Oak Moss (above) and Truffle Toast
Now for the first course: Snail Porridge, Jabugo Ham, Shaved Fennel
Wines:
2004 Chassagne Montrachet, Michel Niellon, Burgundy, France
2007 Chateauneuf du Pape, Domaine de Beaurenard, France
Roast Foie Gras "Benzaldehyde", Almond Fluid Gel, Cherry and Chamomile
Wine: 2004 Pinot Gris, Rotleibel de Rorschwihr, Rolly Gassmann, Alsace, France.
The candied cherry was extra yummy and not too sweet.
"Sound of the Sea"
Ginjo Sake Dewazakura, Yamagata, Japan
They come out with the shell and iPod and ask that you put it on, that they will explain what you've eaten afterwards, and that everything on top of the glass is edible. The sound was waves crashing and seagulls.
The food is absolutely gorgeous and a work of art both in terms of vision and taste. Somewhere in the middle of eating, you're completely swept away in it and you feel as if you're on the seaside because of the sounds and flavors.
Two years later, this sea experience still amazes me.
Salmon Poached in Liquorice Gel, Artichoke, Vanilla Mayonnaise, and "Manni" Olive Oil
Wine: 2001 Quinta da Leda, Casa Ferreirinha, Douro Valley, Portugal
The pink things are grapefruit. This was the course I personally didn't think quite worked, although Magnus disagreed.
Ballotine of Anjou Pigeon, Black Pudding "Made to Order", Pickling Brine, and Spiced Juices
Wines:
2005 Bolgheri Sassicaia, Tenuta San Guido, Tuscany, Italy
2005 Tokara, Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Petit Verdot, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Hot and Iced Tea (2005)
The left side of the tea was hot, and the right side ice cold with no divider, and the container is a normal temp. Very cool!
Mrs. Marshall's Margaret Cornet
Pine Sherbert Fountain
You dig around in the powder in the container with a roasted vanilla bean (sticking out of the top) and lick it off.
So normally it's pretty easy to pick out the dish that blows your mind, but that was quite difficult at this restaurant. In one way it was the "sound of the sea" as it was visually amazing, however I may have to go with this next one since, while eating it, the only way I could think to describe it was "sex on a plate". (This was the dish that triggered my use of this phrase.)
Mango and Douglas Fir Puree, Bavarois of Lychee and Mango, Black Current Sorbet
Wine: 2005 Breganze Torcolato, Maculan, Veneto, Italy.
Now that we’ve eaten dinner, it’s time for dessert, I mean breakfast.
Parsnip Cereal with Parsnip Milk
Continuing with dessert/breakfast...
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Whee, more liquid nitrogen to make...
Nitro-Scrambled Egg and Bacon Ice Cream (2006), Pain Perdu and Tea Jelly
Wines:
2000 Tokaji Aszu, 6 Puttonyos, Oremus, Hungary
2006 Jurançon, Uroulat, Charles Hours, South West, France.
The tea jelly was light and refreshing and really tied the whole thing together. I believe it is supposed to look like a cracked egg.
Mmmm, cheese! It wasn't part of the tasting menu, but we thought we could squeeze some in if we shared.
Wine: Macon Chardonnay 2006, Clos de la Crochette, Les Heritiers du Comtes Lafon
Ok, one MAJOR complaint about both Gordon Ramsay and The Fat Duck...they had the SAME crackers with the cheese!!! WHAT THE HELL?!?! They were the same shape, same color, same taste, so we're not just imagining things. They should make their OWN bloody crackers!!! I don't care if they're the best crackers in the universe, they should have different ones!
Yellow tea for me
And of course in case you’re still hungry (or have the tiniest bit of space left in your digestive system)...
Petits Fours: Carrot and Orange Lolly, Mandarin Aerated Chocolate, Violet Tartlet, Apple Pie Caramel "Edible Wrapper"
Digestifs:
Eddu Silver Buckwheat Whiskey, Bretagne, France
Vieille Mirabelle, J.P. Metté
Violet Tartlet, Apple Pie Caramel "Edible Wrapper"
I think the violet tartlet was the best
Carrot and Orange Lolly
Mandarin Aerated Chocolate
Yes, they are aerated and with mandarin. How does he do it?
We of course asked for copies of the menu and wines, which we received. As we had different menus due to the chosen wines (one of us took the lower-priced wine menu and the other the higher-priced one), we got 2 different copies. One of them is on a very interesting paper where one side is soft and velvety; it's hard to describe, but extremely interesting.
Perhaps it's obvious, but this restaurant was absolutely amazing (even though it was also more expensive than usual). I think it's the best restaurant I've been to and I would go back. In my opinion, the other three-star restaurant that came close to this in spirit is Pic in Valence, France (see Pic post).
After going to Gordon Ramsay and The Fat Duck, I am confident that my assessment of the NYC restaurants Per Se & Le Bernardin (although very good food, they were on the boring side of traditional and did not surprise or astound) was correct and I'm not jaded. Of course that is part of the reason I go to these restaurants, to be inspired and humbled and wonder "how the hell did they do that?!" I definitely got that here.
I am, however, glad I went to Gordon Ramsay the day before The Fat Duck and not the day after. I'm think I would have been disappointed by GR if it had followed this, but how can one compare anything to this?!
It's a good thing I can't afford any more restaurants for a while since the usual rate is one per year or one every other year, and now I’ve been to four in two months. It may give me time to mentally recover from this experience and give the next restaurant a chance to compete.
Right now I'm closeest to the goal I set for myself in 1999 after eating at my first three-star restaurant: average of one per year. Now I've hit nine in ten years as well as Charlie Trotter's in Chicago and a couple of two-star restaurants.
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