The Fat Duck Restaurant Review

West End Office: City Office: In Review: The Fat Duck The fundamentals Address: High Street, Bray, Berkshire SL6 2AQ Telephone: + thefatduck.co.uk A snapshot The Fat Duck is a brand synonymous with experimentation, liquid nitrogen, multi-sensory adventures and Heston Blumenthal. But whereas the cynics might presume his flagship restaurant to be little greater than extravagant gimmicks and a pricey wine record, we discovered his three-starred tour de force to be a novel and exhilarating gastronomic expertise. Tiger rating: 4.5/5 Great for: enterprise lunches, social lunches, group dining, particular occasions A little bit of background The experience at three-Michelin-starred Fat Duck begins a month earlier than D-Day, when we obtain a questionnaire asking, ‘What makes you're feeling like a kid in a candy shop?’ and ‘What nostalgic memory transports you to the second?’ This proves to be a sign of issues to come, because the expertise at Fat Duck is ALL about nostalgia, fond ch ildhood reminiscences and the transportation to a special time. Blumenthal’s concept is straightforward, however the execution is anything but, and while some have criticised him for taking his attention away from the food and in the direction of gimmicks, I’d argue that all these components â€" the toys, science and storytelling â€" are critical components in waking our inside kids. The food Upon arrival, the menu (which lists some 17, 18, or 19 courses) is offered as a map. We are knowledgeable by the ‘storyteller’ (sure, that’s the official job title) that we are all travelling collectively on a summer time holiday to the seaside. Each course represents a selected experience on the trip. We opted for the wine pairing, which ventured past the basic champagne, white and red to choices such as orange wine and sake. For me, the wide selection of alcohol was somewhat extreme. If I had my time once more, I’d choose one good bottle and persist with it. The menu (or map) is m ade up of the next: 1. The day earlier than we go: Are we nearly there? 2. Morning: Rise and Shine, it’s breakfast time 3. Mid-morning: First one to see the sea four. Afternoon: If you go all the way down to the woods right now 5. Evening: Are you ready for dinner 6. Bedtime: Of to the land of nod 7. And then to dream At every of those phases, we enjoy between one and five courses â€" all of that are launched by our storyteller. Intermittently, we're shocked by a nostalgic memento they’ve ready (a result of the questionnaire we had filled out forward of time). For instance, I had mentioned that apple timber and pine cones jogged my memory of childhood reminiscences; at one level a mini apple tree took centrestage, as pine-scented dry ice enveloped the desk. At breakfast time, we get pleasure from an eighties-fashion breakfast menu in the form of a ‘variety pack’ of cereal, ‘tea’ and ‘coffee’. As to be anticipated, nothing is what it appears. The cereal represents cru nchy morsels of full English flavoured breakfast bites. The sizzling drinks are, in reality, half scorching, half cold creations. Our journey to the seaside is a thrill. We take pleasure in ice lotions, chase crabs in rock pools and listen to the waves crashing on the shore. In literal phrases, this interprets to salmon, avocado and horseradish ‘twisters’, crab and passionfruit ninety nine’s, crab velouté, and the famed ‘Sound of the Sea’. The latter actually includes plugging in earphones and listening to waves crashing. A favorite moment involved watching the waiter pour velouté over the crab ‘shell’ and seeing it dissolve as the storyteller defined that the naughty little crabs ran away. The trip to the woods received mixed reviews among our get together. Our first mushroom-primarily based course wasn’t well received, nevertheless the hotly awaited mock turtle soup was every bit as scrumptious as we’d hoped, as was the toast sandwich. So far, it’s been a inc redible day out, however our storyteller informs us we need to dress for our three-course dinner. We go on to benefit from the extra ‘conventional’ dishes of the night â€" and they're exemplary. It occurred to me that Heston might use this moment to smirk at those that accuse him of hiding behind gimmicks: there’s little doubt that he can do traditional nice dining with the rest of them. The outcomes are an ideal steadiness of texture, flavour and decadence. At bedtime, the lights above our table dim and lullabies begin to play. A sleepy-looking white dish arrives on a floating pillow (literally). While outstanding in its presentation, the dish was a bit milky for all our tastes. To conclude, a dolls house-type sweet store is trundled over to our desk because the storyteller cranks the leaver, prompting varied drawers to pop open and bestow us with the final quirky treats of the day. The venue The venue was refurbished in 2015 following a £2.7m renovation however, on first im pression, the fruits of their investment are not obvious. The physical venue is, merely put, underwhelming. Perhaps the money went towards research and kitchen equipment as a substitute? The restaurant is definitely accessed from London and is handily positioned near Heathrow Airport. One member of our lunch get together even took a 15-minute cab to the airport directly from the restaurant. There is also a wonderful selection of lodges and B&Bs nearby to which you'll retreat afterwards. In summary Everything in regards to the food, the menu and the expertise was thrilling. Personally, I liked the attention to element and the personalisation of the menu to our individual preferences. If I had been to return, I’d make a couple of changes. Firstly, I’d go for a stroll afterwards. Secondly, I’d steer away from the wine pairing. The mixture of champagne, sake, white wine, red wine, orange wine and dessert wine was just a bit excessive for the senses, when sitting alongside the shee r variety of the meals. PAs, if you’re planning a visit yourselves â€" or in your principal â€" it’s an unforgettable and unique experience. A tip: ask the restaurant to shock them with a tour of the wine cellar before the meals is served. It’s a deal with. 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