The Fat Duck

The Fat Duck 18 April 2012 at 16:56  

General review :

Bill: 450 GBP (2 guests).

Alan J. (516 Reputation Points)

This is another of my favourite restaurants in the world. It is set in the small village of Bray just 500m. from The Waterside Inn. The room and the ambience are very cozy and intimate. The service is excellent and the Maître d', Dimitris, is really fantastic (and a very good friend too). There is only 1 Tasting Menu at 180 £ and it is a unique and creative experience. Heston Blumenthal is one of the greatest Chefs in the world and the Menu he has created is really amazing. You will spend 4 hours of amusement and fun and you will try some of the best creative plates... I highly recommend it to everyone! It's an experience that a person should try once in his life. I didn't see this restaurant was in the Bistro Chic category... it should definitely be in the Gourmet category. I've changed my rating, because in this category it deserves certainly 20 points!

Nothing to say

The Fat Duck 1 July 2010 at 12:16  

General review :

Bill: 250 GBP (1 guest).

Christophe P. (418 Reputation Points)

Cuisine moléculaire, un test des papilles gustatives

The Fat Duck 15 April 2010 at 13:51  

General review :

Bill: 550 GBP (2 guests).

Patrick B. (311 Reputation Points)

Extraordinary menu, misunderstood by some for all its innovation to be an exercise in gimmickry, rather than an exploration of taste, memory and umami. Incredibly appropriate wine pairings. Sweets to take home! My friend ate them. Bah. NB formerly only bookable by a telephone line which became jammed at 10am Mon-Fri as people tried to book, you can now book for weekday lunch via the new website. Tables for four are easier to get than tables for two it seems, so partner up!

I'm really not sure about the salmon poached in liquorice which regularly features on the menu. Menu does not change frequently and so repeat visits are perhaps disincentivised. However, there is the Hind's Head Hotel across the road which serves amazing pub classics.

The Fat Duck 1 November 2009 at 17:48  

General review :

Caitriona H. (1035 Reputation Points)

I don’t know how to describe how AWESOME the Fat Duck is- the presentation is outstanding and theatrical, the taste was fabulous. Although I knew that I was in for a treat- nothing prepared me for what came. This was by far the craziest, eclectic, eccentric and tastiest food I have ever tasted. Heston Blumenthal is a genius. We had the tasting menu with fourteen courses at £130 (FD no longer offers an a la Carte menu)- the sommelier's matching wines cost an extra £90 per head minimum (or £185 and upwards). We actually decided to order a bottle or red and white instead. The restaurant is in the village of Bray, near Maidenhead and is very pleasant. There are 46 covers in total and the kitchen is tiny. We went for a drink in the Hind’s Head (gastropub also owned by Mr Blumenthal) next door beforehand- which is lovely and cosy. We were the second last table to arrive (place was full) and were put at the table next to the door- I did ask to change as soon as another table became available, but in the end we stayed put as the dinner lingered on and we got comfortable. Professional waiting staff gave good explanations for each and every dish. To start, the palate cleanser was egg white with lime and green tea dropped in to liquid nitrogen (at the table) and then eaten whole and semi frozen, followed by pommery grain-mustard ice cream with red cabbage gazpacho (yum). The next course was hands down my favourite- the jelly of quail and cream of crayfish served with a Chicken Liver Parfait, Oak Moss and Truffle Toast- I am still blown away by the flavours. I won’t just list the menu- so three other dishes really stood out for me: the Mock-turtle soup, Sound of the Sea, and the Not-so-full English breakfast. The Mock Turtle Soup is one of the dishes that epitomises the theatrical and magic of the menu. You are told that you are invited to the Mad Hatter Tea Party and are given a cup with what looks like a golden pocket watch in it- and when water is poured in, the watch dissolves to become a sort of stock with Madeira, soy sauce and gold which is then poured over a miniature terrine of calf’s tongue and colonnata lardo. Amazing. The Sound of the Sea dish includes seafood on a bed of foam, edible seaweed and sand. It is served alongside a conch shell with an iPod in it, you can listen to the sound of breaking waves and seagull sounds. It definitely gets the senses going. The waiters don’t provide any explanation until you finish this dish. The breakfast dish included parsnip cornflakes (in a mini cereal box) in parsnip milk followed by nitro-scrambled egg and bacon ice cream which is again cooked by your table. Truly an amazing gastronomic experience, food at another level!

You will leave here with a lighter wallet. Heston Blumenthal was not there the evening we went (apparently he normally is) :(