Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London UK

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

Rustic Sourdough Bread and Unsalted English Farmhouse Butter

Meat Fruit (c.1500) – Mandarin, chicken liver & foie gras parfait, grilled bread

Nettle Porridge (c.1660) – Frog’s legs, girolles, garlic & fennel

Powdered Duck Breast (c.1670) – Smoked confit fennel & umbles

Pommes Puree

Brown Bread Ice Cream (c.1830) – Salted butter caramel, pear & malted yeast syrup

Baked Sussex Pond Pudding (1670) – Lemon caramel & Tahitian vanilla ice cream

Tipsy Cake (c.1810) – Spit roast pineapple

Americano with Biscotti and Olive Oil Chocolate Pudding

Liquid Nitrogen Vanilla Ice Cream with Chocolate Toffee Topping

Undoubtedly overrated at No.5 by the S. Pellegrino list with prices proportionate to hotel owned ‘celebrity chef’ spots back home in Las Vegas it was with admitted skepticism that I went to Dinner and yet with flawlessly executed cuisine delivered by educated servers in a style I’d see replicated thrice more in Bray I can only say that if Heston Blumenthal ever opts to venture across the Atlantic I’ll be booking reservations as soon as I can. Obviously a unique story from his self-training to Michelin’s third star it has been with a seemingly relentless focus on both the science and psychology of how we eat that Chef Blumenthal has ascended the world’s ranks and while ostensibly choosing not to follow his ‘mg’ pedigree but rather to reinvent British history with Dinner the true beauty lies at the crux, each classic plate succeeding as a result of high quality products invigorated with modernist magic. Offered strictly in an a la carte format with servers encouraging a traditional three-course meal it was with little regard for rules and warnings of large portions that I approached the annotated menu and eschewing alcohol in favor of several sweets it would not be long before the show began, the classic bread served at each of Heston’s restaurants proving warm and irresistible with top quality butter until the creamy meat fruit arrived proving every bit deserving of its considerable praise. Indulging in the foie gras slowly while watching the kitchen work with fervor behind a sheet of glass it would not be long before my second plate arrived and having seen the team literally inject each frog leg with butter the vegetal porridge proved a divine backdrop to otherwise unctuous aromatics, a similar effect achieved in the well-brined duck breast and offal which found an anchor in smoky fennel plus sweet gastrique. Turning attention towards desserts after wiping clean a pot of potatoes on par with those of Robuchon it was in a trio soon to become a quartet that I invested and running the gamut from near-savory brown bread ice-cream to the bright citrus of lemon curd before culminating in boozy brioche and an after-dinner tableside show not a single bite would prove unrewarding – even the Americano delivered with a few bites plus a signed menu and well wishes for my meal at The Fat Duck just two days later.

RECOMMENDED: Meat Fruit, Powdered Duck Breast, Sussex Pond Pudding, Tipsy Cake.

AVOID: A bit pricy at £8 the portion of liquid nitrogen ice cream is a bit small – suffice it to say you’re paying for a show everyone in the room will be watching.

TIP: Obviously not a cheap meal and one without a show like that at The Fat Duck, solo diners interested in technique would be well advised to request one of the two 2-tops facing the kitchen – rarely will you see such a large space move with such elegance and skill at each station.

http://www.dinnerbyheston.com/