I love Heston Blumenthal. So much. His TV shows are great, his ethos is challenging yet amazing, his books are incredible. And the food. Well it just blows my mind - we will get to that shortly.
But first - the restaurant, and the booking process.
When I travelled to the UK back in May 2014, I tried for months to get a reservation at the Fat Duck in the UK. Months. They open up reservations 2 or 3 months before the date, and even if you are online booking that table at the exact time the tables go live (which is challenging to coordinate from Sydney let me tell you), it is still near impossible. I even called them for a reservation, and the best they could do was pop me on a waiting list. Crazy!
I actually didn't get a reservation at all. On that particular trip, I ended up going to Dinner by Heston instead, which was also fabulous (I will get to that story another time).
Even with this in mind, I will say this. Keep trying. Because holy shit is it worth it!
In 2015, The Fat Duck came to Melbourne, Australia for 6 months whilst they renovated the restaurant premises in the UK. To make the reservation process smooth and easy, they actually ran it like a ballot system. So you pop in your name and email address into the ballot, and they draw names and you hope for the best.
And we got a table!
I cannot tell you how excited I was! Finally getting to cross the number one restaurant off my list!
Even to this day, over 3 years later, the experience I had there is still so vivid in my mind. The menu was quite confusing for the taste buds, so you definitely had to go with an open mind - the entrees looked like desserts, and the desserts looked like breakfast... you get the idea haha. But each dish involved all of the senses, and many of them invoked emotions and memories. Just so special.
So the menu...
Actually let's start with the wines. You can choose to do matching wines with this menu. We opted not to for a couple of reasons:
1. We couldn't justify the cost (lunch for 4 people was already costing us $2200...)
2. We didn't think that matching wines would actually enhance the flavours and the experience at all.
We instead opted to have a glass of bubbles on arrival, followed by a nice bottle of wine, which worked really well.
The enormous wine list!
And then the 16 course degustation.
You can find the current menu (or itinerary) here. The itinerary we followed is below.
Words really do not do this menu justice, so I'm going to do it with pictures.
Course 1: Aerated beetroot
Course 2: Nitro poached aperitifs
Vodka & lime sour, gin & tonic, Campari soda
Vodka & lime sour, gin & tonic, Campari soda
Course 3: Red cabbage gazpacho with pommery gran mustard ice cream
Course 4: Savoury lollies
Waldorf rocket, salmon twister & feast
Waldorf rocket, salmon twister & feast
Course 5: Jelly of quail, marron cream
Caviar sorbet, oak moss & truffle toast
Caviar sorbet, oak moss & truffle toast
Course 6: Snail porridge, Joselito ham, shaved fennel
Course 7: Roasted marron, shiitake, confit kombu & sea lettuce
Course 8: Mad Hatter's Tea Party
Mock turtle soup
Mock turtle soup
Mad Hatter's Tea Party
Mock turtle soup
Mock turtle soup
Mad Hatter's Tea Party
Pocket watch & toast sandwich (I don't have a pic of the pocket watch)
Pocket watch & toast sandwich (I don't have a pic of the pocket watch)
Course 9: Sound of the Sea (actually came with headphones!)
Course 10: Salmon poached in a liquorice gel
endive, vanilla mayo & golden trout roe
endive, vanilla mayo & golden trout roe
Course 11: Lamb with cucumber, green pepper & carroway
The pork belly and soup side to the lamb (course 11)
Course 12: Hot & iced tea
**this was literally half hot and half cold tea in the same glass - SO cool!
**this was literally half hot and half cold tea in the same glass - SO cool!
Course 13: Botrytis Cinerea
Course 14 (part 1): The Not-So-Full English Breakfast
Course 14 (part 2): The Not-So-Full English Breakfast
Course 15: Whisky Wine Gums
Course 16: Like a Kid in a Sweet Shop
I also really loved that there was a giant jigsaw puzzle on the wall, and everyone who dined at The Fat Duck Melbourne got to add a piece to it. I am not 100% sure where the puzzle is now... it may have gone back to The Fat Duck UK (as it isn't at Dinner by Heston in Melbourne now).
And finally, what did we think.
This is probably the most amount of money I have ever spent on one meal ($550 per person, plus drinks), but I don't regret it for a second. I loved every single minute of that lunch (it took about 5 hours from start to finish). From the moment you walked in, it felt special. Every course told a story, and the staff took the time to convey each and every one of them so elegantly. The staff at the Melbourne restaurant were actually all of the same staff from the UK restaurant, flown across for 6 months. Which was so cool, and probably why it ran so smoothly. The food itself challenged what I knew about food, and played with every one of the five senses. Just inexplicably sensational.
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Fine Dining Restaurant Mini Review:
Was it worth the money ($550pp excluding drinks): to me, absolutely yes.
Did I love every dish: most of them, yes. There were a couple that were challenging, even for me.
Favourite dish: It would have to be the hot/cold tea - it just blew my mind!
Least favourite dish: the cream element of course 5 - texturely so wrong for me haha
Matching wines: just don't do it - the menu doesn't need it. Just buy a lovely bottle of wine or two to go along with the meal.
Anything I didn't like: nothing - the whole experience was amazing.
Would I go again: in a heartbeat
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Join me next week when we take a trip to Vue de Monde.
Hx
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