The Fat Duck Weekend
And from our guest blogger...A few years before we got married Brian started talking about a chef by the name of Heston Blumenthal and his restaurant called The Fat Duck. In 2005 it was named “The Best Restaurant in the World”. Our Philly friends gave us a hefty gift certificate as a wedding present. When we moved to London we got excited to finally cash it in. Unfortunately it took Brian five months of calling before we were able to slot in a Saturday 
night reservation. Ironically it fell on the weekend after my 30th birthday.
In addition to the sumptuous meal that awaited us our friend Paul graciously got us a gift voucher to Cliveden House. So not only would we dine in one of the finest restaurants in the world we would also be staying in one of the most exquisite hotels we’d ever been in, it was kind of like staying at Versailles.
Brian and I both figured that the only way to take on the Fat Duck was to let it take us. We agreed that we would order the tasting menu and try anything that was put in front of us. At a few points throughout the evening I may have regretted our pact, but in the end I would recommend anyone to do the same.
Menus were placed in front of us but after five minutes we were ready to go. Our only decision was whether to have a 95 pound or 165 pound wine pairing. We chose to have one of each
…and so it began.
Within a minute or two a woman wheeled a trolley to our table. She had a silver canister in one hand and a spoon in the other. On the trolley sat a black bowl steaming like a witch’s kettle. She explained that she was going to tempt our appetites by increasing the saliva in our mouth. She squirted a dollop of vodka-infused lime mousse on to the spoon and dropped it in to a kettle of nitrous oxide. She let it roll around for about thirty seconds and explained that it would have a texture similar to a soft meringue. When it was on the plate she dusted it with a green tea powder. As we put it in our mouth she spritzed a lemon aromatherapy spray over our heads. Delightfully citrusy and fresh. And indeed, it jump started our salivary glands.
The amuse-bouche continued with a raw oyster on the half shell with passion fruit jelly and a lavender sprig. Along with the oyster was a pommery grain mustard ice cream swimming in red cabbage gazpacho, and jelly of quail in langoustine cream with a parfait of foie gras.
After the amuse-bouche we had what I would later determine was my favorite course. A waiter brought a rectangular shallow box over to our table. It was essentially a planter that was growing moss. On top of the moss sat two mini plastic boxes. Now, everyone knows the Listerine tabs – right? They are those weird blue plasticy strips that you set on your tongue and wait for them to melt in to a slimy but minty mush. Right? Our boxes weren’t blue, but with that in mind, the waiter instructed us to pick up our little boxes and place the brown strip on our tongue. It tasted like hickory smoke. We were then instructed to eat a little piece of toast that had a truffle pate’. As the waiter left he poured hot water on our moss planter. There must have been dry ice buried beneath the moss because within seconds our entire table was engulfed in fog. Think mystical fairies in an enchanted forest. Weird, but extremely cool!
Our next course after the extended amuse-bouche was snail porridge with Joselito ham and shaved fennel. It was an odd green/grey color. Not fab to look at, but definitely tasty. If you called it escargot with oat pilaf it probably could sell anywhere.
In the scheme of things our second course was a little boring… traditional foie gras with almond fluid gel, cherry and chamomile. The tartness of the cherry had a nice ability to cut through the fatty texture of the liver. Different from any foie gras I had had before but again, a little boring.
Our third course was one that we had heard about prior to our trip. On the menu it simply said “sound of the sea”. The waiter brought over a platter with two conch shells. Nestled inside were two ipods. Two other waiters then came to serve our course. The food was sitting on a clear glass box. Inside the box was a bed of sand. On top of the glass there was what looked like sea foam washing up on to the beach. Dumbfounded, we again looked to our waiter for some instruction. “Put the ear pieces in to your ears, and listen to the music while you enjoy your course. I’ll be back in a few minutes to explain what you have eaten.” We just nodded our heads and agreed. I ate with only a vague idea of what I was putting in to my mouth. There was definitely some sort of seaweed and some sort of raw shellfish. I felt like I was snarfing salt water. We later found out that the sea spray was actually foam made from oyster juice. The oyster foam ran in to a raw oyster and several raw clams. The “sand” was toasted tapioca that had been finely chopped.
Now, the fourth course was the only one I couldn’t stomach. It was a piece of poached salmon that had been cut in to a perfectly symmetrical cube. It was covered with a liquorice jelly. It was perfectly smooth and black. Next to it were artichokes and a vanilla mayonnaise. I had a bite but just couldn’t manage a second. I was surprised to see Brian munching along as if it were a Philly cheesesteak. “Do you actually like this?!?!?!?” His response was “no, but I’m paying a shit-load to eat it so I’m going to lick every plate clean!!!”
Fair enough.
Course number five was a ballotine of Anjou pigeon with black pudding. For me, this was another course that if it was presented with another name it could probably be a crowd pleaser. Maybe “wild game foul with traditional british sausage”? Overall I thought it was tasty and a welcome reprieve from the black slimy liquorice salmon.
And so, the main savory dishes came to an end.
Next we were met with an interlude of hot and iced tea. The first thing that would come to mind is two glasses – right? Wrong! We were served a single glass of liquid. On one side of the glass they had poured a hot earl grey tea on the other side they had poured a slightly thicker icy earl grey tea. The two teas didn’t mix until you poured them in to your mouth. It was a strange but pleasant sensation and an excellent example of high school chemistry.
Next we were served a miniature cone with homemade ginger ice cream. Then what was described on the menu as a pine sherbet fountain. Neither Brian nor I could imagine what this might be. The waiters brought over a large plate on which two little paper pouches with small straws sat. After a quick shrug we picked them up and tuck a toke. Our mouths were filled with an effervescent dry spray that tasted like a combo of tart sugar and pine sol. It reminded me of the dipsticks of my youth where I would get a white candy wand that I could lick and dip in to various flavors of sugar.
The pine fountain led nicely in to the next dessert which was mango and Douglas fir puree with lychee, mango, and blackcurrant sorbet.
Next the waitress came over and explained that we were going to move in to breakfast.
Whatever, lady. Nothing can surprise us now!
We were served two cereal bowls, a pitcher of milk, and two mini boxes of cereal. Now most of you will think fruit loops, cheerios, honeycombs, … something like that – right? Nope. Parsnip cereal. Kind of tastey actually. Wouldn’t mind having it again.
Our last proper dish was arguably Heston Blumenthal’s most famous dish. Just like at the beginning of the meal, the crazy nitrous oxide bird wheeled over her cart. We were in store for the famous nitro-scrambled egg and bacon ice cream! She picked up an egg from an egg carton and told us that it was a special egg that already had bacon inside. She cracked it and dropped it in to the pot of nitrous oxide. She scrambled it quickly and served it up. Not my favorite but Brian was again out to get his money’s worth. I’m not sure exactly how to describe it. Eggy rather than creamy consistency. Oh, and along side they served a piece of bacon that had been sliced and candied.
The waiters then introduced us to our last course. They placed little picture frames in front of us. In the frame was a map of the US and Great Britain. A few locations had stars. Stuck to the frames were little gummy candies. The waiter explained that they were whiskey wine gums. Each candy was made from a different type of whiskey and they were attached to the appropriate place on the map. The Jack Daniels gummy was therefore stuck to the frame on top of Kentucky.
After a quick cheese and port course we were then served some petit fours with our bill. Crikey ! Good thing there was a lovely gift certificate to help us along.
For those of you who may have an interest, the wines included:
-2005 Iphofer Kronsberg Silvaner Spatlese Trocken
-2006 Chateauneuf Du Pape, Domaine De Beaurenard, Rhone Valley
-2005 Vouvray, Moelleux, Le Bouchet, F. Chidane
-Rashiku Junmai-Sake, Yamatogawa
-2002 Magari Ca’Marcanda, Gaja, Tuscany
-2001 Chateau Neuf Du Pape Reserve, Chateau Rayas
-2003 Schneiderberger Riesling Eiswein, Weinviertel
-Hermitage, Vin De Paille, M. Chapoutier
Plus some Champagne to start and some Port with our cheese.
Pure gluttony all the way. I wouldn’t have traded it for anything.
night reservation. Ironically it fell on the weekend after my 30th birthday.In addition to the sumptuous meal that awaited us our friend Paul graciously got us a gift voucher to Cliveden House. So not only would we dine in one of the finest restaurants in the world we would also be staying in one of the most exquisite hotels we’d ever been in, it was kind of like staying at Versailles.
Brian and I both figured that the only way to take on the Fat Duck was to let it take us. We agreed that we would order the tasting menu and try anything that was put in front of us. At a few points throughout the evening I may have regretted our pact, but in the end I would recommend anyone to do the same.
Menus were placed in front of us but after five minutes we were ready to go. Our only decision was whether to have a 95 pound or 165 pound wine pairing. We chose to have one of each
…and so it began.
Within a minute or two a woman wheeled a trolley to our table. She had a silver canister in one hand and a spoon in the other. On the trolley sat a black bowl steaming like a witch’s kettle. She explained that she was going to tempt our appetites by increasing the saliva in our mouth. She squirted a dollop of vodka-infused lime mousse on to the spoon and dropped it in to a kettle of nitrous oxide. She let it roll around for about thirty seconds and explained that it would have a texture similar to a soft meringue. When it was on the plate she dusted it with a green tea powder. As we put it in our mouth she spritzed a lemon aromatherapy spray over our heads. Delightfully citrusy and fresh. And indeed, it jump started our salivary glands.
The amuse-bouche continued with a raw oyster on the half shell with passion fruit jelly and a lavender sprig. Along with the oyster was a pommery grain mustard ice cream swimming in red cabbage gazpacho, and jelly of quail in langoustine cream with a parfait of foie gras.
After the amuse-bouche we had what I would later determine was my favorite course. A waiter brought a rectangular shallow box over to our table. It was essentially a planter that was growing moss. On top of the moss sat two mini plastic boxes. Now, everyone knows the Listerine tabs – right? They are those weird blue plasticy strips that you set on your tongue and wait for them to melt in to a slimy but minty mush. Right? Our boxes weren’t blue, but with that in mind, the waiter instructed us to pick up our little boxes and place the brown strip on our tongue. It tasted like hickory smoke. We were then instructed to eat a little piece of toast that had a truffle pate’. As the waiter left he poured hot water on our moss planter. There must have been dry ice buried beneath the moss because within seconds our entire table was engulfed in fog. Think mystical fairies in an enchanted forest. Weird, but extremely cool!
Our next course after the extended amuse-bouche was snail porridge with Joselito ham and shaved fennel. It was an odd green/grey color. Not fab to look at, but definitely tasty. If you called it escargot with oat pilaf it probably could sell anywhere.
In the scheme of things our second course was a little boring… traditional foie gras with almond fluid gel, cherry and chamomile. The tartness of the cherry had a nice ability to cut through the fatty texture of the liver. Different from any foie gras I had had before but again, a little boring.
Our third course was one that we had heard about prior to our trip. On the menu it simply said “sound of the sea”. The waiter brought over a platter with two conch shells. Nestled inside were two ipods. Two other waiters then came to serve our course. The food was sitting on a clear glass box. Inside the box was a bed of sand. On top of the glass there was what looked like sea foam washing up on to the beach. Dumbfounded, we again looked to our waiter for some instruction. “Put the ear pieces in to your ears, and listen to the music while you enjoy your course. I’ll be back in a few minutes to explain what you have eaten.” We just nodded our heads and agreed. I ate with only a vague idea of what I was putting in to my mouth. There was definitely some sort of seaweed and some sort of raw shellfish. I felt like I was snarfing salt water. We later found out that the sea spray was actually foam made from oyster juice. The oyster foam ran in to a raw oyster and several raw clams. The “sand” was toasted tapioca that had been finely chopped.
Now, the fourth course was the only one I couldn’t stomach. It was a piece of poached salmon that had been cut in to a perfectly symmetrical cube. It was covered with a liquorice jelly. It was perfectly smooth and black. Next to it were artichokes and a vanilla mayonnaise. I had a bite but just couldn’t manage a second. I was surprised to see Brian munching along as if it were a Philly cheesesteak. “Do you actually like this?!?!?!?” His response was “no, but I’m paying a shit-load to eat it so I’m going to lick every plate clean!!!”
Fair enough.
Course number five was a ballotine of Anjou pigeon with black pudding. For me, this was another course that if it was presented with another name it could probably be a crowd pleaser. Maybe “wild game foul with traditional british sausage”? Overall I thought it was tasty and a welcome reprieve from the black slimy liquorice salmon.
And so, the main savory dishes came to an end.
Next we were met with an interlude of hot and iced tea. The first thing that would come to mind is two glasses – right? Wrong! We were served a single glass of liquid. On one side of the glass they had poured a hot earl grey tea on the other side they had poured a slightly thicker icy earl grey tea. The two teas didn’t mix until you poured them in to your mouth. It was a strange but pleasant sensation and an excellent example of high school chemistry.
Next we were served a miniature cone with homemade ginger ice cream. Then what was described on the menu as a pine sherbet fountain. Neither Brian nor I could imagine what this might be. The waiters brought over a large plate on which two little paper pouches with small straws sat. After a quick shrug we picked them up and tuck a toke. Our mouths were filled with an effervescent dry spray that tasted like a combo of tart sugar and pine sol. It reminded me of the dipsticks of my youth where I would get a white candy wand that I could lick and dip in to various flavors of sugar.
The pine fountain led nicely in to the next dessert which was mango and Douglas fir puree with lychee, mango, and blackcurrant sorbet.
Next the waitress came over and explained that we were going to move in to breakfast.
Whatever, lady. Nothing can surprise us now!
We were served two cereal bowls, a pitcher of milk, and two mini boxes of cereal. Now most of you will think fruit loops, cheerios, honeycombs, … something like that – right? Nope. Parsnip cereal. Kind of tastey actually. Wouldn’t mind having it again.
Our last proper dish was arguably Heston Blumenthal’s most famous dish. Just like at the beginning of the meal, the crazy nitrous oxide bird wheeled over her cart. We were in store for the famous nitro-scrambled egg and bacon ice cream! She picked up an egg from an egg carton and told us that it was a special egg that already had bacon inside. She cracked it and dropped it in to the pot of nitrous oxide. She scrambled it quickly and served it up. Not my favorite but Brian was again out to get his money’s worth. I’m not sure exactly how to describe it. Eggy rather than creamy consistency. Oh, and along side they served a piece of bacon that had been sliced and candied.
The waiters then introduced us to our last course. They placed little picture frames in front of us. In the frame was a map of the US and Great Britain. A few locations had stars. Stuck to the frames were little gummy candies. The waiter explained that they were whiskey wine gums. Each candy was made from a different type of whiskey and they were attached to the appropriate place on the map. The Jack Daniels gummy was therefore stuck to the frame on top of Kentucky.
After a quick cheese and port course we were then served some petit fours with our bill. Crikey ! Good thing there was a lovely gift certificate to help us along.
For those of you who may have an interest, the wines included:
-2005 Iphofer Kronsberg Silvaner Spatlese Trocken
-2006 Chateauneuf Du Pape, Domaine De Beaurenard, Rhone Valley
-2005 Vouvray, Moelleux, Le Bouchet, F. Chidane
-Rashiku Junmai-Sake, Yamatogawa
-2002 Magari Ca’Marcanda, Gaja, Tuscany
-2001 Chateau Neuf Du Pape Reserve, Chateau Rayas
-2003 Schneiderberger Riesling Eiswein, Weinviertel
-Hermitage, Vin De Paille, M. Chapoutier
Plus some Champagne to start and some Port with our cheese.
Pure gluttony all the way. I wouldn’t have traded it for anything.
posted by Brian and Kirsten Hennigan @ Monday, December 31, 2007
4 comments
