The Fat Duck

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The Fat Duck: A Blumen’ Great Day in Bray 29th September 2009

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Non-Photo Review
For full review, go to: http://wp.me/pwXBH-lH

The Fat Duck: A Blumen’ Great Day in Bray

Good day and welcome to my Big Fat Duck Post!

I have been in two minds whether to even mention this, but in the interest of readers who have not yet been to The Fat Duck and are seriously considering going, I will spend a few paragraphs on the matter of securing a reservation at this temple of new British gastronomy.

If you work during the day, good luck to you.

Normally when you call the restaurant, you get an engaged tone. If you set your phone to automatic redial, you may just get through one lucky time within an hour, but usually you won’t. But that is only step one. If you are fortunate enough to get through the engaged tones, you will then hear one of two things.

The first option is a pre-recorded message telling you that the restaurant is now booked for the next two calendar months, and they don’t take reservations past that time frame. If you get this message, you can hold on and wait to speak to someone to be put on the waiting list in case of any cancellations. This will normally mean enduring anywhere from 20+ minutes of Alice in Wonderland being read to you (that is the restaurant’s hold ‘music’) – a rather nice idea and clearly the chef has a strong attachment to this great story (see ‘Mad Hatter Tea’ course further below), but it does get a bit old and irksome after many, many minutes of waiting. I got through once a number of months ago and spoke to a South African lady who told me that there was pretty much no point putting my name on the waiting list for a Friday or Saturday (of course, the only two nights I could really go), but I did so anyway and never heard back.

The second option is that you just go straight through to Alice, which means you may be in with a chance if you can just take off the rest of the morning or afternoon to wait. Oh, and one more thing, the reservations line is closed during lunch hours, so you will need to make sure it is a slow day at work and that you clear the morning or afternoon in your diary. I did this, and on my XXXth attempt, I finally got through to a living person after about 20 minutes. And low and behold, they had ‘the last’ table for two available at lunchtime on the Saturday about two months from when I was calling. I don’t think I let her finish before blurting out, “I’ll take it!”

It’s funny, I was extremely worked up about the whole off-putting experience of booking a table, but all of this built-up tension suddenly melted away when I found out I had reached what is possibly the second holiest grail of restaurant reservations in Europe (after El Bulli in Spain, of course).

The Famous Not-So-Fat Chef

I will not beleaguer you with the full biography and ethos of Heston Blumenthal, the chef behind this 3 Michelin star restaurant, which was again the only restaurant in Britain to achieve a full 10/10 in the Good Food Guide this year.

As many of you will be aware, he is one of the chief protagonists in what the media likes to term the ‘molecular gastronomy’ movement. This means that he is intimately interested in the physical and chemical transformations that different foods undergo in the cooking process and that he uses many modern-day – some would say scientific – techniques to create his whimsical dishes. For example, liquid nitrogen was employed in three of the courses during our meal. He is also by most accounts more or less self-taught, having run the restaurant for many years prior to gaining his fabled reputation both amongst his peers and the dining public.

About a year ago, he signed a contract with Channel 4, one of the main television channels in the UK, and has since then become a more familiar name and face amongst the British public through his two television series to-date: Big Chef Takes on Little Chef and Heston’s Feasts. I watched and enjoyed both series, and my key takeaways about Heston were as follows. He seems like a nice, ordinary, down-to-earth guy who is insanely passionate about food. He is intrinsically interested in challenging convention and creating holistic dining experiences where diners can truly enjoy and appreciate the whole act of the meal – not just the food, but the thoughts behind it, the atmosphere and space in which it is eaten, how it is served, and how the six senses experience the entirety of the event. Besides this, he is truly fascinated by the history of food, and loves to research the eating habits of our ancestors to understand how he can bring back some of the key elements of gastronomy from the past and reinvent them for the modern day, creating something both historic and completely new. Nothing embodies this more than the four feasts (Victorian, Tudor, Medieval & Roman) he cooked in the mini-series Heston’s Feasts, a program which I truly took pleasure in and from which I drew much inspiration.

But enough about Herr Heston, I will let you google away for further information on this genuinely intriguing character.

The Serendipitous Blue Road Sign

After months of redialing and Alice in Wonderland hold reading, we were finally on our way to Bray. Our table was booked for 12.30pm and we set out in search of our first 3-star meal in England. Unfortunately, I quickly realized we didn’t have nearly enough gas (petrol) for the return journey, so we would need to stop off on the motorway to fill up. We could only chuckle giddily when we saw that our selected service station was none other than the Heston Services located about halfway between central London and the idyllic waterside village of Bray, where The Fat Duck awaited. Serendipitous to say the least.

We arrived in Bray about half an hour early. Being the true geek I am, I had looked online to see what the building looked like, and even though I had the image of the restaurant’s facade ingrained within my head, we drove straight past it, then turned around once we had blinked and passed through Bray, and nearly passed it again. It seemed there was no parking at the restaurant, and that the parking lot near the village filed was full, but we eventually found the free village car park, which had a few spots left. Phew. No Big Fat Parking Meter, thank god.

As we didn’t want to be excessively early for our meal, we walked around the little village for about fifteen minutes before heading in. Bray is an amazingly beautiful, quaint and picturesque English village, with some magnificently preserved historic buildings and lovingly restored homes. We were very impressed and eventually meandered toward the one building we could no longer avoid.

The restaurant is housed within a small two-story building which looks like it could have either been a private residence or a small inn during olden times. The painted gray monochrome brick exterior is cool and understated, and the only real signs of what lurks beyond the doorway are the subtle metal weather pane-ish sign displaying The Fat Duck’s logo, with its clever integration of duck features (webbed feet and feathers) into three pieces of cutlery, a little gold Traditions & Qualité plaque near on the right side of the door, and a similar Relais & Château plaque on the left. We finally entered.

The Long Fat Meal

Inside, we found the shell of the old building splendidly restored (for instance, there were dark wooden beams along the ceiling) and at once noticed how low the ceiling was. In fact, once seated Mrs. LF pointed out that one of the taller waiters had to duck each time he passed the lowest of the beams, which was situated on the way from the pass to the main part of the dining room. While the room itself is quite small and square shaped (we estimated 50-60 covers), it is sort of broken up, with about one third of the dining space running along, and near, the long wall you see upon entering, and the other two thirds of the space set on the other side of an odd little fireplace which juts from the doorway into the room a little bit.

The decor is minimal and quite white with the exception of the brightly colored, wide rectangular abstract paintings of blues and yellows which accentuate the walls. The tables are fairly well spaced out given the size of the room and those set for two are arranged so that both people sit with their back to the wall looking outward into the room at 6 o’clock and 9 o’clock positions. Mrs. LF also noticed another rather nice feature when she looked out through the window. From outside, you cannot see into the restaurant, but once seated inside, you can see through the beige-brown fabric window shades, which is a good thing given how many people must walk by just to get a peek of what these strange people who spend hundreds or even thousands of pounds on lunch or dinner are being served.

All of the staff were dressed immaculately. However, the rather formal dress code belied the underlying character of the place and its people, which we found to be quite friendly and interactive, and in my mind that is nearly always a good thing.

After being seated, we were presented with some very nice green olives, and then left to ponder the menu.

A few months ago, The Fat Duck got rid of its à la carte menu, so now the only option is the tasting menu. It is about 13 courses all-in-all, so there’s not much to do besides look through, ponder what is in store and figure out whether you want a bottle (or bottles) of wine or one of the two pre-set wine pairings on offer. One of the wine pairings is £90/person and the other is nearly double that, and includes some older vintages. Strangely enough, the wines in the less expensive pairing option were slightly more interesting to me, so I decided to go for that, especially since three of the wines were the same on both menus anyway.

Before moving on, it must be said that both of the butters, one of which was unpasteurized, were of extremely high quality, as was the bread which is baked offsite according to specific recipes tailored for the restaurant.

Course 1: LIME GROVE / Nitro Poached Green Tea & Lime Mousse

So, the first course was on, and the opening act of this theatrical meal was about to begin. Enter our specialist nitro-trained waitress, who was to prepare what I would describe as a ‘true’ amuse bouche. Out of the hazy white frozen smoke emerged a little white puff of green limey goodness, on top of which she quickly shook a powdered green tea concoction. From what looked like a little bottle of perfume (Fat Duck branded, of course, just like everything else that was to be served to us), she sprayed some essence of lime in the air and told us we must eat it immediately (I am guessing it may have started to dissolve and lose shape if left alone to oxidize for too long). It was probably the best opening to the meal we could have had. The sharp, refreshing citrus hit of lime immediately started to make us salivate, opened our appetite and got us very ready for the ensuing feast in which we were about to partake. 10/10.

Course 2: RED CABBAGE GAZPACHO / Pommery Grain Mustard Ice Cream

The next course was simple and beautiful. The gazpacho was sharp, crisp and totally refreshing, with the little vegetable micro cubes providing a bit of texture and flavor variation. But my favorite part of the dish by a long way was the mustard ice cream, which was ice cold against the only slightly chilled soup, sweet and slightly spicy, with a creamy texture that was punctuated by the occasional grain of what I presumed to be mustard. In fact, that ice cream is one of my fondest recollections from the whole meal. Another winner: simple, to the point and, for me, the perfect second course. 10/10.

Course 3: JELLY OF QUAIL, CREAM OF CRAWFISH / Chicken Liver Parfait, Oak Moss & Truffle Toast (Homage to Alain Chapel)

After the spartan simplicity (by Blumenthal standards) of red cabbage gazpacho and mustard ice cream, intermission was over and the show was about to begin again. As we took our seats, our nitro-specialist returned. She explained that we were meant to take out the little dissolvable strip within the Fat Duck branded plastic containers (see first in series of pictures above), which contained wafer thin, semi-translucent strips similar to those breath fresheners that became popular about 5 years ago. We placed the strips on our tongues and a focused flavor of tree bark and moss (sour, woody, rich, round) enveloped our mouths. Truffles of course grow under oak trees, and as there was an intricate and beautifully presented truffle toast as one half of the course, I guess there is where the connection between the truffle and the oak moss comes (?).

Anyway, next, the waitress poured from her black metal teapot a good dose of what I presumed to be oak moss scented liquid nitro smoke. I personally didn’t get the whiff of oak moss, but it certainly made the experience more visually interesting.

Lest we forget the food, it was both different (parfait) and divine (truffle toast). The parfait had four distinct layers of liquid, moving from chicken liver to a jelly of quail (which really had the texture of Jell-O), to oak moss (which didn’t come through as much), to crayfish cream. It was rich, complex, challenging and very delicious. It was very well complemented by the thin, crisp toast topped with moist and chopped black truffles with stunningly presented semi-circular radishes and their green leaves. 9/10.

Course 4: ROAST FOIE GRAS / Gooseberry, Braised Konbu & Crab Biscuit

The next course brought a return to something more familiar, at least within a fine dining context. The foie gras was the perfect texture for me, being quite firm yet with a bit of give and its depth of flavor was wonderfully augmented by the thin slice of Konbu that I made sure to include with each bite. Konbu is a type of edible kelp typically found in Eastern Asia and is well known for containing copious amounts of umami. This pairing may have been too rich for some on its own, but it was greatly enhanced by the pink sauce of gooseberries which added a welcome note of acidity and tart fruitiness to the dish. The two crispy crab biscuits which were inserted between the slices of foie gras and stood vertically as goal posts were also excellent, having a deep sweet and sour flavor that again integrated well with the other components on the plate. The topping of what I believe were sesame seeds and chives was mild and seemed to mingle naturally with the other flavors. So maybe not as simple as it looked after all – pure Heston, pure deliciousness! 10/10.

Course 5: MOCK TURTLE SOUP (c.1850) / “Mad Hatter Tea”

Luckily, madness was to literally prevail again in the next course, which was the last of the entrées. This dish, or shall I say event, was actually a bit more familiar to me as I had seen Heston ‘invent’ this dish on the Victorian episode of his Feasts television series. The whole idea, and execution of it, was absolutely brilliant.

You are presented with a tea cup that has a golden watch for a teabag. Hot water is added and the edible gold leaf begins to disintegrate (but not completely), revealing a dark brown stock which has probably been frozen at various temperatures many times in order to attain the right texture for the purposes of this dish. Eventually, as you keep stirring the ‘tea’, you end up with a golden colored consommé. This is then poured over what has to be one of the most striking little arrangements I have ever seen (I mean, just look at the mock turtle egg with the little mushrooms sprouting up), in a shallow soup bowl. Once poured, it produced a truly exceptional looking soup and if Michel Roux Jr. had been there in all of his Masterchef: The Professionals glory (more to come on his uncle later on), I am sure he would have uttered his trademark phrase – it really was “as pretty as a pictur

mazphd at 01/10/09

oh i am pleased the Fat is well and truly back with the Duck. Mr Blumenthal didn't deserve all those hygeine investigations. Great to know that the man is cook, scientist and a stickler for standards !

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ProfMagellan

Gastronomic Extravaganza 13th October 2008

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Heston Blumenthal is the Damian Hirst of cooking.
So different from anything else that I have ever experienced that it is hard to know where to begin.
As one writer recently commented, Mr Blumenthal "is not just a cook. He is an illusionist, a scientist, a comedian."
There was certainly lots of theatre, copper pans, smoke
and weird glassware out of Harry potter.
It opened in 1995. After ten years, in 2005, apparently the Fat Duck won the "best restaurant in the world award" (not sure from whom) and it now enjoys three Michelin stars. So they must be doing something right.
So what of the food?
Two excellent amuse bouches: how brilliant that they asked if we had any allergies instead of plonking the amuses-bouches down without asking this sensible question: mustard ice-cream on a bed of cucumber with red cabbage gazpacho sauce, lentils in a passion fruit sauce.
Opting for the a la carte rather than the tasting menu,
I began with the cauliflower and chocolate.
Pork with trufflle macaroni as my main.
Apple Braeburn for pud.
Washed down with a Loire from the extensive wine list - a white wine which was full of character.
My host and luncheon companion, a most distinguished American journalist and writer, had sole followed by the scrambled egg and bacon ice cream.
A good selection of cheeses though nothing alas from Switzerland.
The decor was modern and muted, with a low ceiling and tables quite close together. Service was ok but no commanding presence to make us feel welcome; certainly not up to the standard of the Square or the Gavroche.
Verdict: full marks for originality, very tasty, very different. Portions miniscule in the modern tradition.
Perhaps everyone with an interest in food should go to the Fat Duck at least once to experience this - but I am a traditionalist and on balance prefer to eat at places which are a little bit more conservative. Good fun though and Mr Blumenthal has clearly worked very hard to achieve his huge success.

dee234

Taster menu and accomanying wine 11th September 2008

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We decided to treat our selves to a meal at the Fat as it was our anniversary. Lets just say taht the prices ensure its not something you could do often unless you loaded!

We had the taster menu with accompanying wine. Well all I have to say that it was fabulous! The wine was great and the food even better.

The service was great too, the only downside was that I felt like I was being watched al the time and I was very concious of using the wrong utensils!

My partner even came home with a sherbet fountain with a tube of vanilla as he wanted to keep it as a souvenier!

All in all fab!

charlievenice

But is it art? 3rd September 2008

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The Fat Duck is an extremely and self-consciously different restaurant - enjoyable more as a tourist experience than culinary. The focus is very distinctly shifted away from the customer's enjoyment of food to a constant attempt at confusion.

I found the experience interesting, but disconcerting - while I can appreciate the skill and thought that went into the many dishes, I can't really say that I felt satisfied afterwards.

Perhaps I'm too closed-minded with my food to truly appreciate it, but £125 seems steep for a meal that didn't make me want to ever eat the dishes again. Enjoyment may well be a question of attitude and expectations, but it's a rather too expensive game of hit-and-miss for my liking.

sjspage

24th August 2007

1 found this helpful

Well you'd expect it to be good for £100 a throw (add another £90 for the wine tasting experience) and it is. I paid myself (no company frolic here). The taste of the food is fantastic - 15 odd courses and you feel fantastic at the end of the meal. They play a few tasting tricks on you and name some dishes provacatively but save up and this is a meals you'll be thinking about for a very long time.

sue

More like an extravaganza than a meal! 10th June 2007

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A visit from my lovely sister Alison was all the incentive we needed to arrange lunch at The Fat Duck, currently rated as the 2nd best restaurant in the world. It is located in a small village called Bray, about 40 minutes by train from Central London - a bit of a hike, but worth it to experience the "molecular gastronomy" created by this unassuming looking restaurant with 3 Michelin stars.

This is a hard restaurant to get a table at, it took me a couple of days to get through on the reservation phone line. Reservations are taken up to two months in advance, but good luck trying to get a table on a weekend! I booked about 6 weeks in advance for a Friday lunch. The restaurant is quite unimposing from the outside, we walked past it once or twice whilst looking for it. The inside is simple, with well lit modern art. Nothing too flashy.

Not just a lunch, more like a half day event, our meal took close to 5 hours to complete! We had the Tasting Menu, which consisted of course after course of amazingly created and presented food. We were all very full by the end of the 18 or so courses!! Alex had the matched wines (selected by the sommelier) while Alison and I stuck to just a couple of glasses of wine with our meal.

Everything was branded with 'The Fat Duck', from the little cereal box that the Parsnip chip 'cereal' came in, to the 'Fat Duck Films' container containing the small piece of truffle infused rice paper.

I must admit that some of the food wasn't to my taste. But it wasn't really about the food, it was about being immersed in the surreal experience that is a meal at The Fat Duck. It is more like an extravaganza than a meal.

The waiting staff move about the restaurant as if they have been choreographed. Some courses are prepared at the table, such as the Nitro-Scrambled Egg and Bacon Ice Cream. Others trick your senses, like the Orange Jelly & Beetroot Jelly squares whose flavours are reversed.

Alex and Alison's favourite course was the Snail Porridge with Joselito ham, shaved fennel. It is one of the signature dishes of the restaurant, and lived up to its reputation. My favourite was something a little bit more simple...or so it sounded. The Hot and Cold Tea looked plain enough, just a small glass of weak tea - but bizarrely, one side of the tea was hot and one side was cold, a very strange sensation when you drank it!

The Fat Duck Tasting Menu:
- Nitro-Green Tea and Vodka Lime Mousse
- Orange Jelly & Beetroot Jelly
- Oyster, Passion Fruit Jelly, Lavender
- Pommery Grain Mustard Ice Cream, Red Cabbage Gaspacho
- Black truffle toast; Truffle film; Truffle and Oak Moss aroma with Jelly of Quail, Langoustine Cream, Parfait of Foie Gras
- Snail Porridge, Joselito ham, shaved fennel
- Roast Foie Gras, almond fluid gel, cherry and chamomile
- Sardine on Toast Sorbet, ballotine of mackerel 'invertebrate', marinated daikon, sea salad
- Salmon Poached with liquorice, artichokes, pink grapefruit, 'Manni' olive oil
- Poached Breast of Anjou Pigeon Pancetta, Pastilla of its leg, pistachio, cocoa, and quatre epices
- Hot and Cold Tea
- Mrs Marshall's Margaret Cornet
- Pine Sherbet Fountain
- Mango and Douglas Fir Puree, bavarois of lychee and mango, blackcurrant sorbet and green peppercorn jelly
- Carrot and Orange Tuile, Beetroot Jellies
- Parsnip chip 'cereal' with parsnip milk
- Nitro-Scrambled Egg and Bacon Ice Cream, Pain perdu and tea jelly
- Whisky Wine Gum, Violet Tartlet, Pine chocolate & Mint chocolate

Angella at 18/02/09

If this is second, which one is first?

sue at 18/02/09

El Bulli in Spain has been rated the best restaurant in the world for the past few years

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