Living in London

Post details: Finally . . . The Fat Duck

Saturday January 14, 2006

08:18 pm, Categories: Reviews, 446 words

Finally . . . The Fat Duck

We have had The Fat Duck on our list of must-visit destinations since April of last year when a reader of our blog pointed out that, if we like good food, we need to make the short trip outside London to Bray. A few days after posting this advice, the Fat Duck was voted the best restaurant in the world. Today we finally ate there.

The Fat Duck has been awarded three Michelin stars. To put this in perspective, consider this explanation, borrowed from the Wikipedia entry for the Michelin guide:

Stars are awarded sparingly; for instance, in the UK and Ireland 2004 guide, out of 5,500 entries, there are 98 with one star ("a very good restaurant in its category"), 11 with two stars ("excellent cooking, worth a detour"), and only 3 with three stars ("exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey").

Here is our review: (5 is the highest, most perfect score)

Food:	5 – Wonderful, interesting, weird-in-a-good-way. A long leisurely lunch, with plenty of amuse-bouche (little bites before the meal begins) and interesting taste combinations. We started with mustard ice-cream in red cabbage sauce. Yep, you read that correctly. This was followed by an oyster in lemon curd and lavender served on the shell. Next came a cauliflower risotto with chocolate and beets that seemed a bit too salty. And then our main dish – a pork loin with a side of macaroni gratin with truffles. It all sounds weird, but Heston Blumenthal didn’t get three Michelin stars by being a food wimp! The macaroni gratin was some of the best food we have tasted — ever!
Service:	5 – Stellar. At about 1:2 ratio for staff to guests, there are plenty of people to wait on you here. Friendly but not intrusive or overly-familiar, they were as good as we have experienced anywhere.
Ambiance:	4 – Plain but comfortable, although the service came with a price. This misses a 5 rating because all of the staff movement through the small dining area was distracting from the experience. Plus, it was a bit noisy and difficult to hear the waiters as they described each dish. Good bathrooms.
Value:	5 (but only to foodies) – Hard to describe. The price tag was huge, but hey … it’s the best restaurant in the world!
Verdict:	Must do once. I’m not sure we will run right back, but it was fun to take a whole afternoon and indulge in our love of eating. For Cynthia, who I know will ask, yes, the French Laundry was better but only because it scores higher in Ambiance.