Given its three-Michelin-starred status, The Fat Duck couldn’t be more unassuming – its discreet entrance and simply furnished dining room give no hint of the astonishing cooking that takes place here. Heston Blumenthal’s 15-dish tasting menu is well worth its £180 price tag for the roller coaster ride of thrills it delivers. Every morsel is pure fun, from the first palate-cleansing mouthful of nitro-poached gin-and-tonic foam through tastebud-tricking ‘hot and iced tea’ to the last hurrah: a goodie bag entitled ‘like a kid in a sweet shop’. In between, there are extraordinary flavour combinations, such as grain-mustard ice cream with red-cabbage gazpacho, salmon poached in liquorice gel with artichokes and vanilla mayonnaise, and an intense and perfectly formed Black Forest gâteau; all inventively presented – and utterly delicious. An extensive global wine list that includes big hitters as well as lesser-known labels backs up the wine-pairing suggestions for the tasting menu, and staff are spot on, genuinely engaging with diners while effortlessly controlling the flow of the meal. All said, The Fat Duck still has that rare combination of serving superb food in a light-hearted way.
Blumenthal opened The Fat Duck in Bray in 1995, initially serving classical French cuisine, but slowly developing the scientific approach for which he is now famous. His individualism paid off with the award of his third star in 2004, the same year he bought the Hind’s Head pub in Bray, where he showcases more traditional British cuisine. He was awarded an OBE in June 2006 for his services to the hospitality industry.