Foodess' review of The Fat Duck

Under-stated the surroundings may be, but they belie the food event that awaits. The Fat Duck, in its plain cottage style setting (in contrast with the imposing Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saison – cross ref), produces clever culinary wonderment such as vibrant green porridge with snails, an unlikely but blissful marriage of oyster and passion fruit and has dared to mix cauliflower with chocolate. To further tease and please your senses all meats yield tenderly to the lightest touch – a celestial pork main partnered with sensational macaroni gratin. Fish doesn’t fail to delight either. Wade through the wine list to find that major investment is required in order to imbibe – discerned result is usual. Finish with breakfast – dumbfoundingly good egg with bacon ice cream. Even when things unusually go wrong i.e. a delay in service was remedied (entirely without any prompting from us) by serving what was tantamount to a complete taster menu and proved an utterly glorious way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon.

However, faultless eating even HB’s team cannot guarantee, and on one occasion I recall that the balance of flavours and textures of one or two courses was not as good as it could have been (the moral is don’t order the same dish twice). No wonder 99% of the time it wows, afterall this is the home of the now almost ubiquitous triple cooked chip.

Fat Duck unfailingly entertains in witty fashion by delivering seriously fine plates of food for diners who will be fed and ‘wined’ efficiently. A neighbourhood restaurant it isn’t, not least because the menu hardly changes, not to mention the ‘gasp-tronomic’ prices, but chiefly because their business is not aimed at regulars….it is an experience not to be missed.