The Fat Duck, Bray, 31st October 2013

After a lovely, relaxing night at Holly House B&B (http://www.hollyhousebracknell.co.uk-definitely worth a stop if you're ever in the area) and having just about managed to show a suitable amount of restraint at breakfast we set off towards The Fat Duck.

I'd been strangely apprehensive in the few days leading up to the visit, there were a good few of the courses I was pretty unsure I'd like, and was questioning the expense, but I was pretty chuffed I'd managed to get a booking (it requires some determination in front of a computer and booking 2 months in advance). You walk in to what are essentially just the front two rooms of a cottage, but are quickly transported into Heston's magical world. There was an interesting mix of people there, apparently including one table who had flown in especially. We were presented with the wine list/large book which certainly needed a bit more thought than just choosing the second one down.

Aerated beetroot and horseradish ream

First up was a beetroot bite (that doesn't even get to feature on the menu). Then the first bit of theatre-nitro poached aperitifs-poached at the table and very refreshing. Then came a red cabbage gazpacho with mustard ice cream which I found took a bit of getting used to/don't think I'll be rushing to try it again.

Red cabbage gazpacho with mustard ice cream

Quite clearly you can never have too much liquid nitrogen, and for the next dish it was poured onto moss covering the table in a cloud of smokiness. All impressive stuff, but I wasn't overly keen on the main components of the dish (jelly of quail and chicken liver parfait).

Jelly of quail, crayfish cream with chicken liver parfait, oak moss, and truffle toast (+smoke and mirrors...)

I'm pretty sure I'd never knowingly eaten snails before and the snail porridge dish wasn't one I was particularly looking forward to. Apparently they did look like snails, but I was trying not to pay too much attention. They didn't taste like chicken, I'm not sure they tasted of much other than salt and although a bit chewy they were edible.

Snail porridge

Although they only offer one set tasting menu before starting we were asked if we had any dietary requirements or foods that we would rather not eat. I was prepared to eat snails and raw fish (see later) but I decided to draw the line at fois gras (slightly ironically given the name of the restaurant and more because of a previous not so great experience rather than any deep ethical beliefs). The waiter was very understanding (I'm guessing it's a relatively frequent occurrence) and instead I got the nicest scallop I've ever had (I'm really sorry Georgie).

Scallop (alternative to fois gras)

I don't really know what went on with the Mad Hatters tea party (but then did Lewis Carroll?). There was a pocket watch covered in gold leaf that turned into a mock turtle soup when it was dissolved in hot water (although taste-wise an ox stock cube would have worked just as well). This was then poured over a mock turtle egg (turnip mousse) and there were accompanying sandwiches.

Mad Hatter's tea party

"Sound of the sea" is such an iconic dish that despite my aversion to raw fish I still wanted to try it. So you get sashimi, "sand" made out of tapioca and a shellfish foam. Whilst eating you are encouraged to listen to crashing waves/seagulls on an ipod nano concealed in a shell. I found it all a little bit too reminiscent of swallowing a mouthful of seawater but maybe that's the idea.

"Sound of the sea"

Next came a nice bit of salmon, which was poached in liquorice and served with vanilla mayonnaise and artichoke.

Salmon poached in a liquorice gel

Interestingly probably my favourite savoury dish was the most traditional one with the fewest gimmicks-venison with beetroot and risotto of spelt.

Saddle of venison

I guess then came a "palate cleanser" of hot & iced tea which was pretty much what it said on the box-a liquid that managed to simultaneously taste hot and cold (although there was some difference of opinion as to the distribution of hot and cold areas).

Hot &iced tea

Given that I was driving I'd limited myself to one glass of wine, although I did start getting a bit concerned I may still be over the limit when the deserts started-including one with balls of various different textures, temperatures and flavoured by desert wines. I was also aware that there were still some strong whiskey wine gums to come.

Botytis cinerea

There seems to be a slight chef obsession with making things that aren't eggs look like eggs (see earlier for the Mad Hatters Tea Party a at TFD and previously at L'Enclume). So this was a chocolate egg filled with a panna cotta. IT was nice but possibly a little bit too much and very rich.

Eggs in verjus (c.1726). Verjus in egg (c.2013)

With the finishing line in sight it was time for some another alcohol inspired desert-whiskey flavoured wine gums served on a map of Scotland. Would probably have been appreciated more by someone who was a whiskey fan...

Whisk(e)y wine gums

The last course is "Like a kid in a sweetshop" playing on a nostalgia theme with lots of fun elements like edible sweet wrappers and chocolate seals it's a nice twist on the idea of petit fours.

"Like a kid in a sweet shop"

I'm not really sure I can comment much on the service other than to say you just didn't really notice it, which I think means it must have been good.

Overall we'd spent more than four thoroughly enjoyable hours in one of the most famous restaurants in the UK. It certainly wasn't cheap, but you could appreciate the work that goes into developing (in general about 2 years from concept) and serving the dishes. There were some dishes where I think you have to question whether there was a degree of style over substance, and with even more work I think they could have tasted better. I'm prepared to admit that personal taste played a role in some of the dishes I wasn't so keen on. It was undoubtedly the most impressive restaurant experience I've ever had, but can I honestly say it was definitely the best food, I'm not sure.

http://www.thefatduck.co.uk