If you are a lover of food, as American Girl is, you will surely have heard of The Fat Duck. While I am not an expert on gourmet food, I have tried a good number of Michelin star restaurants, and I will have to say that Heston Blumenthal’s creations are simply on a league of their own.
The restaurant itself is in a very modest, small cottage just off the main road in the tiny picturesque village of Bray, which is about a 45 -minute drive from London (on a good day). The menu is fixed, but consists of 15 courses (yes, 15!!) and we were told upfront that lunch would last 5 hours.
From the very first course, which was a palette cleanser, the food literally either evaporated or melted in the mouth. The whole meal was a constant explosion of flavors. I SO want to go into more detail on how fabulous each course was, but I would rather leave it as a surprise for all my American Girls!
First word of advice, definitely go for the wine pairing, which was so spot-on that the wine felt like an extension to the plate. I definitely think this is an experience everyone should try at least once in their lifetime!
Second word of advice, booking a table can be very tricky. You have to call exactly two months in advance of your desired date, at exactly 10 am. And if you are lucky to have your call answered before 10:30 am, you might get a table. Good luck, it is worth it!
So, here’s the brilliant news- Blumenthal is coming to the Mandarin Oriental (doesn’t seem fair considering they also one of my favorite chefs, Daniel Boulud) later this fall. That means for all of you who haven’t had the opportunity to travel out to the Fat Duck, you can now visit him centrally. Don’t worry, I’ve already called, and they are not taking reservations yet, although if you contact the hotel they already have a running list of people to call when they do start taking bookings.
Cheers! xx
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Blumenthal and Boulud! Way to go Mandarin.
The Fat Duck is truly a fantastic experience, definitely a must-do for anyone who likes interesting and out there food…
Also don't want to ruin it for anyone who might end up going, but I will say, iPods are involved in one of the courses… it is pretty impressive.