Dinner [London]
Surely time for a thread on the most-hyped London opening since Ramsay at Claridges.
Have any CHs been yet? I've got a reservation in a few weeks and will report back. The general view from people who have been so far is that it does deserve the hype and is a beautiful room as well apparently.
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We went for lunch here Tuesday. The room is a little anonymous, but very comfortable, and we were seated by the windows so could look out over Hyde Park.
We started with the meat fruit, which is all that everyone has said - light, airy, flavorful liver pate enlivened by the citrus jelly surrounding it. And it did look for all the world like a little satsuma! After that I had the Salamagundy, which was an excellent and well-balanced dish, with sharp flavors from the leaves and horseradish, brought down to earth by the chicken oysters. Husband had the savoury porridge, which was beautifully flavored and satisfying.
For mains, he had the pigeon, which was excellent if slightly overcooked, and I had the duck, which was definitely overcooked-dry and fibrous. The mash was too salty but the cabbage was delicious. As abby d says, the starters are more interesting than the mains.
The cheese was nothing to write home about.
Puds were awesome. Husband had the tipsy cake, the star of which was the pineapple. That lovely roasted crust! Gorgeous. I had the malted barley ice cream, which I loved - the subtle interplay of textures and sweet and savory flavors was fantastic. The white chocolate/earl grey sweet was nice but I loved the caraway shortbread. It was the child of an unholy union between Katz's rye bread and Walker's shortbread.
The service was very nice and the wine list was good, if expensive. Plus they had a wine from my hometown!
I'm not sure I'd do the full whack again but I definitely would go back for the set menu.›20 Replies-
re: sunclytie
I rarely complain in restaurants, but if I was eating in a place like Dinner (and spending all that money) I would have sent the over cooked dishes back - maybe not the pigeon, but definitely the duck. You expect a place of this calibre to be able to cook everything pretty much faultlessly.
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re: sunclytie
Dapuma
Jun 9, 2011 01:17 PM
What is the difference between the set menu and regular? Is it just pick one of each course for the set menu?
Does anyone think (who has been) that it would be better to just order all apps versus a main meal?
I will be there in two Wednesdays and was curious as some of the items (like the meat fruit) are getting great reviews but the mains on this thread seem to be so so
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re: ManInTransit
I'm expecting that this is possible, since I frequently do the same in other countries, and my home base, New York City. Often I find the first courses are the best offerings, and I seek (and appreciate) great variety. Also, my appetite is not as gigantic as my desire, so, for me, combing a few small plates allows me to explore the menu with greater vigor. In fact, the new restaurant Pollen Street Social (which was the next buzz after Dinner) suggests that diners self-compose tasting menus with a series of first courses (and half-portions of main courses).
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re: Nancy S.
I went to Pollen Street on opening night and it was incredible - I thought the idea of constructing your own tasting menu was a brillian way to personalise and de-formalise fine dining.
Unfortunately a lot of critics/people who just didn't get it/idiots slated the idea so now Jason has equalised the menu a bit more which is a real shame as the initial idea offered so much flexibility I'd have eaten there again the second night.
As it was I cancelled my follow-up booking due to the menu change.
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re: Nancy S.
It is still possible but I think the choice is far more restricted. There is certainly nothing to suggest that former tasting menu dishes that are now billed as mains are available in the smaller portions.
It is a real shame about the revisions thanks to a couple of no mark critics who tried to share £9 starters between tables of 6 and then moaned about it.
I would have thought the ultimate solution was to offer almost every dish as either a starter or main and leave everything in the diner's hands.
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re: Dapuma
The set menu only has two choices per course, whereas the a la carte you had about eight choices per course.
I can't see that they would mind a meal of just starters - after all, we split an order of meat fruit and then had starters. The starters are definitely better than the mains!-
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re: Dapuma
The cocktails are fantastic - But gin is my poison of choice so I was very happy with the large selection. I particularly liked how when I asked about one particular cocktail (I forget which one it was), the bartender advised that "it may be a bit strong for this time of the day" (!) It was just after Midday..
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re: Dapuma
Well, lumminy, that was good! On the cocktail front - they have 14 choices of gin so you WILL be happy. We had Hendricks with a cucumber twist.
Then onto the meal. Completely pigged out so shared a meat fruit to start, I had the savoury porridge with cod cheeks and beetroot, satisfyingly reminscent of snail porridge, the others had the salamgundy with chicken oysters, marrow and horseradish, and the hay smoked mackerel. All lush. Then sirloin with marrow and the lengendary triple cooked chips, spiced pigeon with ale and artichokes (the pigeon was so tender, it's ridiculous, I always manage to dry it out) and scallops with cucumber and borage, pretty as a picture. Puds were tipsy cake with spit roast pineapple (like others, I actually preferred the cake having been prepared to be wowed by the pineapple, soft, moist, lovely) a very generous cheese selection including perfectly stored Whigmore, and a new menu addition of Summer Tart (strawberries, chamomile, violet and biscuit ice cream).
A lovely Chablis and a fine Gigondas, Orange Muscat to go with the pudding, and then bubbly when they brought out a spcial mango sorbet for my brother as it was his birthday (I am SUCH a good sister). And then caramel ganache with earl grey tea.
When service had calmed down we were taken into the kitchen to meet Ashley. He is such a good bloke, despite my jealousy that, having run all 3 of Heston's Bray gaffs and now this he's ONLY 33!!! But he was very sweet. Naive point, but I had no idea how HOT it is standing by the pass, how they do it I have no idea.
So all in all, a wonderful experience. We had a great table by the window and given the trooping of the colours had happened that morning, saw all the Royals driving past. Tbh, I think they would have been jealous of us; quite one of the best meals of my life.
Except the £410 price tag for three. And the service is not quite up to the food. But hey. He had a lovely birthday :)
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re: abby d
We went there for our Chinese New Year meal. Meat Fruit (c.13th to 15th century) was my favourite starter as it was fun and playful. We were happy to see the mandarin as in Chinese, it has the same pronunciation as ‘gold’ which is what we like having for Chinese New Year! What looked like a perfect mandarin was actually a chicken liver parfait enclosed in a thin layer of mandarin ‘gel’. The parfait was smooth and it was perfect with the subtle mandarin gel.
We had Beef Royal as a main course. (see photo) We can never know how Patrick Lamb made his in 1716 but mine was very tender, thanks to 72 hour of slow cooking. (Yes, 3 days!) . The ox tongue was a nice surprise. In fact, it stole the show. I was very impressed by the Black Foot Pork Chop. It was the thickest pork chop we have ever seen! And still perfectly cooked all the way through. The meat was succulent and the fat tasted amazing too. How did they do it? The Robert Sauce was based on Careme’s residency in London in 1816. We want the recipe!
One of the key design features was described by Dinner's website as ‘a contemporary stainless steel pulley system modeled on a 16th century design for the Royal British Court’s kitchens, the gears and cranks of which resemble the craftsmanship of an oversized watch, mechanically rotating a spit over an open fire.’ It is fascinating how Heston loves taking cues from dining and cooking methods of the past. In 500 years time, will the chefs of the future model a restaurant based around 21st century doner kebab machine?
The ‘gears and cranks’ turned out to be an elegant piece of art, jointly created with famous Swiss luxury watch maker Ebel. On the day we went, it was spit roasting pineapple, which was served with Tipsy Cake (c. 1810)
We so fascinated by the device that we even took a video, here it is http://wp.me/p18zw1-L4
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re: abby d
abby d
Mar 14, 2011 10:33 AM
so, we went... the food was excellent but we found the setting very pedestrian - it's very much a hotel dining room despite the glass-walled kitchen, spit-roasting pineapples etc.
we started with the meat fruit and the hay smoked mackerel. both wonderful, i particularly loved the light fresh flavours of the mackerel. mains were cod in cider (the fire-smoked mussels in this were incredibly good and i loved balance of flavours in the dish as a whole) and the black foot pork chop (a bit of a boring dish for me but incredibly well cooked) plus chips and mash (my boyf loved the chips, we both thought the mash was fine).
for pudding we had the taffety tart (just incredible. i especially loved the use of fennel seeds in this, which contrasted really well with the sugared rose petals, caramel/caramelised apple jellies, the vanilla cream and the most wonderfully intense blackcurrant sorbet) and the chocolate bar (chcolate and pasison fruit with a ginger ice cream, less exciting that the tart but very delicious).
the couple next to us had the brown bread ice cream and tipsy cake - the ice cream was left virtually untouched and they ordered a second tipsy cake, despite the wait (up to 30 mins).
final bit was a white chcolate and earl grey ganache with a caraway seed shortbread. i loved the combination - the ganache was very reminiscent of condensed milke (which i also love!).
i think the starters and puddings are much more interesting than the mains. i'd also love to try the set lunch as it's such good value - £28 for 3 courses.
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Just by way of info they are opening reservations for June at 9am UK time on Tuesday 1st March.
Sounds like that might be the drill going forward.
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re: zuriga1
I believe that currently, you can phone them to go on the waiting list if you're wanting a table before June 1st. Otherwise you can book tables for June from 9am March 1st.
When I made my reservations, it was online only (as it's via opentable) but my reservations were made as soon as bookings opened last December before the restaurant actually opened, but I can't see it being too different now - otherwise the phone will be constantly engaged!
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re: Nancy S.
Dapuma
Mar 1, 2011 06:04 AM
yup i got a reservation for the wednesday evening we are in London, for the 2nd 915 seating so that is pretty exciting - seems like they have a 715 and 915 option
I am still holding out hope that i can get a fat duck reso but i have to call next month - i phoned them and they were not willing to make any exceptions, but they told me what to do to have the best shot at getting a reso
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Dapuma
Feb 9, 2011 01:18 PM
would i be better off here than the Frog in Bray?
Not sure what the differences are...this actually takes reservations online and i wouldnt have to dial forever...seems a better tradeoff to plan 3 months in advance as well...
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re: Theresa
greedygirl
Feb 10, 2011 12:52 AM
Yes, I read an interview with Heston Blumenthal in which he said that he couldn't possibly reproduce the Fat Duck experience in a much bigger setting. Apparently at the Fat Duck there are 80 covers and about 50 chefs!
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re: greedygirl
He's been offered fortunes to open other Fat Ducks in China/HK and always refused.
As to dinner vs TFD there is no comparison, the latter is one of the best restaurants in the world. But not having to leave London combined with the fact that with moderate wine consumption the bill will probably be about £200 instead of £500 mean there is definitely something to be said for ot.
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Fat Duck
High St, Bray, Windsor and Maidenhead SL6 2, GB
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Robin Joy
Feb 7, 2011 12:33 AM
Review from Saturday's Telegraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddri...
I think he liked it!
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thought I'd try and snag a table over the next month but all booked up for 8 weeks minimum according to the site!
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re: socanth
alexthepink
Mar 1, 2011 08:56 AM
I have a table on a Tuesday night at the end of April. Booked it in January. Cannot wait!
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