I have wonderful friends. Two of my nearest and dearest decided to spoil me rotten for my birthday treat. As a surprise, they took me to Dinner by Heston Blumenthal at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London. This place has 2 Michelin Stars, it’s won an array of awards and it’s been voted number 7 out of the 50 Best Restaurants IN THE WORLD. Yeah, my friends are the bomb… And so is this restaurant.
For starters, you can take your pick from snails, foie gras, octopus, frog’s legs, chicken oysters and more. We plunged straight into the main. I ordered Powdered Duck Breast (smoked confit fennel and umbles) – I didn’t know what half the ingredients were but, by God, it tasted good.
The dish was first invented in 1670! It’s weird to think of people eating the same thing all those years ago but it’s definitely survived for a reason. In fact, it’s one of the best things I have ever had the pleasure of putting into my mouth! The girls ordered the Hereford Ribeye which came with mushroom ketchup and triple cooked chips. Who knew you could cook chips three times over?! Well, Heston did and Heston does. And once you try them, you’ll be playing with the hob and every cooking utensil you own to try and match the effect. But you’ll probably fail.
And the party in our mouths didn’t stop there… time for dessert! We were all lured in by the Tipsy Cake. A traditional pud in 1810 apparently. This was served with spit roast pineapple and lashings of booze, hence “tipsy”. So juicy, so tipsy.
The atmosphere was great too. The waiting staff were really friendly and uber professional (although I guess that’s what you’d expect from a Michelin Star restaurant). And, as someone who doesn’t often dine with the elite (I may have been to one of the best 50 restaurants on Brick Lane but not in the world!), I actually felt really comfortable. You’d think the place would be full of snobs, but you’d be wrong. Everyone was chilled out; just enjoying the ambiance and the food.
I’ve always loved Heston – I watch his TV show “Fantastical Food”. You know, the one with the pub made out of pie and the giant Christmas pudding? You can tell Heston’s passion for food has been injected into his Dinner menu and I’d definitely recommend it.
Cheers!
Jo Sutherland 