the fat duck owned by Heston Blumenthal - anyone been?

[CosmoK]

has anyone been to this restaurant? I've just looked at the menu on the internet and he has some really mad dishes.

[nickmo]

Clams in earl grey tea, pink grapefruit and black sesame; belly of mackerel in batter, lemon air and chuen-kai with sesame; peach paper �tramontana� - if you want wacky food and art and style and the most gobsmacking stuff that Heston can only dribble over - have a look at the work of the team at el Bulli.

Go to http://www.elbulli.com & click EN for English this opens the Catalogue site. Click againat he foot of the page to go to the elbulli.com site and then click the 'general catalogue' on the left - this documents 1200 incredible pics of their food - hardly fair to call it that.

I've not done the Fat Duck - there are others to aim for on the way like le Manoir, but personally I think making 'egg & bacon ice cream' or the famous 'snail porridge' at the Duck is just because they can - and not about the respect for ingredients, but an ambition to get 'the best in the world' accolade.

El Bulli has a different slant on this though, although they are definitely also combining some odd textures and flavours to eat there may be something to aspire to - they have a taster menu offering courses that reflect their philosphy of food. Off to Spain then . . .

[WendyS]

We went several years ago. I'm not a fussy or finnicky eater but I couldn't find a single thing on the menu that I wanted to touch I would have walked out for the gross pretentiousness of the menu but we were being treated so I couldn't. If I wanted to eat chargrilled grasshoppers or cockerils combs stewed in rapberry jus I'd go to a Witches Halloweeen party .

Wouldn't go again if you paid me. My husband cooks far better meals at home on a daily basis for a tenth of the price

Guess it's OK if you've got money to burn, a business expense account or want to go where the fashionable people go but for good quality food at reasonable prices - forget it . Sorry Heston !

[Backdrifter]

I haven't been, but am curious to try it, and from what I know about it and him I disagree that he's doing it to be pretentious or out of pure ambition or lust for status. If you go on the website and check out his spiel on the ethos behind his menus, it's quite interesting and he makes some intriguing and valid points. I think he just has an individual take on it. And he's obviously very interested in the science of food. Part of the problem, potentially, is that many of the menu items will sound revolting or offputting on paper but will surprise some people if they took the plunge. One thing I do agree on though - taking the plunge at the Fat Duck doesn't come cheap.

There are plenty of places that try strange-sounding combinations but most of them don't make it, because in attempting seemingly bizarre concoctions, you have to be genuinely good to succeed.