Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

Modern British classic

The name Heston Blumenthal needs no introduction, one of the most successful chef from Britain. His first restaurant at Bray, The Fat Duck: holder of three Michelin stars and was once voted the best restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine. I was very much looking forward to see what his London restaurant has to offer.

The booking was a nightmare and it took me a while before I can managed to get hold of a table, locate in the super posh Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in Knightbridge, the restaurant is linked to the famous Mandarin bar, which does some very tasty cocktails. 

The service at the bar was top notch, very knowledgeable, really understand the drinks and know how to interact with customers, we were guided to the restaurant after two rounds of cocktails, the décor of Dinner is excellent, high ceiling with good among of space and smart lighting, plus an open kitchen to see some very interesting stuff, such as pineapples being cooked on a spit roast.

Cognac base cocktail

The starter I went for is the famous Meat Fruit, which is chicken liver and foie gras parfait wrap in a mandarin jelly. This is a stunning dish, the chicken liver and foie gras were perfectly balance, smooth, rich and creamy, the sweet and light mandarin clothing added an extra texture and taste in your mouth, wonderful to go along with the grilled bread. This is one of the best starters I tasted in 2012 alongside the Terrie of foie gras and smoked ell at Galvin La Chapelle, wonderful.

Meat Fruit:p

Up next for the main course is Bone in Rib of Hereford Prime, a giant plate of Hereford prime serve with Mushroom ketchup & triple cooked chips, this is heaven if you are a meat lover, the meat was wonderfully cooked, the meat were packed with explosive meaty juicy and bold flavours  I can easily finish it without the mushroom ketchup and sauces, as the meat is so rich, juicy and packed with flavours  I reserved the mushroom ketchup for my triple cooked chips; the chips were beautifully fried, soft in the middle, semi crunchy around the centre and extra crunchy on the outer layer. 

Bone in Rib of Hereford Prime

I also managed to had a little bit of a dish calls Beef Royal off my friend, a beef short rib cooked for 72 hrs in a low temperature water bath. The meat was so tender and soft yet maintained the richness of the beef, this is very high level cooking indeed, 
Most people would tell you the best steak you can get in London is either Goodman or Hawksmoor, but I would suggest Dinner as it was really that special.

Beef Royal

I had the Tipsy Cake for dessert, a spit roast pineapple sponge cake cooked in honey and alcohol. This is the low point of the evening as I found the cake far too sweet; pineapple itself is already so rich in natural fruit sugar so adding extra sugar and honey has turned the dish into a plate of sugar for me!

Coffee and pre dessert

Tipsy Cake

To end the dinner we had a Heston Blumenthal classic, the liquid nitrogen ice cream, we cannot spot too much different between normal ice cream to this version, although witnessing live how ice cream is made instantly was a very fun experience!

Liquid nitrogen in action

Result!

Overall my dinner at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal was a lovely experience; he certainly has imported some of his Fat Duck elements to Dinner with some very creative and playful dishes. Really justify its one Michelin star. I just wish it is less expensive so I can visit more often! (100 pound pre head for 3 courses with 2 cocktails and still water) I recommend this place if you are looking for something different and a memorable and fun evening.

My rating (out of 10)
Food 8
Service 7
Ambience 8
Value 6

£98 per head, with two glass of cocktails

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal 
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, 
66 Knightsbridge, London, 
SW1X 7LA

http://www.dinnerbyheston.com