Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

British historical cooking

Meat Fruit

I recalled Dinner by Heston when it was launch in 2013, it was the talk of the town, the first London restaurant by Heston Blumenthal, no less is inside the stunning 5 stars hotel Mandarin Oriental in Knidgebridge. I caught into the hype and dine there in its early days of launching. I found it's British themed cooking, based on historical recipes was playful, creative and produce top-notch flavour, which I would rate is around the 1 Michelin star level. However, the restaurant has become such a hit, and gained 2 Michelin stars in the end and was rated within the top 10 from the World 50 Best Restaurant Guide, which I found was a little overkilled. The cooking was cook, but far anything truly memorable for me.

Saffron, beef cheek & red wine rice

The infamous chips

Short Saddle of Lamb, cucumber, sweetbread, broad beans & mint

Fast forward to 2020, 7 years later, I returned to Dinner by Heston once again, many iconic dishes are still on the menu, such as the classic Meat Fruit and Tippsy Cake, which are some of the must-try dishes and people travel from miles away especially for those. The meat fruit actually is chicken liver parfait, wrapped with mandarin jelly, I tried this in the past and that quality still remained, smooth as silk, just enough depth of earthiness with a sweet fruity aftertaste from the mandarin which offered great harmony. Less impressive was the flesh and rice, a risotto dish with beef cheek which was fairly standard, nothing special about it. However, the main of duck and turnip was... sensational; cooked perfectly, medium rare with a perfect balance of sweet and salty seasoning, the buttery soft turnip puree offered another layer of smooth earthiness texture, it was the star dish of the evening. 

Duck, buttered black turnip, turnip cream, truffle

Cheese curds, preserved fig, grapes, pink pepper

Tipsy Cake

My dinner at Dinner by Heston was a mixed feeling, I found both the main of lamb and duck are within the 2 stars quality standard, but the starters and desserts are 1 star at best. It was no less, no more vs my very first visit, so it is still puzzling for me why some would think this is one of the very best the world has to offer. If you forget about all the awards and reputation, the restaurant is indeed a top British fine dining restaurant, but dining here would easily set you back more than £100 as when you combine a 5 stars hotel venue with a celebrity chef name, it will never be a cheap affair.

 

Food 4/5

What I paid:
£110

Average cost without drinks and services:
£90

66 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7LA

https://dinnerbyheston.co.uk/