The Fat Duck: 25 Years of Innovation

"Marking 25 years of experimentation, this iconic restaurant is celebrating with an Anthology Menu of classic dishes presented as seasonal Volumes; our Michelin Inspectors have already experienced Volume 1 (served until November) and advise booking early, as tables are released several months in advance. Opened on 16th August 1995 in a 16C former pub in Bray, Berkshire, it evolved from a French bistro known for triple-cooked chips into a byword for Heston Blumenthal’s innovative, multi-sensory cuisine, earning its first Michelin Star in 1999, a second in 2002 and the ultimate three in 2004 (one of only three at the time in the UK and Ireland), while Heston received an OBE in 2006. The current menu exemplifies his ‘question everything’ ethos and the belief that eating is about emotional responses, engaging taste, touch, sight, sound and smell: highlights include NITRO-POACHED GREEN TEA AND LIME MOUSSE with the table light turning green and liquid nitrogen theatrics; an earthy Aerated Beetroot macaroon with creamed horseradish; Red Cabbage Gazpacho with bitter Pommery mustard ice cream; Orange & Beetroot Jellies that invert flavour and colour; Jelly of Quail with langoustine cream and chicken liver parfait, paired with truffle-and-oak toast and scented moss evoking damp woodland walks; the signature Snail Porridge of buttery slow-cooked oats with garlic-parsley, tender snails and a fennel kick; a nostalgic ‘99’ Crab Ice Cream cone with pepper sauce syrup; Sound of the Sea with tapioca sand, sea vegetables, sea foam and a soundtrack of waves and seagulls; a regal nod to THE CORONATION FEAST OF JAMES II AND QUEEN MARY featuring Beef Royal and turbot crowned with caviar, verjus jelly, lovage cream and oyster; the playful COUNTING SHEEP dessert with a rotating pillow, lullaby, malted meringue and fluffy ‘pillows’ concealing orange blossom sponge, tonka bean ice cream and lavender jam; and a LIKE A KID IN A SWEETSHOP finale of petit fours, including a white chocolate playing card. Evocative, playful and as intriguing as ever, it provides an immersive dining experience that lingers long after the meal." - The MICHELIN Guide UK Editorial Team