When I secured a booking a few months ago (for early June!) for a lunch at Dinner, Heston Blumenthal’s restaurant in London, I knew we’d probably be dining off his set lunch menu: it’s the most affordable option at £28 for three courses and is only available on weekdays. There were four of us dining that day (me, Blai and his parents) and this would help us not rack up a very big bill.
But first, first impressions. Well, it’s in the Mandarin Oriental in Knightsbridge and yes, it’s certainly as plush inside as the exterior leads you to imagine. I honestly don’t remember the last time I ate in a restaurant situated in hotel but I’m sure I haven’t eaten in one like this. The restaurant’s decor reflected the theme of modernised historic British gastronomy, with its views to the large kitchen and the jelly mould lamps on the walls. All very modern and all very comfortable.
As we arrived early, we were first led to the bar where we ordered pre-lunch drinks. And here we tarried until I, of a nervous disposition, asked about our reservation again – we were then led to the dining room, which seemed smaller than I was expecting. When we were seated at about 1pm, the restaurant was still only about half full but soon it was heaving, with tables turning right before our eyes (people were sitting down to dine at 4pm…).
The set lunch itself has only two options for each course and so Blai and I decided to order one each between us and swap plates halfway through. After our order was taken, bread and butter was set down. The bread (both white and brown) was lovely but really, we weren’t there for the bread, however nice it was.
The Lemon Salad (c.1730), Goats curd, raisins and verjus was exactly as described and was certainly a very nice salad with the tangy pickled lemon and the plump and sweet raisins playing off the creamy curd. It was just a little dull though and we certainly didn’t see fireworks while eating it.
The other starter of Ragoo of Pigs Ears (c.1750), Anchovy, onions and parsley was definitely more interesting. A rich, sticky braise of pig ears was presented on a long bit of toast and we couldn’t get enough of it. The ears still retained a bit of cartilaginous crunch.
To supplement our set lunch (though it certainly wasn’t necessary in terms of quantity of food), I ordered a Meat Fruit (c.1500), Mandarin, chicken liver parfait and grilled bread (£13.50) for the table. I mean, I can’t go to Dinner for the first time and not have the meat fruit!
It was still exciting to see and taste despite my reading about it everywhere. I’m also quite glad we split it as the chicken liver parfait inside was insanely rich. The mandarin jelly encasing the parfait complemented the richness with its fruity tang.
Onto the mains. This was the Cured Salmon (c.1670), Beetroot, purslane and olive oil and a definite hat tip to the kitchen for actually making me like, nay, enjoy the beetroot on my plate that day! The salmon was beautifully cooked with a soft translucent middle.
The second option, the Roast Quail (c.1590), Smoked parsnips and thyme, was also delicious. Both main courses were quite conventional but both were of a good size and were excellently prepared.
Dessert time. The Chocolate Wine (c.1710), Millionaire tart certainly had us scratching our heads – what would chocolate wine be? Well, I can tell you that it looked frothy and like a well made hot cocoa but with a definite flavour of red wine. Yes, a cross between red wine and hot cocoa; I’m still not sure whether I liked it but it was certainly surprising and definitely different. Don’t worry, we drank it all! The accompanying millionaire tart, a chocolate caramel slice, certainly looked fit for a millionaire, what with its little sprinkling of gold bling.
The Orange Buttered Loaf (c.1630), Mandarin and thyme sorbet was also a surprise! The buttered loaf turned out to be a tender brioche-like cake with an orange jammy filling, all coated in a thin crackly caramel layer. Quite sweet and very moreish.
Prior to coffees, we each received a little cupful of Earl Grey tea and white chocolate ganache, served with a crumbly biscuit. It had the texture and look of condensed milk and we were scraping the sides of the cup down to get at it all.
Lunch for four, including water, a bottle of wine, coffees, pre-dinner drinks and service, came to £230; it’s certainly not a budget meal but I’m glad to have tried the restaurant. It’s not a substitute for the Fat Duck (and I’ll state now that I haven’t eaten there yet) but it’s still worth a visit, even if for just the set lunch. Bookings required – do look at their website for the next booking period.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
66 Knightsbridge
London SW1X 7LA
Thu, 30 Jun, 2011 at 18:10
Gosh, that’s a lot more on top of the £28 set meal than I was expecting, even with the addition of the meat fruit and drinks. Still, mostly sounds very special.
Thu, 30 Jun, 2011 at 18:11
Sounds fantastic! Love the idea of using historical recipes as I’ve seen them being used in one of Heston’s programmes. He is a culinary genius…
Thu, 30 Jun, 2011 at 23:02
sounds fabulous!
Sat, 2 Jul, 2011 at 04:07
Goodness me I’m drooling already. I’d love to visit any one of Heston;s restaurants one day. And I agree,the meat fruit is a must order!
Sat, 2 Jul, 2011 at 17:18
sigh… such gorgeous looking food, I’m not familiar with the meat fruit and find it so intriguing, that and the orange buttered loaf!
Sun, 3 Jul, 2011 at 17:30
Ahh that “meat fruit” looks incredible – so perfect!
Sun, 3 Jul, 2011 at 18:47
Of course you had to have the meat fruit but I am horrified that beverages and service doubled your bill!
Mon, 4 Jul, 2011 at 13:46
It’s got to be said, they do turn out some beautiful looking food. The meat fruit looks amazing! I’ve not been in a rush to go to Dinner (I have a stubborn dislike of places I have to book months in advance), but your post is starting to persuade me that I should get myself down on the list.
Mon, 4 Jul, 2011 at 17:25
I want Meat Fruit. – Rx
Sun, 10 Jul, 2011 at 23:18
Kavey: That’s what happens when alcohol is involved!
Robert: He certainly takes a fun approach when it comes to food. Not sure it’s always practical though (didn’t really see the point of his latest series where he tackled hospital, plane, submarine, cinema foods).
kat: It was a nice treat!
Lorraine: I think it’s easier to get into Dinner than the Fat Duck, if only because it has online booking!
foodhoe: It’s such fun to eat but I’m glad we split it….it’s very very very rich!
Kathy: Isn’t it gorgeous?! Every table had one.
Alicia: Alcohol…. not something I order usually!
ginandcrumpets: I know what you mean – the long wait time from booking to the actual meal does frustrate me and when it actually comes time to dine, I’ve lost all that initial excitement.
Rx: Now that you’re coming over here, you will probably get a chance to try it!
Tue, 12 Jul, 2011 at 11:58
Meat Fruit!!!!!!! When I saw him make that on his programme, something tweaked/pinged and I really, really was intrigued by it. Something about the gelatinous looking orange skin, or the fact that it looks like Ang Koo Kuih, I dunno. Am most definitely gonna try this place out. There is a reason for the long waiting list, you know. It’s so you can start saving up for it by having nothing but beans on toast for about 3 months. Thanks for blogging about this!!!
Tue, 12 Jul, 2011 at 18:54
monchichi: Haha, you’re right! It does remind one of ang koo kuih! Hehe, it’s not so chewy though.
Good luck with the booking and I hope you like it!
Tue, 26 Jul, 2011 at 01:04
I went to Dinner for dinner, and thought that it was much more of a lunch-y place… not sure if it was just me.
Shockingly I didn’t order the meat fruit when I went (pate just isn’t my thing!), but I did enjoy what I ordered as everything was cooked very well. I did think that food was a bit overpriced though, which might be why I would choose to go back for the set lunch instead.