I made this reservation minutes after the flights had been finalised. I kid you not. This was the highlight of our culinary adventures in London- Lunch at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. I had been dreaming of it, and the constant chatter/praise on the internet and print media just made me want to run there faster! Well I made it, and wonderful is an understatement to our overall dining experience. Heston Blumenthal is a pioneer. It’s simply jaw-dropping to witness how this genius has converted centuries old (forgotten) British recipes into an exceptional yet contemporary and appealing menu.
To start with, we were served this particularly amazing sourdough with canary yellow butter, sprinkled with fleur de sel. SS at this point began to sense the logic and reason behind my obsession with dining at this restaurant, and it doesn’t hurt that sourdough is his favourite! He really managed to get in the mood during the course of the meal by pulling a cheeky observation out of Heston’s last name- an emulsion of Blue and Emmenthal cheese! (Maybe he was getting really hungry eh?!)
We ordered this gorgeous Lemon Salad (c.1730), with fresh Goats curd, raisins and verjus. The salad was so delicate and floral, and the lemon was more citrus-y than acidic, which complemented the fresh and fluffy goats curd. I want to buy boxes of goats curd and throw it on everything. It is far superior to any curd I have tasted, and worked wonders in a salad like this for lunch.
For the entree, we were served Rice and Flesh (c.1390) Saffron, Calf Tail and Red Wine. The original came with ‘flesh’. We opted out and I am certain that any meat eater would not think it an incomplete meal. It was rich, creamy, fragrant and perfectly cooked and seasoned, spiked by these wonderfully caramelised roasted beets. I often find food a bit under-seasoned while eating at more refined French style restaurants in Europe, but this was perfection. It needed nothing but an insatiable appetite. This risotto is seriously rich!
To end this fantastic meal, we were recommended the imaginative Chocolate Wine (c.1710) Millionaire Tart and Tipsy Cake (c.1810) Spit Roast Pineapple. We were advised upfront that the highly recommended tipsy cake takes about a half hour to prepare, and thus needs to be ordered at the time of the food as the pineapple is cooked on a spit roast. And order we did! To be honest, the cake was wonderful but I was swept away by the rich hot chocolate-ish wine. Chocolate + Wine = WIN WIN.
Complements of the chef (to ensure that diners are stuffed to the brim)- Earl Grey infused Chocolate Mousse. All I have left to say is simply this- complements TO the chef! Beautiful combination. I am in the process of attempting to recreate one- lets see how that goes!
Dinner by Heston
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
66 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7LA
+44(0)20 7201 3833
P.S. – The common concern must be addressed- yes, he did manage to ensure that vegetarians DO NOT go hungry. Up to 4-5 dishes on the starters and mains collectively can be done vegetarian, priced vegetarian and can be chosen as starter size or main size. And as you can see above, they look fantastic. Another option if you want to spoil yourself and your taste buds is the Vegetarian Tasting Dinner Menu at the Ledbury, which has consistently been the highest rated restaurant in London by Zagat for the past few years. I can’t wait to go back to London, save up in the mean time, to splurge at the Ledbury!
