A la Carte

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  The Fat Duck

  High Street Bray Berkshire SL6 2AQ
  
  Tel 016285 80333
  Web www.fatduck.co.uk
  
  Tues-Sun noon-2pm, 7pm-9.30pm; Sun noon-2.45pm

  

  Part chef, part scientist, part illusionist, Heston Blumenthal has become renowned for gastronomic greatness with The Fat Duck at Bray being voted as The Best Restaurant in the World. One of just three restaurants in the UK to hold three Michelin stars, The Fat Duck is not somewhere you visit purely for a meal - you're going there for a full culinary experience.

  His unusual approach and methodologies have seen Heston working with everyone from university research departments to Little Chef to produce deeply researched, thoughtful dishes filled with flavour and utilising unusual cooking methods ranging from the historic through to the cutting edge. He is part chef part alchemist.

  The Fat Duck is housed in a grade-II-listed building built around 1540. The relaxed setting and minimalist décor makes for an informal and intimate space for the 40 guests who can be served at a time.

  To get a full taste of Blumenthal's practices, the best thing to try is the £130 Tasting Menu - at £130 it's not cheap but for 13 courses of arguably the most memorable meal you'll ever have it is quite an experience. Utilising the best fresh ingredients in his own unique style, this allows you to taste some of the dishes that has made Blumenthal famous, including the not-so-full-English-breakfast (parsnip cornflakes with egg and bacon ice cream) and Sound of the Sea, which comes with an iPod of the music of the waves to evoke feelings of the ocean as you eat.

  The extensive drinks menu - including wines for every budget and more than 30 different types of sherry deserves a mention in its own right.

  
  • Family Friendly
  • Late Servings

  go back to Taste, or browse for more in A la Carte