Best. Birthday. Ever.
Nov. 21st, 2006 06:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
triskelliani've had dozens of birthday dinners, hundreds of birthday presents, and thousands of meals. Dinner last night wins in every category.
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smiorgan took me to the Fat Duck, allegedly the second best restaurant in the world. (Is it more impressive to say it's this year's second best, or last year's best? I've no idea. And since I've no immediate plans to go to El Bulli, with which it swapped places, the question is probably academic.)
We had the seventeen-course tasting menu. Yes, seventeen courses, although most of them were tiny.smiorgan had the accompanying wine selections.
We were seated at the table I'd have chosen for myself - by the window and in a corner, with a view of the rest of the room. And because we sat down just before everyone else within sight, we had the dual joy of having everyone else watching with fascination as each new dish arrived at our table, and of being able to relive each course in the expressions of the people around us. I found myself getting nostalgic for courses past as other people encountered them.
The first course was made before our eyes, with the first appearance of liquid nitrogen. I was spoilered for the second course, but that only took away a little bit of the fun (it's possible to be spoilered for this meal). The third course was incredible. I took my first bite of course five and said words to the effect of "oh my god, that may be the best thing I've ever tasted". During course ten, I reviewed what we'd had so far and decided my favourite was one of courses three, five, six, eight or ten, but I couldn't tell which any more.
I ran out of superlatives to give the waiter when he arrived to clear away after each course and asked us how it was. Sometimes I was saved from coming up with one by the fact that i was still laughing for sheer joy.
After the pudding courses, the waiter said "good morning" as he arrived with the next course: breakfast. Course sixteen, the second of the breakfast courses, was the one I had been most looking forward to. I still don't have the superlatives to do it justice. Possibly my ability to use them will return eventually.
Menu
1. Nitro-green tea and lime mousse
It was more like meringue after the application of liquid nitrogen.
2. Orange and beetroot jelly
3. Oyster, passion fruit jelly, horseradish cream, lavender
I don't really like oysters, in the normal run of things.
4. Pommery grain mustard ice cream, red cabbage gazpacho
Served in a huge bowl with a tiny dip in the centre, and the gazpacho was deep purple :-)
5. Jelly of quail, langoustine cream, parfait of foie gras, matsutake
I've no idea what matsutake is.
6. Snail porridge with Joselito ham, shaved fennel
I don't much like fennel or snails, either, but this was still one of my favourites.
7. Roast foie gras with almond fluid gel, cherry and chamomile
The fois gras was great, but the cherry didn't work for me.
8. Sardine on toast sorbet with ballotine of mackerel ‘invertebrate’, marinated daikon
Really, really sardine-on-toast sorbet. You could taste the toast.
9. Salmon poached with liquorice with asparagus, pink grapefruit, "manni" olive oil
Really don't like liquorice. Didn't stop me liking this.
10. Poached breast of anjou pigeon pancetta with pastilla of its leg, pistachio, cocoa and quatre épices
Cocoa, yes. And the pigeon was possibly the best cooked meat I've tasted.
11. Mrs Marshall’s margaret cornet
The tiniest ice cream cone in the world, and it came with a little biography of Mrs Marshall, who was a pioneering ice cream maker.
12. Pine sherbet fountain
Came in a tiny packet just like the sherbet fountains I had as a kid.
13. Mango and douglas fir puree with bavarois of lychee and mango, blackcurrant sorbet
14. Carrot and orange tuile with beetroot jelly
The carrot and orange tuile was lollipop-shaped :-)
15. Parsnip cereal with parsnip milk
Came in a cereal box just like at hotel breakfast buffets, and Fat Duck branded, as every such thing was.
16. Smoked bacon and egg ice cream with pain perdu, tea jelly
Prepared before our eyes, more liquid nitrogen, but all pretending to be the normal preparation of scrambled eggs. Words fail me.
17. Hot and cold tea
Hot and cold, both at the same time, in the one cup. We've no idea at all how this was accomplished.
That's the end of the actual tasting menu.
18. Tea
There was a whole tea menu.smiorgan had green, and I had white-with-jasmine. It was lovely, but nothing can help the fact that by the time you've finished the first cup out of the pot, the second is over-brewed :-(
19. Mint and pine chocolates
Mint as in tasted of the herb, unlike normal mint chocolate.
20. Whisky jelly and mysterious tart
I was in the loo when they brought this, andsmiorgan didn't catch the description. The tart was a weird bluey-green colour and definitely familiar-tasting in some way, but we couldn't identify it.
Edit: the version of the menubibliogirl had in April was only slightly different from what we had last night, and she's much more informative than I am on the intracacies of preparation.
smiorgan took me to the Fat Duck, allegedly the second best restaurant in the world. (Is it more impressive to say it's this year's second best, or last year's best? I've no idea. And since I've no immediate plans to go to El Bulli, with which it swapped places, the question is probably academic.)We had the seventeen-course tasting menu. Yes, seventeen courses, although most of them were tiny.
smiorgan had the accompanying wine selections. We were seated at the table I'd have chosen for myself - by the window and in a corner, with a view of the rest of the room. And because we sat down just before everyone else within sight, we had the dual joy of having everyone else watching with fascination as each new dish arrived at our table, and of being able to relive each course in the expressions of the people around us. I found myself getting nostalgic for courses past as other people encountered them.
The first course was made before our eyes, with the first appearance of liquid nitrogen. I was spoilered for the second course, but that only took away a little bit of the fun (it's possible to be spoilered for this meal). The third course was incredible. I took my first bite of course five and said words to the effect of "oh my god, that may be the best thing I've ever tasted". During course ten, I reviewed what we'd had so far and decided my favourite was one of courses three, five, six, eight or ten, but I couldn't tell which any more.
I ran out of superlatives to give the waiter when he arrived to clear away after each course and asked us how it was. Sometimes I was saved from coming up with one by the fact that i was still laughing for sheer joy.
After the pudding courses, the waiter said "good morning" as he arrived with the next course: breakfast. Course sixteen, the second of the breakfast courses, was the one I had been most looking forward to. I still don't have the superlatives to do it justice. Possibly my ability to use them will return eventually.
Menu
1. Nitro-green tea and lime mousse
It was more like meringue after the application of liquid nitrogen.
2. Orange and beetroot jelly
3. Oyster, passion fruit jelly, horseradish cream, lavender
I don't really like oysters, in the normal run of things.
4. Pommery grain mustard ice cream, red cabbage gazpacho
Served in a huge bowl with a tiny dip in the centre, and the gazpacho was deep purple :-)
5. Jelly of quail, langoustine cream, parfait of foie gras, matsutake
I've no idea what matsutake is.
6. Snail porridge with Joselito ham, shaved fennel
I don't much like fennel or snails, either, but this was still one of my favourites.
7. Roast foie gras with almond fluid gel, cherry and chamomile
The fois gras was great, but the cherry didn't work for me.
8. Sardine on toast sorbet with ballotine of mackerel ‘invertebrate’, marinated daikon
Really, really sardine-on-toast sorbet. You could taste the toast.
9. Salmon poached with liquorice with asparagus, pink grapefruit, "manni" olive oil
Really don't like liquorice. Didn't stop me liking this.
10. Poached breast of anjou pigeon pancetta with pastilla of its leg, pistachio, cocoa and quatre épices
Cocoa, yes. And the pigeon was possibly the best cooked meat I've tasted.
11. Mrs Marshall’s margaret cornet
The tiniest ice cream cone in the world, and it came with a little biography of Mrs Marshall, who was a pioneering ice cream maker.
12. Pine sherbet fountain
Came in a tiny packet just like the sherbet fountains I had as a kid.
13. Mango and douglas fir puree with bavarois of lychee and mango, blackcurrant sorbet
14. Carrot and orange tuile with beetroot jelly
The carrot and orange tuile was lollipop-shaped :-)
15. Parsnip cereal with parsnip milk
Came in a cereal box just like at hotel breakfast buffets, and Fat Duck branded, as every such thing was.
16. Smoked bacon and egg ice cream with pain perdu, tea jelly
Prepared before our eyes, more liquid nitrogen, but all pretending to be the normal preparation of scrambled eggs. Words fail me.
17. Hot and cold tea
Hot and cold, both at the same time, in the one cup. We've no idea at all how this was accomplished.
That's the end of the actual tasting menu.
18. Tea
There was a whole tea menu.
smiorgan had green, and I had white-with-jasmine. It was lovely, but nothing can help the fact that by the time you've finished the first cup out of the pot, the second is over-brewed :-(19. Mint and pine chocolates
Mint as in tasted of the herb, unlike normal mint chocolate.
20. Whisky jelly and mysterious tart
I was in the loo when they brought this, and
smiorgan didn't catch the description. The tart was a weird bluey-green colour and definitely familiar-tasting in some way, but we couldn't identify it.Edit: the version of the menu
bibliogirl had in April was only slightly different from what we had last night, and she's much more informative than I am on the intracacies of preparation.
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no subject
Date: 2006-11-21 06:18 pm (UTC)Yum. I will have to petition
no subject
Date: 2006-11-21 06:36 pm (UTC)But, yes, go. Costs a medium-sized fortune, but totally worth it :-)
no subject
Date: 2006-11-21 06:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-21 06:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-21 07:57 pm (UTC)Degustacion menus are much more common out here, once we're back up to full budget I can see there being several...
no subject
Date: 2006-11-21 11:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-21 06:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-21 07:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-21 07:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-21 08:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-21 08:25 pm (UTC)The Manoir vegetarian menu did used to be on it's website somewhere but I do remember having to find it to check that my Vegetarian friends would be able to eat. It was a good menu as well, not one of those put eggs in everything and meals with the vegetables only and no real meat replacement I have so often seen.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-22 08:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-21 07:54 pm (UTC)<considers every possible excuse to go>
no subject
Date: 2006-11-21 09:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-21 10:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-21 10:36 pm (UTC)Having said that, I'd love to try the place out myself. You lucky thing
no subject
Date: 2006-11-22 11:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-21 10:37 pm (UTC)I had my first ever tasting menu earlier in the year when we had a work meal at an unusually swanky Indian restaurant in London (can't remember the name right now). They had a paltry 8 courses (!) but like you, each course left you going *mm*, that was exciting! - and then the next one came along and was even excitinger. Pheasant curry with chilli icecream, that sort of thing.
Tasting menus rock! (glad you enjoyed it).
no subject
Date: 2006-11-21 11:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-22 11:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-22 01:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-23 05:52 pm (UTC)Happy Birthday! On a Blumenthal tip, as nobody says, his articles are archived at the Grauniad - the first one is here.