A quick word on the place itself.  Husband and wife David and Helen Everitt-Matthias have owned Le Champignon Sauvage (‘The Wild Mushroom’) since 1987.  Within those near-33 years of ownership, Chef-owner David Everitt-Matthias has been cooking on every single day that the restaurant has been open; if he is ill then the restaurant has simply closed and I find this remarkable to begin with and up there with some of the dedication levels of Japan.  I routinely chat with as many head chefs as I can post meals to get as much perspective as possible and interestingly for me, David E-M is the one chef I get nothing but consistent praise and reverence from other Michelin starred chefs.

Menu wise there is a good selection here.  On the a la carte, it is two courses for £60 or three courses for £70 or, there is a more moderate set menu lunch which is £40 for three courses or £33 for 2 courses, which, when all said and done, the latter will practically be 4 courses anyway when all greetings and interludes are factored in.  The other notable thing for this restaurant is that this is one of the few high end food locations that I know that offer this set menu in the evening as well (Wed-Fri) and this represents superb value.

On to the meal then, canapes arrived and were a blue cheese and walnut cookie, which was an instant victory and a squid ink gougeres with taramasalata.  The cookie was a powerhouse of cheese flavour in a beautifully crumbly cookie which was so simple and so effective that it set an immediate good tone.  A squid ink gougere was a playful twist on the choux pastry classic and with taramasalata that had a salt content level that was just right.

The amuse bouche was a smoked bone marrow custard, with shimeji mushroom jelly and wasabi mayonnaise which was frankly gorgeous.   The savoury custard was set perfectly with bone marrow flavour that was not too heavy and was pitch-perfect in fatty feel, offset with sweeter jelly from the mushroom and gentle heat from the wasabi.  I assure you this was eaten rather quickly.  Homemade breads then came in the form of granary, white poppy seed, white baguette and bacon brioche, with the latter obviously being reached for first.  Butter was from Netherend farm, Gloucestershire.

Miso-cured black cod was the first starter tried and this was brilliant, straight off the bat.  The cod itself succulent and cooked perfectly, the miso being a deliciously chosen flavour to accompany the fish and the addition of malt was grand, all held well with unobtrusive baby parsnips and silky smooth parsnip puree.  Very enjoyable indeed.  Breast of Norfolk quail was another starter with stuffed leg, onion cream and alliums that all came together well, enhanced with hints of garlic and a glossy reduction from the quail.  Not much to not like for this quail dish.

Next came an interlude of a small piece of braised lamb served with artichoke puree.  This small piece of lamb had a gigantic impact as was one of the most tender and A-grade pieces of lamb I have had and the artichoke puree was silky and perfectly made.  This is basically the essence of Le Champignon – simple things served and to peak levels as this was.

The mains chosen were venison and sea bream.  The venison was  served with beetroot, fig and with a lovely, smokey lapsang souchong reduction.  All vegetables and flavours chosen here were a spot-on match for the meat, albeit with the one minor dent of this particular piece of venison being a fraction tougher than the heights of venison experiences recently.  The other main was a perfect piece of sea bream with gloss-like mushroom puree, wonderful morels and brown butter sauce.  This was delicious in every way and a knock out course.

A supplement of cheeses were enjoyed with a mix of Roquefort, Comte and triple cream variations from France and Britain.  I liked the way the cheese selection was varied across the strengths of styles of cheese but was not a mobile, minivan of choices at the same time which can be too much I find.  This was a sheer case of quality over quantity with some very nice cuts of cheese chosen.  The pre-dessert was an unusual dandelion root ice cream, coffee granita and a milk foam.  Whilst this didn’t set myself on fire in terms of flavour it was a fun savoury-sweet cross over in its originality.

The first of the desserts is a dish that I have had before – mango slices on Thai spiced cream, served with Thai green curry ice cream and with white chocolate ‘rocks’ underneath.  The real gem here is the Thai spiced cream which is beautifully soft, creamy and fragrant, offset with thinly layered mango on top.  This is the one dish that I have had before and could see on the menu (all other dishes being different) and if anything this was actually an improvement with the ice cream being even more smooth on this occasion.  The second dessert tried was Bramley apple parfait with pressed caramelised apple and green apple sorbet.  If it was possible, this dessert was even better than my Thai spiced cream dessert with simple and intense apple flavour running through the sorbet and the wonderful and pretty parfait, appearing like a rose.

An array of petit fours were enjoyed including an orange financier with prune, a chocolate and hazelnut brownie, salted lemon and white chocolate fudge, caramelised white chocolate fudge, chocolate fudge, a smooth and fun snickers truffle, a rum baba pistachio cake with toffee cream and passion fruit jellies.  Quite a spread of treats to go with coffee sourced from Cotswold Blending.

When one puts all this together and considers the £85 price tag for all of this food at this level of quality, it is almost a mockery from other experiences that have offered the lukewarm food experience at gargantuan prices.  So from a value for money viewpoint this is an extremely good option to begin.  Reflecting on the overall food standpoint as the key issue, this visit has confirmed the restaurant’s demotion as a truly bizarre decision and it actually makes no sense to me at all what has changed in the minds of Michelin to this extent.

Experience seldom moves backwards and now that I have tried here again recently, I can confirm with confidence that the food here is simple excellence now, just as it always has been.  If I had to take friends or clients somewhere in SW England that was the most reliable and best food option I can think of, it is here.

Ode to joy – that’s the first thing that comes to my mind when I remind myself of this meal.  So beginning with the canapés that began this parade, these were delightful – the parmesan mousse and chorizo powder being soft, light and with just the right kick (i.e. not too much), the fried ham hock was never going to fail and with the blob of horseradish cream on top was even nicer.  The brioche biscuit to go with the goat’s cheese and lovage dip was again toned beautifully (normally I can’t do anything that is related to celery but this was a very subtle and smooth version and was lovely to use as a dip).

So after the opening canapés the engine was already on and revving very much at the lights.  What I wasn’t expecting was an even nicer form of amuse bouche which was the cabbage blancmange with bacon foam (made with milk and double cream) and black pudding powder.  For a pig lover, this was a stratospherically nice and light amuse bouche and I was close to sensory overload – the sort that makes you unable to control how quickly you eat when it is that enjoyable.

The bread selection was a talking point itself and the brioche was light, superbly fragranced (with an infusion of shallot and bacon) and a wonderful bread to have.  Similarly, the tomato and olive focaccia was also lovely with its perfect moistness and strength at the same time.  These were truly good and the only regret being that I couldn’t try more as I would have risked being too full.

On to the starters and I am happy to go on record in saying that this was the nicest lobster I have ever had.  It was the most succulent, well balanced and sumptuous lobster one could have and was not over complicated – just the glaze of butter actually made me really appreciate the meat for what it was (for once) which was warmed and cooked to perfection and its supporting apple flakes and light vegetables gave it the texture it needed without being obtrusive.  I didn’t feel the need to include the supporting powder with my mouthfuls of lobster, but the remainder was as close to perfect for lobster as I have ever had.

My steak tartare was beautifully done and the supporting corned beef was frankly one of the nicest things I have ever tasted and this was one of the moments where I was virtually overcome with emotion.  Perhaps it was the fact that it was a childhood favourite that Dad used to try and make, or maybe it was because I hadn’t had it in such a long time or possibly nostalgia from only really having via numerous ration packs in slightly rougher surroundings, or quite possibly all and the fact that it was done to heights that have never been experienced – I honestly don’t see how it could have been bettered in flavour by anyone in the world in anyway and it brought the highest levels of gastronomic happiness that I very rarely have.

I should of course mention the fabulous wine options – the half a bottle of Burgandy was soft and fresh for both courses and superb value at £15. This complemented the starters and the intermediary scallops very well, the latter being beautifully done – again, with fresh and balanced peas and purées but carefully given to not interfere too much with the main event which, was cooked perfectly.  Utterly gorgeous and delicate.  The second half a bottle of wine was a one of the more reasonable options as well and for £14 for the half bottle of lovely Côte du Rhône it was again sensational value for money.

On to what the red went with and these were the main courses that were outstanding.  The lamb with lamb sweetbreads, pistachio and supporting sauces certainly in the top two best lamb dishes I have also ever had.  I can’t think how this dish could have been bettered and everything about it came together beautifully with the supporting jus giving an exquisite punch to the already perfectly succulent and juicy lamb.  The duck was also incredible and again, the perfection of the crisp skin whilst not being too fatty, the tenderness of the duck and the sweet sauce reduction to accompany the meat were all out of this world.

The mascarpone pannacotta pre-dessert was fluffy and light and as we were reaching max capacity it was lovely that the restaurant gave one to share so we weren’t overloaded.  It was also extremely kind of them to cater for sizing down the desserts in order to accommodate more flavours, which continued the roller coaster ride when I thought it was going to slow down.  The duck egg custard was beautifully rich and creamy and the supporting rhubarb sorbet cut through and gave the perfect balance without being too ‘stingy’ as sorbets so often can be.  This was actually toned down which I loved and on the other plate the Thai green sorbet with mango tart was another ‘stop everything’ moment – so fresh, crisp, original and powerful as a new flavour for dessert but without attacking the mouth at the same time, this was another talking point in its own right.

The meal was finished with lovely and delicate chocolates with luxurious fillings and a very pleasant chance chat with the Exec chef David who was enjoying his post-service coffee.  A sheer pleasure to meet the man behind the creations and I can’t think of a nicer way to have finished off a very hospitably British affair it was, with wonderful, modern French dishes.  There are many food bloggers out there, but it is simply experiences like this that drive my desire to do this and to sing about where compartments of the heart are opened so others can also experience – and here, components of my heart have been opened with a crowbar.

As I sit by the hydrotherapy pool at Lucknam Park on a Monday leave day, I have enjoyed every second of writing this as I can legitimately unleash all happy and positive compliments of what I had, as the dishes were simply that good and is a pleasure to be able to do so.  This was a life-time memory of a meal and few places in the world have made my dining experience this much of a pleasure.

The restaurant itself is a homely affair and I was immediately made to feel welcome.  The bar area is more a holding area of two sofas rather than full bar but comfortable nonetheless; as I did not need this on this occasion I went straight to the very nicely decorated table.  The home-made unsalted butter in the shape of a perfectly sculpted pie simply sat there on the table, seducing me with its wares… The blue cheese cream biscuit had just the right potency for cheese which was pleasing but the rye bread, pickled pear cubes with horseradish cream was an instantaneous hit.  I would describe this latter canapé itself as explosive and from that moment on I knew I was in the hands of an complete expert.

The bacon and broccoli mousse with bacon powder was fluffy and light but with enough richness as well – this was a superb amuse bouche.  The haddock with parmesan foam was beautifully fresh and light, and again, not too heavy on the haddock essence which can very often be the case.  Neither was this too salty or overpowering but just right and the flakes of flesh simply fell off the main body of the meat when the fork pressed in – beautifully succulent.

The outstanding moment of the meal however was the main.  The duck had been marinaded in salt and garlic for 24 hours and this caused the meat to have almost the same shredded consistency to that of a Peking duck (in the Chinese style).  Duck can sometimes be a slab of rubbery protein if not done well, but this had chunks of wonderfully succulent duck pieces, with the remainder flaking off with ease, all covered in a blissfully crisp and (not too) fatty skin.  The chutney jus, spiced carrot and liver parfait were simply a marriage all together and I amazed at how good this dish on the set menu was.

The coffee tart was perfectly ‘eggy’ with a subtle coffee flavouring with very nice coffee jelly and white chocolate sorbet with coffee sugar crip.  Who doesn’t like jelly and ice cream(?!) and this was a wonderful take on that unloseable formula.  The dessert was light and smooth at the same time and the breadth of the petits fours was impressive meaning that one could almost go for the two course option and opt for the petits fours as a mock-dessert quite comfortably if full, such is the wonderful value of this venue.

I left Le Champignon with one of the biggest smiles I have had in a long time om completion of a meal and with a conviction to return as soon as possible.  I will be coming back with vengeance for the a’la carte on the next visit and I am very glad to have finally seen for myself what a wonderful place this is.  David Everitt-Matthias, the head chef and his wife Helen have run this venue together for 27 years and the passion and pride in their products was obvious.  The food from David was sublime and the hospitality of Helen on the front of house were both a gem to finally experience and I look forward to returning at the soonest opportunity.  Vive La Wild Mushroom!

There was an absolute array of openers for this lunch as part of the full tasting menu option chosen.  Parmesan cheese biscuits with a soft cheese filling were small in size but absolutely exploding with cheese flavour – perhaps the most intense I have ever tasted.  Oysters were served frozen and as an ice cream with seaweed as an ingenious touch hailed by all at the table.  Alternatives of salmon and herring with pickle, apple granita and caviar on different servings which were all a fresh pleasure.  More oysters were then served in the traditional format with creme and caviar and then again with chorizo – all of which reportedly went down well with everyone.

The classic homemade focaccia, sourdough and treacle breads were as good as always and if this is the first review of mine you are reading about the Sportsman, it’s worth mentioning again how utterly sublime these are.  In nearly thirty years of knowing my Sister in law, she has never made any mention of any particular food to me, except being happy with to have just champagne and the bread at the Sportsman on a long afternoon.  I think that speaks for itself if anything does.

The scratchings were thankfully served again for this occasion but in this rendition, they were larger portions rasher meat, deep-fried and glazed with mustard and soy, served with an apple foam dip.  If it is possible, I think I almost preferred this version than the beloved scratchings they have served in the past and was another true moment of food happiness.

White crab meat with carrot and spiced hollandaise was the perfect fish starter but was upstaged by the mushroom tartlet with egg yolk with perfect pastry and intense mushroom flavour with hint of truffle.  The slip sole dish is a signature dish which used to be served with seaweed butter but is now served with smoked butter – again, something I think is a very welcome change.

Halibut was served with a mushroom and lemongrass sauce which, is a new touch and was stunning as a combination and the simple sauce with the fish and few vegetables was a cracker of a dish.  Beef formed the main dish with celeriac puree and a powerful jus, although this was the only part of the menu that didn’t quite hit the mark for me, with acceptable but not wonderful cuts of beef used and with a large amount of fat served that could not be eaten.

Cream cheese ice cream with ginger, on the other hand, was one of the very finest and enjoyable pre-deserts I have ever had without any exaggeration.  This was followed by a near-faultless passion fruit souffle and wonderful custard and chocolate tartlets as petit fours with coffees all round.

This concluded a fabulous meal.  With the exception of one dish that was merely ‘good’ in comparison to the others, the meal was an absolute triumph and perhaps the best one I have had on any visit.  The dishes have evolved but have kept in keeping with their traditional style that makes this venue so successful for me – simplicity done to superb levels.

For this occasion, the daily tasting menu was tried which I have not done before.  This is £55 for a six-course menu that represents more good value at The Sportsman.  The other bonus of this menu is that it does not need guests to arrive at 12pm or 7pm as the tasting menu does and can be ordered at any time through lunch and dinner services.  This was another splendid visit.

Pork scratchings with the cider dip was customarily wonderful and was lovely to be able to introduce these to my guest who had never had before.  The mushroom tart with egg was as superb as I recall, as was the focaccia bread.  A simple linguini with truffle was warming and basically perfectly judged and turbot with bouillabaisse sauce was delicate and simple.

Perhaps the only part of the meal I found beneath par was the maple-cured pork.  The fat allowed on the serving was too much to enjoy and whilst the meat was well done, it was only hitting medium wavelength happiness.  A dark chocolate and salted caramel tart was offset by a tangy dollop of creme fraiche as a classic combination.

Again, on this visit, no dish was in anyway a disappointment and I loved the mushroom mousse on delectably thin, crispy tart as well as the turbot with upgraded tomato cream sauce – I didn’t think it would actually be possible to overtake the vin juane sauce but I think this actually did and I loved every second of every course.  This was another wonderful meal and a double-absolute pleasure to share it with those closest to me on the quality occasion it was.

The interior has lovely wooden tables complete with log fire at the bar end to keep the feeling comfortably casual and all those that serve dinner clearly share the passion of the food served and enjoy describing all that has been prepared.  Another word on that is needed: the lamb fillets in breadcrumbs with a mint and syrup dip was phenomenal, the turbot with dessert wine cream sauce (vin jaun) and slice of pork rind on the top was utterly magnificent, the mushroom ravioli with droplets of truffle made the mushroom simply sensational and even the herb bread with salt crust with locally made butter was worthy of a mention in itself.

I cannot emphasise enough how enjoyable and memorable the food and full tasting menu was at this establishment (the tasting menu which is only available on various parts of the week).  There are only two places in the world whereby I feel worthy of giving 100% based on the food and this is one of them.  I would recommend this eatery for virtually any occasion, no matter how informal or special and it would most likely cater for any group or situation.  My only regret is that reviews like this might increase the likelihood of finding it tricky to get a table(!) and I will look forward to going back at any time.

Gidleigh Park is an impressive 5-star hotel with wonderful grounds to walk around and a decent amount of facilities for the guests.  I have made a list of miscellaneous good and bad points for the hotel stay in general at the end of this review, but for now, dinner.  This was a slightly odd opening as I found myself in one of the three dining rooms with just one senior couple, the gentleman of which protested at me taking pictures of the dining room, thinking I had included him and his guest, which I had not.  After reassuring him of this, he then took it upon himself to order me not to take any pictures of my meal at all which was interesting as presumably, I could have told him to not wear the tie he was wearing as I didn’t approve of this.  I mention this purely because it became obvious to me that Gidleigh Park has a number of guests visiting in their senior years and those that are regular are most probably used to getting their way and this is the sort of clientele I was not fully prepared for.

Anyway, after airing my thoughts and then removing myself from the ridiculousness of this situation (it is not the restaurant policy to forbid photos, so until it is, I will do this discretely for my own table as I wish), the staff dealt with the seating change request as quickly as can be and I thought were professional in dealing with this so quickly and smoothly.

Chris Simpson was away on sick leave on my visit and the stand in head chef was Gareth Howarth for this occasion (and possibly for the longer term).  Initial canapés were celeriac espuma with eel which was a very good combination and tartare with smoked mayonnaise, back olive, houmus with red pepper marmalade which was pleasing enough. The amuse bouche consisted of pickled apple, crispy rice, radish and buttermilk sauce included a fair flavour of mackerel, with good design of the cream being offset by the pickle but overall was a little flat.

The starter had was veal sweetbread and came with pickled mushrooms, sourdough bread croutons on a mushroom mousse base.  This was an exquisite mousse however the pickling could have been a little stronger.  The sweetbread was well cooked and generally, this was a very pleasing dish.

Halibut came from a 4kg fish and with roasted baby lettuce, smoked king oyster mushroom, Jerusalem artichoke purée and Jerusalem artichoke crisps.  The handling of the mushrooms was grand and was seen through the sauce and the smoked king oyster mushrooms.  The halibut was cooked as well as could be but I have had halibut with more flavour; this was essentially elevated by the flora.  It was good on the simplicity, good on the crisp with lovely mushroom handling but only just entered Michelin starred cooking to me at this point of the meal.

The pre-dessert was a mandarin mouse with clementine, hazelnuts and apple sorbet.  This had pleasant citrus and was a classic combination but again, was difficult to be blown away by the dish.  Dessert consisted of spiced red wine panna cotta, pear, gingerbread & yoghurt sorbet.  There was a really good chocolate tuille here with skilful pannacotta and all harmonised well enough with the poached pears good and the subtle ginger bread crumb.

Service was pleasant throughout but seemed a little less in true command from midpoint to the later stages as other 5* hotels can be at their very best and not what I was expecting for £125 for an a la carte menu (£145 for the tasting menu).  There was a little bit of rushing from the staff and one waiter didn’t wish to stop for me after seeing me trying to get his attention and it’s never brilliant to feel like an inconvenience as a guest.  There was also quite a long wait for being given the dessert above the norm, cutlery wasn’t placed on the table very well as was quite rushed and topping up for water felt stretched.  So, all in all, after what was looking promising at the beginning in terms of hospitality, became evident that this was not in the same league as other 5* hotels at the top of their game.  Still, the meal on this occasion had some good moments to enjoy. 

I mentioned the hotel stay and thought I would offer some quick thoughts on this as it is not every day one stays over at grand and luxury Manor Houses.  I can summarise this by saying that for staying over at Gidleigh Park:

Lovely touches: 

• Complimentary Medeira in each room and pantry.
• Little blue lights at the bottom of the toilet for middle of night visits are a great touch as means you can navigate without blinding yourself with light switches that take 5 minutes to find.
• Jackets and boots provided for any walks on to the moor. 
• Coffee delivered in the morning.  
• Phone call warning order prior to coffee getting to room in the morning.  

Bad points: 

• Out of date room lay out (nowhere to easily iron with plug sockets). 
• Plug sockets in a poor state generally.

To conclude, I think the quality of the food at Gidleigh Park is obviously not at the heights of when either of the Michaels were in post but this is a new chef with new outlooks.  I enjoyed the food here, but for the £125 for an ala carte menu, this almost comes across as paying more for where you are than the actual meal as this was just too expensive for fireworks that never came as the price would indicate.  I also did not realise the main clientele is seemingly of a certain privilege and age and with the few couples there enjoying a breakaway, it is difficult to feel truly comfortable in the dining room being so enclosed, waiting to hear the next pin drop on occasion.

As an observation, I believe it is overdue a bold move of knocking the walls down of the three dining areas to make one large area as there seems to be no reason for the individual rooms and all this does is prevent the acoustics to let sound carry more and causes tables to compete for quietness in risk of being overheard.  With a bigger space, this might be alleviated and improve the general atmosphere.  Purely my thoughts.

So, I’m glad I did the full works, but I discovered it is a sign of the visit if you are enjoying the fantastically done eggs benedict at breakfast and additions even more than the main meal the previous evening.  A pleasant stay with a lovely setting and bridge in the grounds, but based on this experience, this is one that feels a little too far to merit the journey.

The nibbles here are almost as grand as the wonderful drawing room one can lounge in on arrival.  A selection of crisps (sourdough and chickpea crisp and herbs) were served with an olive emulsion along with a salmon mousse with trout roe.  At the table, the amuse-bouche consisted of Thai green curry mousse with crab and coriander & chilli crab gel.  This was an ethereally light mousse but with a kick of chilli and was superb to have.  Linseed crisp with shrimp, taramasalata and flying fish roe was also really quite wonderful; bathe lance of salt, pop of roe and juicy bite of the shrimp finished off a serious level of opening mouth amusers prior to the meal.  Homemade sourdough was also very good, beautifully presented and served with lightly salted and natural kinds of butter, the latter being superb. 

First up was lightly cured and torched sardines and purée, tempura fennel from the Gidleigh garden, violet potatoes, cuttlefish.  The latter really held the rest together here as the sardines were fine as were the purées, but the tougher texture and smokiness of the fish gave the rest of the minimalist starter that which it needed. 

The main I opted for was red-legged Yorkshire partridge, broccoli, bread purée, leg rillettes, with salted popcorn and Madeira, sunflower and chestnut. The main dish was perfectly succulent, fresh and the herbs being puréed to perfection.  I enjoyed the diced and fried elements with a decent charred, sweet effect from the shallots as well as the Madeira giving the rillette very good depth and smoothness.  Altogether, this was luxurious and light at the same time – a very good dish. 

Pre-dessert was toffee custard, cinnamon butte noisette, apple pie mousse and cider snow.  This was a beautiful combination of cider and toffee, fresh, vibrant, Autumnal and over in two seconds.  Dark chocolate and coffee opera, almond cream, hazelnut marzipan, milk and ice cream formed the dessert.  This was absolutely lovely.  The coffee sponge, white chocolate, hazelnut Dacquoise and hazelnut mousse were all well balanced and light again with a punch of flavour.

There was even another bonus as the petit four came as a mini bowl of dark chocolate, lavender honey gel, peppermint cream and violet ice cream combining as a mix between a peppermint and Turkish delight blend.  Whilst not my favourite combination this was original and fun at the same time. 

All in all, this was a superb set menu lunch, which, for £49 at this level and in the surroundings that it was, was outstanding value.  This is some of the best 2 Michelin starred cooking available in the country as is not only skilful in every way, but I love the fact that beyond its obvious decoration are fantastic flavours that really work overall.   The outdoor scenery is wonderful and on a miscellaneous note, I love the seats here as well as are supremely comfortable.  The only slip of this meal was having to wait until 1pm until I was with bread at the table, but then again if you are driving into the middle of Dartmoor, you wouldn’t or shouldn’t really be planning too many other appointments for that day so I was in no rush.  I’m so pleased to see Michael Wignall retaining two stars at Gidleigh which is absolutely right and a nice change to have from the equally delightful classic cooking from the other Michael (Caines) who gave it such a staple in the UK previously.

Snacks at the table included mini seafood cornet with salmon roe, a coconut and carrot tartlet and deep-fried bonbon of corn.  These were elaborate but slightly unusual flavours to have.  The amuse bouche of parsnip panna cotta, nori pear jelly liquorice foam and parsnip crisps was fair.   Rye and honey bread came with a soft goat milk butter with thyme which was ok but in all honesty, I prefer normal butter that is good to other variants – might as well stick to winning formulas.    

The first course was mackerel in brine smoked cream, leaks and radish snow & a mackerel tart.  This was followed by langoustine hibiscus foam, cauliflower semolina and cream and crispy head of langoustine.  Sweet breads marinated suede spinach purée and grapefruit were followed by duck foie gras, apple mango and ginger which was a decent combination.

Mullet was cooked with hot oil and served with aubergine, sea herb selection and onion gel.  Fillet from Cumbria was served with Swiss chard, beef cheeks and marinated stout beer.  Shallot foam came with the beef cheeks.  Coriander and mango sorbet came with mango chunks and lemongrass foam to make a pretty picture.  The main dessert was an elaborate decoration of raspberry & vanilla, coffee and pear, pistachio and grapefruit.  Petit fours were nibbles of biscuits and mini sponges comprising of chocolate, lemon, hazelnut, blackcurrant and chestnut.

The bottom line for this meal is that for all of the artwork, careful presentation and work gone into it, I don’t think I will remember a single course regrettably as nothing stood out as so enjoyable or memorable.  This is not to say it was a bad meal, please do not misinterpret, but it was like a conveyer belt of carefully crafted anticlimaxes and in some cases left me a little confused.  I believe another visit is in order to see how the menu evolves in a year or so.

As this is a new regime, the overall food grade is not the average of all scores up until this point but taken from the first experience of chef Leroy.

I will say right up front that this was an unbelievably clever and gorgeous meal, there is no question.  Many that do not like Heston Bluemthal’s unorthodox ways are adament on this but I stand by what I have always thought on this issue and it is still quite simple: if you have not tasted the food I’m afraid I simply can’t listen to those verdicts.  Yes it is fantastical but the flavours of the dishes were simply out of this world at the same time, right down to the petits fours which would rival the finest lindor chocoloate with a cape on(!).  My food grade (percentage) verdict is, as always based on the food alone and that’s what the 100% score is based on and not due to the ocassion it was (I actually had a terrible experience with their customer service on my first visit but was irrlevelent to the food score given for that first visit as well).

I could write a dissertation on this meal but that’s the danger.  I will actually let the photos do most of the talking on this occasion, save to say that the absolute food highlights for this round I thought were the tiny beetroot macaroon with perfectly hinted horseradish sauce in the centre; the incredible sandwiches (layer of toast in the middle of normal soft, white bread on the extremities) that were simply the tastiest sandwiches I’ve ever had in my life; the ingenious and delightful full English breakfast bowl and the greatest salmon I have ever had in the form of a lollypop which was actually cured Salmon with rings of avocado and horseradish on the outside.

In order to summarise the food here I will describe one of the dishes to set the tone of how The Fat Duck is different to most other restaurants (and most 3 stars for that matter).  The full English breakfast was actually a bowl with 3 layers of different components of breakfast: one resembling egg (truffled egg mousse), one for tomato (jellied tomato consommé) and one for bacon (bacon and toasted bread cream).  Each layer was uncannily the absolute essence of that flavour but in the form of a soft gel or sauce and lovely to combine in the mouth.  Meanwhile a pack of 6 mini-cereals were placed on the table and we were invited to choose any to sprinkle the ‘cereal’ (which turned out to be crispy and dried mushroom and bacon crackling) on the bowl.  Not only was this delicious but the game inside the packs was a jigsaw for each person to make the quickest as the winner was given a special coin which was to be used later to activate the electronic petit fours trolley which was impressive in its own right. The Fat Duck had done its research on us via a form to be filled out by the organiser and a follow up phone call and used this information to laser in to the wooden jigsaw pieces, things that were among the most meaningful to each person at the table.  THAT is how The Fat Duck is in a league of its own.

Final thoughts on this, apart from being one of the best meals of my life: I actually thought it was better than the first time round and they had most probably listened to feedback and toned it down to a better result.  The meal seemed less dense and more balanced this time and as it was only 16 courses and not 19 as it was, I did not leave feeling like Mr Creosote.  The service was also impeccable which was a lovely change and the only thing I didn’t really like was the slightly darkened, no wall-decor feel of the restaurant which did not seem to imbue an atmosphere. The tables are still quite close to each other so it is a little tight which is bad if you have guests on other tables that have nothing better to do that wanting to listen in to and judge others’ conversations.  That was the only other negative of this visit which the restaurant cannot be expected to control. Ultimately, you shouldn’t really come to this restaurant if you are wanting an atmosphere or conventional time regardless on the first point – this is supreme invention and flavours probably best enjoyed at a very special occasion.

There was not enough time for the Michelin guide to grade the restaurant suitably before it closed so it is therefore currently not in the guide at all for 2016, but my summary is based on what I had and frankly I will be amazed if it does not regain the three stars for next years’ (2017) Michelin guide release for the UK. I also think it would be ridiculous if it did not.

A superb collection of wonderful dishes, expertly conceived and executed resulting in food moments of pure gold.

So, on to the amuse bouche – the nitro tea and lime mousse was a marvel.  After a tub of liquid nitrogen was brought to the table, mousse was squirted in to this pan causing a fizzing and bubbling affair rather like sodium dancing on top of water.  The reaction with the liquid nitrogen caused the mousse to form in to a perfect sphere, which when eaten (after being sprinkled with tea essence) dissolved instantaneously in an utterly refreshing manner causing two jets of nitro-vapour to come out of my nose as if a dragon, whilst essence of tea extract was sprayed over us floating on to our heads and faces to finish the refreshment off.  Then, we were handed the menu.

This gives an idea as to why this venue is simply off the charts in terms of creativity and all the photos will speak for themselves.  The true, powerhouse moments for myself came with the camomile foie gras dish with foie gras toast, whilst ‘smelling’ a forest at the table and the bacon and egg ice-cream which was in fact vanilla cream (that had been injected in to 6 genuine egg shells cracked at the table) poured in to another tub of liquid nitrogen at the table, forming the perfect scrambled egg texture and look, which sat on a fried slice of syrup brioche with a genuine wafer thin slice of crystallised bacon (therefore sweet and genuinely beautiful).  That’s not to say that there were a couple of only ‘ok’ dishes such as the snail porridge – clever, yes but if I had my eyes closed it would have literally been a salty, sludgy set of noodles and the parsnip cereal was hugely entertaining but again more unique and fun than wonderful in flavour.  That said, when moments such as the foie gras and main bacon and egg combination come along, these moments are special – I was genuinely blown away in happiness and all the other surrounding dishes were simply a treat to behold – this is why on the rating I give it the mark based on the euphoria caused at these dining sensations experienced.

Unfortunately that food happiness was almost shattered with an episode at the table in which the waitress (who has served as the head waitress on numerous episodes of Heston’s TV feasts) utterly ruined the meal at one stage early on in the lunch.  As one of the first dishes was laid down I excitedly and politely said that I had forgotten what that dish was and what I received in return was the same waitress saying calmly and without any expression or any eye-contact, “Did I not tell you I would explain the dishes…?” as she placed them down.   This basically destroyed the experience and I was close to actually suggesting we leave, but the lengths that had been gone to, to get the table prevented me and I don’t think that would have flown very well with my associate Mr Bainbridge whatsoever, however it was the kind of arrogant rudeness I never expected in a million years to be defending myself from in any restaurant, let alone a 3 Michelin starred global affair such as this.

It confirms other varying reports I have heard ranging from the cleanliness of the ipod headphones in the sounds of the sea dish and another remark I have gleaned on the service experienced.  I gather that the whole service has morphed in to a well-oiled conveyer belt which had simply lost its soul in terms of the warmth.  Although this is hearsay, I can somehow easily believe this to be the case.  Probably apt timing therefore for a complete overhaul which is now happening as the restaurant is relocating for the first half of 2015 to Australia whilst a renovation in Bray occurs – I simply hope this extends to the happiness and character of the waiting staff as well while he is at it and that this is similarly transformed when he reopens in the latter part of 2015.

In terms of food, this meal remains unparalleled in its theatre, unmatched in some sensation moments and unforgettable as an experience.