Dinner is the name of a new restaurant venture by Heston Blumenthal, this time within the Manderin Oriental Hotel in Knightsbridge, London.
Heston already has a series of restaurants under his ownership including the famous Fat Duck which along with being awarded three Michelin Stars, has also been voted the “Best restaurant in the world” on several occasions.
Now he’s taken the big step into hotel restaurants following in the footsteps of Gordon Ramsey, Gary Rhodes and the original celebrity chef Auguste Escoffier who resided over meals at the Ritz back in the early 1900s.
While Dinner might seem an obvious name, it is also slightly odd considering such restaurants are usually given very fancy names, but then it would be hard to describe Heston’s cooking as “normal”. In chosing the name, Heston explained that he simply wanted something which reflected the food and if nothing else, was easy to remember.
So what can you expect at Dinner?
According to the web site, it seems Heston and his Executive Head Chef – Ashley Palmer-Watts – have created a menu based on British classics, but taking much of the inspiration from historical menus rather than modern day cuisine.
Examples from the menu include
[Starter] Roast Marrowbone (c.1720)
Parsley, Anchovy and Mace, Pickled Vegetables
[Mains] Powdered Duck (c.1670)
Smoked Fennel and Potato Puree
[Sweets] Baked Lemon Suet Pudding (c.1630)
Lemon, Caramel and Jersey Cream
These are a little different from the norm of what you might expect in many London restaurants, so it seems Heston is still trying to carve a niche in the world of restaurant food.
The prices aren’t out of line with many top London restaurants either, with starters around £12 and mains in the order of £25. Considering the Fat Duck menu costs at least £125 per person, this is rather tame pricing by Heston really.
The restaurant has only just opened and getting a reservation could be difficult, especially around mid-day, but assuming Heston and crucially Ashley Palmer-Watts can keep up their overview of this part of the Fat Duck Group then the restaurant should flourish.
More information and bookings on the Dinner by Heston Blumenthal web site.
As a side note, this might be especially good news for residents of the £140 million apartments in the One Hyde Park complex which is right next door to the restaurant.
More Knightsbridge Resources:
Knightsbridge hotels in London
Tourist attractions in Knightsbridge (what to see before dinner)
Manderin Oriental Hotel
One Comment
We had a fab meal there. It was playful and enjoyable. The service was immaculate. We loved the meat f ruit and black foot pork chop but all dishes were amazing too. We were also fascinated by the spit roasting/clockwork device. Here is what we have eaten http://wp.me/p18zw1-L4 . Can’t wait to go back!