Now I know it is a big Asian thing to take lots of pictures of their food, in various states of undress, or should I say, consumption. Someone has asked me to post photos of my food when I write about them. 'It makes the recipe look more delicious' they say.
Now you'd probably wonder, ok so why is Han putting up a photo of a kumquat with some sticks of toast in the background? I must say, as with every other person who has been to Dinner,
This is no ordinary kumquat.
Say hello to Meat Fruit, a little piece of magic by Mr Heston Blumenthal. A sublime chicken liver parfait wrapped in a sweet mandarin jelly. Traditionally in the kitchen of Mr Mo's grandmother, foie gras was always paired with quince jelly. So this was a clever morsel of culinery delight -- creamy, flavourful, and honestly, pretty amazing.
I was sat next to a lovely Mel to whom I was lamenting about my impending food envy as the serving staff popped out with trays of beautifully plated food which were a real visual treat!! As we had a seating for 6, we ended up playing musical plates on our round table. Without delving into a mega picture spam, the winners were as follows.
The Meat Fruit (c.1500) won hands down in creativity. Rice and Flesh (c.1390) came a close second as a visual treat (gold (from saffron) and burgandy (possibly from red wine?) is always a winning combination colour wise!
In terms of flavour, the Salamagundy (c.1720) was what I could only call 'chicken-y' but packed full of flavour.
The Broth of Lamb (c.1730) and Savoury Porridge (c. 1660) tasted familiar and oddly reminded me of my God mother's cooking flavours (but obviously with much more precision and complexity in flavour). Comforting and homely, the Savoury Porridge (which was done with cod cheeks, a twist on the Fat Duck's reknowned snail porridge) flooded me with my first memories of my mother's spinach and parsley 'chok'.
Slight digression here but, what I wanted to say really was --- the starters were STUNNING.
For mains, we divided and conquered - Spiced Pigeon (c. 1780) and Beef Royal (c. 1720). The spiced pigeon, as Mel and I agreed that the texture and look of the pigeon was -- almost rare, but it was the smoothest and tastiest pigeon I've had by far. It has a good bite and is rather chewable at first (without being tough or stringy), but melts onto your tongue within seconds. I know, all these descriptions might not sound palatable. Perfectly cooked!!
The Beef Royal ---- 72 hours Slow Cooked Short Rib of Angus, Smoked Anchovy and Onion Puree, Ox Tongue. Need I say more?
We rounded up the afternoon circa 2011 at 430 pm with yet another round of musical desserts. Pretty colours on a plate they were --- the deep purple of blackcurrent, pastel pink of rhubarb, the sandy colour of salted caramel, and the deep rich chocolate brown (all not on the same plate of course!!)
My winners for the final course was the pineapple tipsy cake (which Goz said tasted somewhat like kaya...) and the brown bread ice cream. The rest of the desserts were very clever in tastes, but far too experimental for me. This course cemented my preference for slightly more traditional flavours in my pudding.
With that, I leave you with the amazing pineapple spit roast, turned uniformly by a ginormous mechanical contraption designed by famed watched maker Ebel. Very rustic and traditional!
My fellow diners informed me that Dinner was in itself a very different dining experience (sensorily and wallet wise) from its world acclaimed brother. While I have not been to the Fat Duck, this was to my mind, a sneak preview of the aesthetic skill, culinery cleverness and creativity that Mr Blumenthal and his team possess.
Dinner was, as my friend Goz assured me, nothing short of excellent.
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