Fat Duck Tomorrow!
Discussion
Hey guys,
I've done a search and read quite a bit about what to expect (though I don't want any surprises ruined!), but one thing I can't find too much about is what to wear! I know they say there's no dress code but I assume people aren't sat around in t-shirts - I'm going for a friends 30th and assumed I'd wear chinos and a smart shirt but no tie or blazer, would this suffice?
Anything else that you wish you'd known about before you went?! I'm going to struggle to leave over £300 tip for the 6 of us!
Cheers!
Dom
I've done a search and read quite a bit about what to expect (though I don't want any surprises ruined!), but one thing I can't find too much about is what to wear! I know they say there's no dress code but I assume people aren't sat around in t-shirts - I'm going for a friends 30th and assumed I'd wear chinos and a smart shirt but no tie or blazer, would this suffice?
Anything else that you wish you'd known about before you went?! I'm going to struggle to leave over £300 tip for the 6 of us!
Cheers!
Dom
Enjoy it - I had a great time there for my 30th in January.
you should be fine with Chino's. I did wear suit trousers and a jacket, but it's definitely not required as it's a remarkably relaxed atmosphere in there.
Regarding suprises, it really depends on what you want to drink etc. A trolley comes round at the beginning with a selection of champagnes to have by the glass. If I recall, the price ranged from £20-£45 per glass. One other thing I'd recommend is the wine tasting to go with the dishes. The wine list itself is exhaustive and you will struggle to get a wine that will work with a portion of the dishes. There are two options for this £140 or £250 (approx)per person.
All in all, for the two of us, we spent about £820. This was £400 for food, £45 for champagne, £280 for wine and £100 for service (12.5% is added to the bill).
It certainly isn't cheap, however we didn't feel short changed either and really enjoyed the experience!
you should be fine with Chino's. I did wear suit trousers and a jacket, but it's definitely not required as it's a remarkably relaxed atmosphere in there.
Regarding suprises, it really depends on what you want to drink etc. A trolley comes round at the beginning with a selection of champagnes to have by the glass. If I recall, the price ranged from £20-£45 per glass. One other thing I'd recommend is the wine tasting to go with the dishes. The wine list itself is exhaustive and you will struggle to get a wine that will work with a portion of the dishes. There are two options for this £140 or £250 (approx)per person.
All in all, for the two of us, we spent about £820. This was £400 for food, £45 for champagne, £280 for wine and £100 for service (12.5% is added to the bill).
It certainly isn't cheap, however we didn't feel short changed either and really enjoyed the experience!
Cheers for the info - much appreciated!
I think it's only the tasting menu that they do now? Either way that's what we're going for, together with the wine tasting menu - very excited!
Sounds like my proposed outfit should be fine and echos what I've heard about it being quite relaxed - I'll report back after tomorrow evening!
Thanks again.
Dom
I think it's only the tasting menu that they do now? Either way that's what we're going for, together with the wine tasting menu - very excited!
Sounds like my proposed outfit should be fine and echos what I've heard about it being quite relaxed - I'll report back after tomorrow evening!
Thanks again.
Dom
Sorry guys, completely forgot to come back and update this!
Well it was a real experience - helped by the fact that the guy I went with is involved with the wider Heston group so knew some of the staff at the FD. They were great, with a bottle of lovely champagne to celebrate the birthday I was there for and even a couple of famous Heston courses no longer on the menu (eg bacon and egg ice cream). My friend had also booked a very posh house one door down which helped make it even more of an experience - we all met there for drinks before hand and went back there afterwards to carry on the celebrations!
The food itself I found very mixed (as I'd expected really) - I'd say 60% of it I bloody loved, 20% I found really interesting but wouldn't have chosen to eat again, with the remaining 20% not my taste at all. A few courses had great delivery with liquid nitrogen etc which I enjoyed, together with a few other clever methods of delivery (the Mad Hatter's tea party for example). The deserts were all delicious (together with the sweets!) and the wines suggested by the sommelier were fantastic, really making the meal.
Overall it was a great evening and it was worth the money, though to be honest I feel that it's now something that I've ticked off rather than being desperate to go back!
Dom
Well it was a real experience - helped by the fact that the guy I went with is involved with the wider Heston group so knew some of the staff at the FD. They were great, with a bottle of lovely champagne to celebrate the birthday I was there for and even a couple of famous Heston courses no longer on the menu (eg bacon and egg ice cream). My friend had also booked a very posh house one door down which helped make it even more of an experience - we all met there for drinks before hand and went back there afterwards to carry on the celebrations!
The food itself I found very mixed (as I'd expected really) - I'd say 60% of it I bloody loved, 20% I found really interesting but wouldn't have chosen to eat again, with the remaining 20% not my taste at all. A few courses had great delivery with liquid nitrogen etc which I enjoyed, together with a few other clever methods of delivery (the Mad Hatter's tea party for example). The deserts were all delicious (together with the sweets!) and the wines suggested by the sommelier were fantastic, really making the meal.
Overall it was a great evening and it was worth the money, though to be honest I feel that it's now something that I've ticked off rather than being desperate to go back!
Dom
Zeemax_Mini said:
Sorry guys, completely forgot to come back and update this!
Well it was a real experience - helped by the fact that the guy I went with is involved with the wider Heston group so knew some of the staff at the FD. They were great, with a bottle of lovely champagne to celebrate the birthday I was there for and even a couple of famous Heston courses no longer on the menu (eg bacon and egg ice cream). My friend had also booked a very posh house one door down which helped make it even more of an experience - we all met there for drinks before hand and went back there afterwards to carry on the celebrations!
The food itself I found very mixed (as I'd expected really) - I'd say 60% of it I bloody loved, 20% I found really interesting but wouldn't have chosen to eat again, with the remaining 20% not my taste at all. A few courses had great delivery with liquid nitrogen etc which I enjoyed, together with a few other clever methods of delivery (the Mad Hatter's tea party for example). The deserts were all delicious (together with the sweets!) and the wines suggested by the sommelier were fantastic, really making the meal.
Overall it was a great evening and it was worth the money, though to be honest I feel that it's now something that I've ticked off rather than being desperate to go back!
Dom
Ballpark cost for going and doing it "properly" (as it sounds you did)?Well it was a real experience - helped by the fact that the guy I went with is involved with the wider Heston group so knew some of the staff at the FD. They were great, with a bottle of lovely champagne to celebrate the birthday I was there for and even a couple of famous Heston courses no longer on the menu (eg bacon and egg ice cream). My friend had also booked a very posh house one door down which helped make it even more of an experience - we all met there for drinks before hand and went back there afterwards to carry on the celebrations!
The food itself I found very mixed (as I'd expected really) - I'd say 60% of it I bloody loved, 20% I found really interesting but wouldn't have chosen to eat again, with the remaining 20% not my taste at all. A few courses had great delivery with liquid nitrogen etc which I enjoyed, together with a few other clever methods of delivery (the Mad Hatter's tea party for example). The deserts were all delicious (together with the sweets!) and the wines suggested by the sommelier were fantastic, really making the meal.
Overall it was a great evening and it was worth the money, though to be honest I feel that it's now something that I've ticked off rather than being desperate to go back!
Dom
Kudos said:
Ballpark cost for going and doing it "properly" (as it sounds you did)?
Ollerton57 said:
One other thing I'd recommend is the wine tasting to go with the dishes. The wine list itself is exhaustive and you will struggle to get a wine that will work with a portion of the dishes. There are two options for this £140 or £250 (approx)per person.
All in all, for the two of us, we spent about £820. This was £400 for food, £45 for champagne, £280 for wine and £100 for service (12.5% is added to the bill).
It certainly isn't cheap, however we didn't feel short changed either and really enjoyed the experience!
All in all, for the two of us, we spent about £820. This was £400 for food, £45 for champagne, £280 for wine and £100 for service (12.5% is added to the bill).
It certainly isn't cheap, however we didn't feel short changed either and really enjoyed the experience!
Kudos said:
Ballpark cost for going and doing it "properly" (as it sounds you did)?
To be honest I was very lucky - the house/drinks were sorted by my friend and because of his connections we paid substantially less than we should have done for the meal/wine. Still expensive, but a lot less than I'd been planning (I'd been planning on £400 per person, which would have been about right all said and done).Dom
Have prices gone up ? When I did the Fat Duck about 3 years ago, the bill for four of us 'only' game to ~£1250. I was the only one who did not have the basic wine course (designated driver) though I did have a glass of the sake with the fish courses. I was also the only one who did not have champers at the start, we all had the additional (and from what I remember ridiculously cheap) cheese course, and a couple of us had coffee/tea.
edit - just found the bill, it was £1150 including service - only 2 had champers, so under £300 each.
edit - just found the bill, it was £1150 including service - only 2 had champers, so under £300 each.
Edited by dapprman on Monday 22 April 23:31
k me! I had an all inclusive holiday in Barbados a couple of years ago for about triple that!This is another option, and includes accommodation. I believe the Roux family aren't too bad at knocking out a bit of dinner either 
http://www.waterside-inn.co.uk/promotions/signatur...
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We did l'enclume over new year & at £350 per couple inc tip I thought that was steep enough!
Simon Rogan's got his second star there now & they're a 10 out of 10 in the good food guide which they seemed more chuffed about.
We did the 17 course taster menu with wines to match (would have been less than half the experience without it), but passed on the cheese board. Taster menu was £95 pp, wine taster menu was £60 pp & we had a bottle of English fizz to start off.
I can't imagine ever paying more than twice that for a meal!
Simon Rogan's got his second star there now & they're a 10 out of 10 in the good food guide which they seemed more chuffed about.
We did the 17 course taster menu with wines to match (would have been less than half the experience without it), but passed on the cheese board. Taster menu was £95 pp, wine taster menu was £60 pp & we had a bottle of English fizz to start off.
I can't imagine ever paying more than twice that for a meal!
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