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Snail Porridge\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n
Course 12: the Primary Dishes\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/le-mckernan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/lamb-FatDuck.jpg\")
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Turbot<\/p><\/div>\n
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lamb<\/p><\/div>\n
Course 13: Desserts ….\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/le-mckernan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/dessertFDuck-1024x511.jpg\")
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Course 14: Digestif<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/le-mckernan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/IMG_5182-300x300.jpg\")
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Journey Stage 6: Off to Bed\u00a0<\/span> \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nCourse 15:\u00a0<\/strong>Fluffy pillows floating on a flying pillow ….\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\nJourney Stage 6: Dreamland \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nCourse 16:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/le-mckernan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/FullSizeRender-300x300.jpg\")
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Course 17: \u00a0finally, off to the Sweet Shop\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/le-mckernan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/IMG_5224-300x300.jpg\")
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Verdict:<\/strong><\/p>\nWhist some of the whizz-bang wonderfulness of the meal is a little gimmicky, all special effects employed tie back to the original goal of getting us to experience the meal thru our senses of sight, smell, sound, touch<\/strong> and taste<\/strong>. \u00a0And, as I have now completed this journey, I would also add ‘imagination<\/strong>‘ to the list.<\/p>\nAlthough the meal spans multiple courses, at the end of journey, I was happily replete. \u00a0It appears that The Fat Duck engineered the meal so that it feeds the senses first and foremost so that the stomach is not overloaded and laden. \u00a0The end result is: Perfection. \u00a0Succinctly, I’ve eaten very well but did not feel overburdened.<\/p>\n
Some writers have opined on the morality of the costs of a Fat Duck meal. \u00a0I acknowledge this position, but, I would argue that a meal at The Fat Duck is not just ‘a meal’. \u00a0It is an interactive theatre (between the diner and the chef as well as between the diner and his\/her companions) that spans 4-5 hours. \u00a0The front-of-house service operates as flawlessly as a professional ballet production. \u00a0The technical expertise front & back of the house is as demanding as any West End musical production. \u00a0Therefore, in appreciation of the hugely technical and professional skills set required to produce each sitting, I think the costs associated with this is fair value. \u00a0Especially as this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.<\/p>\n
+ + + +<\/p>\n
Overall Assessment from this trip:<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nCovering meals from Le Gavroche<\/span> (Mayfair), Heston’s Dinner<\/span> (Mandarin Oriental Hotel London), Camelia Restaurant<\/span> (Paris), City Social<\/span> (Tower42), and others:\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\nThis is super difficult as some of these dishes are simply unique and incomparable. \u00a0Moreover, the selection is highly personal as the experience is subjective to mood, time, and context. \u00a0As such, reviewing a ‘fine dining experience’ is as similar as reviewing a theatre experience — and with all the pitfalls and caveats! \u00a0For example, the 2003 Theatre Royal production of Ibsen’s Brand consistently ranks in Bruce’s Top 3. \u00a0Although I’ve seen the production along with Bruce in exactly the same environment, this production would barely break my Top 50! \u00a0The other thing to note is the volume of exceptionally delicious dishes means that the bell curve skews the ranking. \u00a0Some dishes that would normally rank highly on a normal day<\/em>\u00a0are not in the top tier in this assessment. \u00a0(Sorry ‘Old Spots Ribs’ at the Hawksmoor Borough — you were absolutely delicious but you just can’t compete against Thierry Marx’s exceptional dishes at the Camelia Restaurant!)<\/p>\nTop Tier: Almost Spiritual\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/le-mckernan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/HipstamaticPhoto-524344521.241273-300x300.jpg\")
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Camelia Restaurant<\/strong> (Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Paris). \u00a0A very memorable plate from this trip! This is surprising wonderful because it so simple and clean. \u00a0The combination of sweet tomatoes and strawberries with soft cheese and a light vanilla-esque dressing is unimaginably delicious!<\/p>\n\n
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CALAMARI RISONI – with squid ink, tagliatelle of cuttlefish, crunchy vegetables<\/p><\/div>\n
Another triumph<\/em><\/strong> from Camelia Restaurant<\/strong>! \u00a0This was simply stunning. \u00a0The saltiness of the Parmesan cheese shaving complimented the earthiness of the risotto and the smooth texture of the cuttlefish tagliatelle.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/le-mckernan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/meatFruit_hestonBlumenthalDinner.jpg\")
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Dinner at Mandarin Oriental Hotel<\/strong>: everyone at the table had a taste of the Meat Fruit and all were in agreement that it was a show-stopper! \u00a0The chicken liver was incredibly smooth and the sweetness and tang from the ‘mandarin’ shell just added another depth and oomph which complimented the richness of the uber-buttered toast. \u00a0The main plate was a spiced squab and it was cooked to just pink perfection. \u00a0The dessert was a boooooozy ‘Tipsy Tart’ and it hit just the right note in terms of punch and in terms of lightness. Wonderful meal.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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<\/strong><\/p>\nCity Social<\/strong>: Pea Tartlet – both light (pastry) and hearty (smoked haddock) tartlet to start off a wonderful meal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nCity Social also scored another ACE with it’s amazing Rum Babba…..<\/p>\n
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2nd Tier: \u00a0Memorably Delicious in Every Way\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/le-mckernan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/HipstamaticPhoto-524348061.292077-1-300x300.jpg\")
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Another Camelia<\/strong> triumph … \u00a0This suckling pig delight<\/strong> is just on the cusp of breaking thru to the 1st Tier ranking. \u00a0But on balance, it is slightly better than the near flawless duck from Le Gavroche but just a shade shy of exquisiteness to tip this dish into the top rank!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/le-mckernan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/HipstamaticPhoto-524083311.327693-300x300.jpg\")
Duck at Le Gavroche (London)<\/p><\/div>\n
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Succulent ‘Old Spot ribs’ — a lovely starter at the Hawksmoor Borough (London)<\/p><\/div>\n
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3rd Tier: \u00a0Delicious but not\u00a0Earth-Shatteringly So . . . .\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/le-mckernan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/HipstamaticPhoto-523479889.659215-300x300.jpg\")
Potato Lompe and Monkfish Liver – by\u00a0Alex Nietosvuori at Carousel-London<\/p><\/div>\n
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Ooozying with butter … scummy oyster crock monsieur from Bentley’s in Piccadilly (London)<\/p><\/div>\n
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Crab rolled in cucumber, shiso and wasabi — it came with a fresh granita to accentuate the flavour and to freshen the dish.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This is work in progress & still in DRAFT mode . . . . \u00a0please be patient. \u00a0(August 2017)\u00a0 Please note\u00a0that there are\u00a0no\u00a0advertisements,\u00a0no\u00a0sponsored links, and\u00a0not even\u00a0a\u00a0Facebook LIKE button on this site. \u00a0In short, this website is neither governed nor influenced by commercial interests. \u00a0Without exceptions, all travels and related expenses are paid for by ourselves […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13150,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[388,373,392,391,379,393,397,386,394],"class_list":["post-13005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel-blog","tag-a-culinary-adventure-from-london-to-paris","tag-alex-nietosvuori","tag-camelia-restaurant","tag-carousel-london","tag-le-gavroche","tag-mandarin-oriental-hotel-paris","tag-mock-turtle-soup","tag-the-fat-duck","tag-thierry-marx"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/le-mckernan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/mock-turtle-medallion.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/le-mckernan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/le-mckernan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/le-mckernan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/le-mckernan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/le-mckernan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13005"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/le-mckernan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13005\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13181,"href":"https:\/\/le-mckernan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13005\/revisions\/13181"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/le-mckernan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/le-mckernan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/le-mckernan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/le-mckernan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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