Heston Blumenthal inside his new Fat Duck restaurant at Crown Towers in Melbourne. Photo: Nathan Dyer. Source: News Corp Australia
They were 50 of the luckiest ducks in the land.
Yesterday, the first diners were welcomed into The Fat Duck Melbourne, one of the world’s most anticipated restaurant openings of this year.
They were the first of just 14,000 people who will over the next six months get to experience a 4 ½ hour “gastronomic journey of history, nostalgia, emotion and memory”, as Heston describes a Fat Duck meal delivered over more than 14 courses.
And they each parted with $525 a head — before drinks — for the privilege.
First impressions were overwhelmingly positive.
Ryan Perry and Alison Bannister flew down from Sydney this morning for lunch and both rated the experience 10 out of 10.
“Waiters were so friendly, so understanding just wanted to share the experience with us,” Mr Perry said. “It wasn’t what I was expecting. Very different, the flavours were unbelievable.”
The famous ‘sound of the sea’ dish. Source: Supplied
Ms Bannister said the meal truly was a “once in a lifetime experience”.
“I wanted to go to the Fat Duck in Bray, this was even better,” she said.
Pauline and Roger Copsey were the first diners to leave the lunch service. The couple had flown over from Ireland for the meal.
“To be married for 46 years and to spend 4 and three quarter hours and not be bored, says it all,” Mr Copsey joked as they left the Crown restaurant.
Those scoring a seat during the next six months can expect to dine on such iconic dishes as
Sound of the Sea, which comes with an iPod hidden in a conch shell so diners listen to sounds of crashing waves while eating seafood from a glass-topped wooden box, and Mock Turtle Soup.
Roast marron with shiitake. Source: Supplied
“I’ve done a lot of work looking at the DNA of the Duck. What is the DNA of these experiential, narrative, contextual dishes? It’s all about memories and experiences,” Heston said.
“Take Sound of the Sea, or Mock Turtle Soup. The Sweet Shop. These dishes have evolved, but there’s no way, if you look at the complexity of the story behind them, how the dish eats, the technical side, the visual side, the interactive side. You can’t just come up with that. It takes months, years, perfecting the dish.”
That means that tweaks to the menu have been made to reflect Australian produce.
“They are all Fat Duck dishes, but tweaked to give it an Australian feel,” Heston said.
Those tweaks include a Larks Distillery whisky from Tasmania being included in the Whisky Gums, local seafood and seaweeds included on the Sound of the Sea, and a Gaytime included in the lolly bag. The only non-local fish used is a King salmon from New Zealand that “is so incredible, it practically swims up a waterfall”.
Nitro poached aperitifs. Source: Supplied
While Heston won’t be in the kitchen cooking, he will be present during service “just around, gliding on air, chatting, meeting guests”.
The space features a Mad Hatter-inspired Fat Duck fob watch, which counts down the time until the Fat Duck returns to Bray on August 15. The clock will return with the team, a souvenir of their time in Melbourne.
A 19,500 piece jigsaw puzzle takes pride of place in the room, which each diner will help complete over the six months duration the restaurant calls Melbourne home, and which Heston hopes might find a permanent home at Tasmania’s MONA. Founder David Walsh has lent a glass sculpture to the restaurant which is placed at the front desk.
Following the Fat Duck’s return to Bray, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will take up residence within Crown Melbourne permanently, becoming the only restaurant the chef has in his portfolio outside of the UK.
Ryan Perry and Alison Bannister were some of the first punters to visit The Fat Duck on Tuesday. Photo: Paul Loughnan. Source: News Corp Australia
The Fat Duck Melbourne first diners Roger and Pauline Copsey. Photo: Paul Loughnan. Source: News Corp Australia
TWO PUNTERS RATE THE FAT DUCK
Roger Perry, Sydney
Best dish: The lolly bag. And the bacon ice cream.
Service: Friendly, knowledgeable
Room: Beautiful, not squeezed in.
Rating 10/10
Alison Bannister, Sydney
Best dish: Bortrytis Cinerea
Service: Amazing, flawless
Room: Expected more tables, loved the cosy booth
Rating: Definitely 10
Originally published as So, how did The Fat Duck stack up?
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