Simply put, best meal of my life! I was able to book a last minute reservation in this wonderful gem. Dinner started with a wonderful introduction to how the kitchen works, followed by a very knowledgeable waiter who knew every piece of the menu. We ordered the meat fruit, and I have to say it is one of those things, everyone should be able to eat once. So creamy, soft, and delicious! Next , on to the pork chops, which were a para negra this time around. What an exquisite meal. The condiments were just perfect, and the meat was perfectly cooked. We ordered the tipsy cake, because of all of the raving reviews, and I will say, none of the reviews make it justice. It melts in your mouth. It is amazing!!! read more

I am really, really proud to be the 3rd person to review Dinner. I had put all thoughts of getting a table for the next 6 months completely out of my mind as nigh on impossible, and so was flabbergastered when my brother announced that he'd managed to secure a table for lunch. I was practically hyperventilating with excitement - which was only exacerbated when I noticed who was sitting in middle of the room - only Heston Blooming Blumenthal himself. Reader, I am not normally a star struck person, but suddenly I was in love and could barely standing up. The room is vast and has a wonderful view of Hyde Park, but couldn't really escape the feeling of being part of a hotel. I remember reading that it is formed out of part of the old breakfast rooms, and I did feel like I should be expecting a waiter to take my tea or coffee orders at any point...albeit posh ones. Nonetheless - this was the place I'd been reading - and drooling - about as the reviews starting pouring in, and so the excitement flooded back as we were led to our table and I began to notice all the details the reviewers had pointed out: THERE WERE THE PINEAPPLES! THERE WERE THE JELLY MOULD LIGHTS! My brother (despite being in the restaurant industry, I might add) didn't seem to know that much about the menu, so I quickly launched into an explanation of what he should have and what we had to order. I should now point out that I don't eat red meat. This meant that I forced him to have the Meat Fruit "because we have to" despite the fact that I wouldn't actually try it - although the fact that his face lit up as soon as he tasted it assured me that I'd steered him in the right direction. I started with the scallops with cucumber ketchup, which we both agreed was rather disappointing - yes, the scallops were good, but there are only so many bits of roasted cucumber you can eat without getting bored, and I would have taken regular ketchup over the cucumber variety every time. My brother had some concoction of steak and bone marrow next, which he said was very good, but was hard pressed to say that it was the Best Steak He'd Ever Eaten - with good quality ingredients, which of course these were, it's hard to get anything too wrong with a steak. My Cod In Cider, which came with a mussel broth, was far superior, and conversely I could say that it was possibly The Best Fish I'd Ever Eaten. I think the waiter said they poach it in oil before pan frying it, and it was positively sumptuous. We'd pre-ordered the famed Tipsy Cake, and also had the Brown Bread Ice-Cream, which we were warned would be "slightly more savoury than most people would think." I can honestly say I didn't get the big deal with the Tipsy Cake - the brioche was nice and yes, roasted pineapple is novel (although tasted half like fresh and half like dried pineapple), but it didn't really blow me away. The Brown Bread ice cream was better, but I felt this was certainly the weakest course in the meal. A post-dessert of white chocolate and earl grey ganache was far superior - a quirky combo that really worked, and a lovely way to finish off the meal. So why the four stars? Partly to be controversial - everyone and his dog seems to be giving Dinner 5 stars, to the point of which I think they were preparing to do so even before the restaurant had opened. But also because, in all honesty, not every dish was a hit. It was a fantastic experience, and one I will never forget, but I wasn't left dreaming of dishes or desperate to go back, suggesting that perhaps it wasn't quite the Perfection Heston was in search of. read more

This will not be a rave review. Nor a ranty review. This will be a simple, non-poncy, maybe slightly pedantic, review of a restaurant that is a paradigm of good service and an excellent kitchen. The restaurant itself is beautiful, simple, airy, with very high ceilings (the way ceilings should be) and despite being in the middle of London, somehow, somewhere, it has found a garden, or a park, or just a clustering of grass, bushes and trees to have outside some magnificent bay windows. I sat facing them on the longest day of the year, the sun shining in and onto my table. Idyllic. The menu was simple, and wrapped around it was a small piece of cardboard which shouldn't go unnoticed. Open it up. And read. And learn some piece of trivia. As I said, service was excellent. Water was refilled, questions asked and answered at the right time and the right tone and mood. Everything was perfect. Then. The food came. And made me giggle. The chicken liver parfait is shaped like a mandarine! I thought oh, how cute, we're in the Mandarin Oriental! (hotel) It was also delicious. And for the first time in a very long time (definitely the first time in England the english being notoriously stingy on water and bread- and not always a lucky occurrence in France) I had plenty of bread to eat nearly all of my pate! Looooved it! Next up: Steak. Rump steak. YUM! But you see the most delicious part of the dish wasn't the meat. Oh the irony. It was of course the chips!! Heston truly has mastered the art of the french fry. Well done. Thank you. Now if my choices were wider than Dinner by Heston at the Mandarin Oriental vs. Frites Antoine in Brussels' Place Jourdan, I would be one happy (if slightly heftier) bunny! As for dessert I got the giggles again. Their signature dessert is called Tipsy cake. How inimitable. Had someone actually called it that back in 1810? Apparently so. Now all I need is to secure myself a copy of that cookery book and I will be able to have that delicious, divine, spongy brioche dribbling with delicate sweetness, hot from the oven, at my heart's content. And probably to the delight of any of my friends (and partner) willing to trek all the way to Woking for it. Will come out to Surrey for Tipsy cake. Yes. Well I came in from Surrey for it. And I damn well would again!! read more

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal - British Near Me - London, XGL

Stunning food and equally wonderful service. My husband and I enjoyed a lovely dinner on Easter and the staff could not have been nicer. Our table at the window overlooked Hyde Park at dusk...beautiful! As for the meal: The starters (Rice and Flesh - a beautiful saffron risotto with calf tail - and the Earl Grey cured salmon) were beautifully presented, and we couldn't decide who ordered the better dish. Our main dishes of ribeye and duck were similarly excellent and perfectly prepared. To top off the meal, the special chocolate torte cake (decorated for my birthday) capped off the night well. Highly recommended! read more

Amazing, nice view of the kitchen as well as Hyde Park . Went for lunch and ordered from the set menu which made things a little easier on the wallet. Ordered the pigs ear, quail, and millionaire shortbread as well as the nitrogen ice cream. All were amazing -- nitrogen ice cream was prepared and served table side which was quite the eye turner. Loved! And that quenelle -- super sexy ! read more

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Went here last week for lunch.The food, service and atmosphere were excellent.This is an expensive restaurant, so no surprises there. The restaurant's design and furnishings are all fine - as is the panoramic view over Hyde Park - but that's not really the main attraction so let's not dwell on them (yes, there's some flashy clock mechanism, giant jelly moulds for lampshades on the walls and the kitchen's on open view - so you can see the pineapples on the spit roast) - it's the food that matters. The portions are very large. I shared a starter and we opted for the almost famous "meat fruit". Highly recommended if you like foie gras and chicken liver parfait with a delicate mandarin jelly, shaped like the namesake of the hotel where Dinner is located; a fantastically memorable dish. On the waiter's recommendation we opted for the £72 between 2 people Wing of aged Aberdeen Angus Black. It was deliciously tender and meaningfully meaty but didn't look as impressive as we'd expected it to be, because the waiter had described it as a centrepiece. The wing arrived slightly underdone (more rare than medium rare) and a replacement arrived with an absolute minimum of fuss and delay. Accompanying the wing were a mushroom ketchup and berry jus - both delicious - with a cup of triple-fried chips on the side. We couldn't finish our main due to a meat induced near coma. There's room for improvement - the facilities were not nearby (guess a short walk is the price we pay for a restaurant based on some of the world's most valuable real-estate) - would have liked to deduct half a star from this review because with a restaurant of Dinner's calibre I'd have expected an amuse bouche; the bread and butter were excellent quality though and to deduct a whole star would be churlish. At the end of the meal we were offered a sort of post amuse bouche of a small cup of white chocolate creme with an almond biscuit - whilst not bad, it didn't rock my world in any way. With our meal we enjoyed two excellent non alcoholic cocktails - my friend went for a Green Goblin and I had a .....something or other sunrise - both well were made drinks that lasted. Looking forward to a return visit, in which case I'll be sorely tempted to just have a couple of starters - one of which will have to be the roasted marrowbone with anchovies. Dinner is in many ways a very different experience to the Fat Duck, yet it retains Heston Blumenthal's imprint - despite his comments in interview that it's really Ashley Palmer-Watts' restaurant with Blumenthal's name on the door - whilst not overtly displaying molecular gastronomy, there's definitely some heavyweight detail going on in the cooking; the menu's historic recipes span several centuries and it's Heston Blumenthal's clear passion for gastro historical-reenactment with a twist, that define's the food. read more

I booked a table here the day after the London marathon as a treat for us afterwards! It was a superb leisurely lunch. The food was amazing. The highlight was having a taste of all of the desserts - Salted Caramel Ice Cream and the Chocolate bar are immense. There is not a dish that was a let down from the Meat Fruit, Chicken Oyster Salad. Definite treat venue! read more

Just amazing. They deserve to be I. The top ten of restaurants around the world. The service was the best we have experienced. If u are visiting the UK or live there this is a must.. A food tip: order the meat fruit as a starter and prepare to have your taste buds thank you. read more

Simply amazing. The service, the food, the experience, the handcrafted ice cream table side, totally worth every penny. Tried several dishes including the famous meat fruit which was mind blowing. Steak was perfectly cooked and the cocktails were fabulous along with the wine. Definitely get the tipsy cake as well. Ate at The Jules Verne in Paris 3 days later and can say this restaurant tops it in all categories except for service and the view. read more

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Service, I will note at the start, was as exceptional and other-level-good as service gets. I don't have too much to say about the food because every iota of it was technically perfect; it all tasted very good to great and looked the part as well. I don't think we will eat a more perfect meal with more exceptional service in the rest of 2019. I will never say no to such a meal and I will never not enjoy it; however, perfect though it is, this is also not the stuff that thrills me anymore. We had everything on that day's lunch menu and it went something like this: the dressed snails (grilled lettuce, parsley, anchovy, garlic) were rich, lovely; the hay smoked salmon (smoked beetroot, pickled lemon salad, parsley, sorrel) was sweeter than I expected and not as smoky as I expected, but it was uniformly excellent; the roast cod and admiral sauce (roast parsnip, buttermilk, shallots, shrimp, brown butter, capers) was a fulfilling and flawless cook; the lamb & cucumber (roast belly of lamb, pickled cucumber heart, onions, rock samphire) was sous-vide tender, fantastically rich, and somehow exciting; the quaking pudding (spiced pears, pickled apple, almond biscuit, perry caramel) did indeed quake and shake and it was flush with mulled spices; and finally, the bohemian cake (chocolate and yuzu mousse with honey ice cream) might have had more yuzu than I prefer, but it was still altogether amazing. Would I recommend the wine pairings? Not necessarily, but I always get them and rarely regret it and I did not regret it here. read more

Some time ago, I spent a good half an hour or so discussing Tudor banquets at Hampton Court and, despite the risk of turning into a latter-era Henry VIII, vowed someday I'd try and experience this feast. Even if it meant spending the next month living at the gym in apology to my arteries. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal isn't quite this Tudor feast, but it'll do as the nearest thing available until time travel's invented. Even the setting overlooking Hyde Park makes you forget that you're in a hotel and instead conjures up the image of the royal party galloping back through the park to the finest food of their era. And Henry would probably approve of Heston's olde England-inspired menu. For those who've missed the hype (in which case, where have you been?), this is not the Fat Duck does London, this is a very different beast indeed. Dinner, overseen by Heston and led by Ashley Palmer-Watts, could be seen as an extension of the chef's Channel 4 Feasts series, as he delves back into England's culinary heritage for inspiration. And, as the name of the restaurant itself would imply, there's more of a hint of playfulness running throughout a menu full of bold, powerful flavours. Let's stop for a minute right here and warn you what to expect. Dinner is not cheap, unless you go for the excellent value Monday to Friday £28 lunch deal. We missed the Monday to Friday aspect of this, realised we were going to have to go full-whack, shrugged, and decided what the hell. Our credit cards didn't thank us, but our bellies certainly did. For starters, their was no question that we weren't going to try the curiously-titled Meat Fruit. Arriving like a tangerine with grilled bread, this was a dish that teased and dared you to go inside. The mandarin covering was like a light jelly that complement the rich chicken liver parfait perfectly. Rich, yes, but lighter than you'd expect. Equally good was the broth of lamb, with sweetbreads, assorted vegetables and a perfectly slow-cooked hen's egg floating in the middle. Such was the aroma, I almost inhaled this. The broth had such a depth of flavour that it threatened to overwhelm the other flavours, but just stayed on the right side of tying the dish together, with the sweetbreads in particular delicious. For mains, it was onto the powdered duck with smoked fennel and potato puree and, on the recommendation of one of the many excellent staff attending to us, and spiced pigeon with artichoke hearts and ale sauce. Neither animal should have the right to be this obscenely tender. You could leave the pigeon on your tongue and it would melt straight through, while the duck (powdered lightly with spices, not talcum powder, although the latter wouldn't surprised you with Heston) was slow-cooked to perfection, with a layer of fat around pink meat. The texture was almost more akin to lamb, the taste was definitely duck. One small criticism was the fennel had been smoked a little too long, but this is a minor quibble. All this, though, was merely softening our stomachs up for the final assault: dessert. At this stage, the kitchen seriously stepped the action up a gear, in case we hadn't expanded enough. Brown bread ice cream with a salted caramel sauce was refreshing and devoured with relish. The chocolate bar with ginger ice cream was thick, rich and played with your tastebuds, yet didn't weigh your stomach down. Dinner could market these as a snack for those in need of a comfort snack on the sofa and would make a killing. And finally came the unexpected highlight - a petite four of Earl Grey ganache with caraway seed biscuit. This was thick and creamy with the tea flavour dominating but not overwhelming. As my friend said, if it wasn't inappropriate, she would have licked the cup dry. You could make a few minor criticisms if you were looking for absolute perfection. The presentation was occasionally a little less than you'd expect and, while the meal was excellent throughout, it would perhaps be too much to describe as absolutely mind-blowing. And, on a personal level, I shed a small tear inside when I learnt the 72-hour slow-cooked beef wasn't available for our sitting. But this is casting around for faults for the sake of it and, as Dinner gets into its stride, it would be no shock to see these ironed out completely. And given the amount of happy noises coming from both of us during the meal and the sheer joy, depth and fun throughout the two hours we were seated, perhaps even a tad ungracious. It was good, let's leave it at that. For the special, if limited, lunch menu and the unexpectedly reasonable wine by the glass (but definitely not the bottle), this is actually an absolute bargain of high-end cooking at prices that won't break the bank. But, to hell with it, go ahead, splash out and enjoy, because I've not had many better meals. The only danger is that such is the richness of the courses that I may now be in danger of contracting gout. In read more

This has to be the best meal I've had in the past year. Everything was excellent. I was fortunate to be with a good sized group so we got to try each other's dishes. Each one tasted amazing. I think by far my favorite was the the Powdered Duck Breast. It was so flavorful and tender. Make sure to save room for dessert because the Tipsy Cake is worth it. Along with their home made ice cream prepared at your table. The next time I'm in London, I will be going back here. read more

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal - Savory Porridge. Frog's legs, smoked beetroot, garlic, parsley & fennel - British Near Me - London, XGL

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This is a very good restaurant, have been here twice, would have given a 5 on the first visit however there are some misses if you stray from the classics. For example I would recommend you order a starter of meat fruit and the tipsy cake for dessert. Touch expensive too. read more

The meat fruit was one of the best dishes I've ever had. Would go back just for that. Waitstaff are very knowledgeable about the menu and extremely helpful. I love how you can see into the kitchen. Very deserving of being one or the best restaurants in the world. read more

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal - British Near Me - London, XGL

Came here for dinner and had the octopus for starters and special beef rib for main dish. Unfortunately both dishes were served more on the colder side which did not make the meal appetizing. It took 45 mins to serve the main dish after finishing my starter. I would of enjoyed a small cleansing palate in between meals. By the time the main dish had arrived I was over the dinner. read more

Flicking through the other reviews I can see that it hardly bears repeating that the Meat Fruit starter and Tipsy Cake are must haves, but repeat it I will. They are phenomenal. I tasted the Earl Grey Salmon starter by stealing from my wife's plate which was also fantastic. The Rib-Eye Hertfordshire Steak was very tasty and surprisingly generously portioned. The chips were excellent and the mushroom ketchup provided the little touch of delight and surprise that has become synonymous with Heston. The service was excellent, the waiter taking the time to recommend dishes and so on. Yes, it is expensive, obviously. But it's all relative isn't it? As an experience, I believe I received pretty good value all things considered. I genuinely tasted things I had never tasted before, was left admiring the artistry of the presentation, and rather crucially enjoyed the eating of everything I had. Can't say that about McDonalds,can you? read more

Service is impeccable and friendly without being intrusive. For starters, I had the Rice and Flesh (Saffron risotto with braised calves tail) It was interesting that the waitress stressed twice that we should note that this is cooked al dente. But when the risotto came it tasted lovely, a well balanced saffron risotto with rich little dollops of calves tail, it's just a shame that it was undercooked. For mains, I had the Pork chop, which was incredibly tender (because of the sous vide cooking) but again, with all the components of the dish, the sauce, the garnish- the mouthful didn't amount to much flavour. My friend had the Chicken with lettuce and we shared some tripe cooked chips, green beans, carrots and mashed potatoes. The chicken, was very tender and had a lovely sauce of cooking juices. But all the sides were under seasoned and there was nothing special about them at all. I know this is just meant to be simple british cooking, but I've had better sides in pubs, and for the money here, you are expected at least a mouthful of delightfulness. For dessert, I had the tipsy cake, which was pleasant, the pineapple did not add anything to the dish in regards to flavour or complimenting the cake. The cake was just similar to a light stick toffee pudding, which was ok, but we are at a one michelin star restaurant, with great chefs Ashley and Heston having some influence to the menu and techniques. The flavour just DOESN'T deliver. Disregard of how much it costs, I go to restaurants to find great food, atmosphere etc. And I would not return here, unless I heard they were changing the menu. There's just something off with the cooking at Dinner, it could be so great but it misses the mark and ends up being a very expensive gastro pub experience. Do not go in with any kind of high hopes because they will be blown out of the water. I'm sorry Heston, I love your style, food techniques and originality in your work, but Dinner needs to be improved. I think Heston even knows that without his name above the door, no way would have this been awarded 9th best restaurant in the world or a michelin star. read more

For those of you who have spent the last year only eating in MacDonalds, or who don't care a fig for fine dining, bald headed culinary Wonka Heston Blumenthal (he of the snail porridge and 'food as theatre' TV programmes) has just opened a new restaurant called Dinner on the most expensive street corner in Western Europe. Restaurateurs. Don't. Get. Any. More. Exciting. Than. Him. The room is fairly generic opulent hotel resto chic. Neutral beige palate, expensive fixtures and a proliferation of arseholes in suits. It is the dining room of the Mandarin Oriental, one of London's most expensive hotels, after all. That being said, there are moments of zany Heston-ism scattered around; jelly moulds act as light fittings, the back bar is lit with gummi coloured bottles of booze and serried ranks of pineapples roast on a spit powered by the largest Swiss watch you'll ever see (I'll come back to those...). It ain't another Fat Duck. Neither is it just a posh food pit for fat cats to roll around in. It's somewhere between the two, but mostly just a five star hotel restaurant. It's less complex than you'd expect. There's no nine course set tasting menu here (no tasting menu at all, unless you're in the Chef's Table overlooking the pass), just three simple courses, each with 8 or 10 options. Recipes aren't beset with foams and gels and carnival flourish, but are taken from the annals of British food history, the grand dishes served to our forefathers (or at least the forefathers belonging to the monied arseholes in suits). As you'd expect, the prices are challenging in places, challenging to those not on expense account dining certainly. While there are a number of wines in the 28 page list below £100, the vast bulk of the list is pitched above this point (some considerably so), that being said, we found a very pleasant Fleurie at £45. More surprising is a three course lunch set menu at a very reasonable £28. I go for this while my guest plumps for the a la carte option. I've seen one too many reviews not to have heard of the Meat Fruit, a chicken liver parfait coated in mandarin gel, shaped and textured like a little mandarin. We add one of those to the table too, with the current waiting list at 6 months it's going to be a while before I'm back to try it again. My Ragoo of Pigs Ears is a real star. It's been braised for hours with sweet onion and parsley and the cartilage is sweet and soft, an intensely concentrated meaty kick. Dr Science goes for the Salamagundy, a perfectly constructed and flavoursome hot salad of chicken oysters, bone marrow and a light horseradish cream. If anything it's a little soft and texturally lacking, but that's not much to lay against it. And the Meat Fruit? It's a ball of chicken liver parfait. Strangely tasteless without the char of the sourdough. I don't think I saw a single table go without one though. The Roast Quail from the set menu was another flavour triumph for my cheaper menu choice. The turnips served with it were subtly smoked and then roasted, just the sort of thing you hope for from Heston. Soft game breast worked well barely cooked, though the just cooked meat was remarkably difficult to separate from the tiny quail legs. The 72 hour slow roast rib of angus beef managed to arouse high passion on arrival, a thick lozenge of dark meat, served with a thick jus, cubes of ox tongue and baby veg. It was good, but certainly not brilliant. The meat had the texture of a hunk of salt beef, and was relatively one dimensional in its flavour. Definitely one that didn't live up to my hype. That being said, we finished on a storming note, with the Tipsy Cake. A baked brioche, crystal studded with sugar, cooked in cream, Sauternes and brandy. It came served with a slice of the pineapple from earlier mentioned spit roast and my rapidly expiring heart. Pudding perfection from 1810; no wonder they had a life expectancy of less than 45 back then. read more

Best meal in London by a mile. We are still talking about this phenomenal meal we had during our holiday trip. This is located in the Mandarin Oriental hotel. The staff was very professional, but warm, very welcoming. We were made to feel that they were very happy to see us. Sets the tone for an amazing meal. We had the fruit for appetizer, hubby had the scallops. It is awesome to realize the concept of the menu, based upon age old British recipes. You cannot go wrong with any of the superb offerings. And for dessert---oh, the tipsy cake! This has to be ordered in advance as it takes an hour to freshly bake. We had a table beside the kitchen, and it was very nice to see all the activity in the kitchen. We had a great meal. Thank you for a great experience! read more

WOOOWWWWW... seriously. One can only expect the best from the 3 star Michelin chef, Heston Blumenthal. The signature dish is the Meat Fruit appetiser, which... well. I don't want to really tell everyone the secrets before it opens (so I will be as discrete as possible). Let's just say that it's an experience, not just a dinner. He really does his homework. The flavors to his bread/icecream dessert dish came in 3 different steps. I was impressed. The chocolate bar was out-of-this world, intense and addictive. The slow roasted pineapple dessert was flavorful and intense. Now that dessert is done. I would not suggest the broth as an appetiser for people who like light flavors first. I found it a bit aggressive and a bit like miso soup, which is not bad, only, I wasn't expecting it, so it was a bit intense. My favourite starter was the meat fruit. It didn't feel like you were eating, it was so soft that you feel like you are imagining the food, yet the flavor is there and the taste is to die for. The ketchup in the scallops dish was quite a good addition to the meal. It was creative and impactful. The duck main dish was perfect. Absolutely perfect. The sauce was quite good with it, however, I regretted not trying something more experimental for my plate. The Beef plate was a huge favourite, unfortunately, too much of a favourite for there to be enough when I arrived. The fish was tender and fresh. The pigeon left me a bit confused. I didn't understand it's texture. It was extremely tender, delicious, but it left me with a confused feeling... as if I didn't feel like I was eating meat. The pork chop was to die for!!!!!! by far the winner of my favourite main dish. It was tender, packed with rich flavor and well... i don't know if i have ever experienced pork chop this way before. As for the wine, the selection was great, expensive, but great. The service was good. We were there before opening, so I imagine everyone was quite new. We didn't meet the chef, and this was the greatest let down we experienced. It would have been an honor to have met him. The architecture was ok. I didn't like it too much. the light fixtures looked like bunt cake pans... The private room was great (and the walls were leather) I wish the place looked more like that. It would have been much more authentic and less.... late 80s-early 90s modern. The only really cool thing about the architecture was the open windowed kitchen. That was great. It was fascinating to see the chefs at work while eating. This made it feel like a lab more than anything else. Reservation is a must and I believe there are no more available right now up until May. I guess you'll need some luck to get a place. I think you should go. read more

Dinner. Well, let's say lunch at Dinner. It was a special occasion, so we booked the Chef's Table. Here's a hint: If you have from four to six people and want an amazing experience, book the Chef's Table. It's much more expensive than the regular menu (£150pp for lunch, £200pp for dinner), but the experience is like none other. They offer three levels of wine pairings as well, which will add anywhere from £100pp-£500pp to the bill, but when you leave you're going to be drunk anyway, so who cares. It's also a tasting menu instead of the standard a la carte, so there's a reason to go for it. You're also sitting right next to the kitchen so you can see what they're doing. They also give have someone that's around quite a bit to explain the history of the food and fill your glasses on the way, so you feel like you're getting special service. Plus Chef Dale (one of the sous-chefs) came by to explain most of the dishes to us, and to show us the Cthulhu fruit (or as some like to call it: Buddha's Hand). So the experience is worth the money itself. What about the food? The food is pretty great as well. Like I said, it was a nine-course tasting menu which for us (as they prepare it on the day, so who knows what you're getting) consisted of tea-smoked salmon, lobster with cucumber soup, meat fruit, octopus with Cthulhu fruit, pork belly, pigeon, grilled peaches, tipsy cake, and liquid nitrogen ice cream. What a selection. All the food is prepared extremely well and looks amazing on the plate. For me there were three stand-out dishes: 1) Octopus with Cthulhu fruit. That octopus was so soft and tender that you could probably cut it with a spoon. And the taste was heavenly. And if Buddha really is Cthulhu, he makes a mean citrus fruit. I was blown away by the flavors on that plate. 2) Tipsy cake. The cake itself is heavenly, but the pineapple really won my heart. Apparently there's a cookbook coming out soon (or will be out by the time you've read this, who knows?) and it will have the recipe in it. I'm getting it. 3) The mash. The mash is freaking amazing. It is so creamy and so soft and buttery and smooth we had to ask for more. MORE MORE MORE MASH. I even got the secrets to how it's made, and they are all mine! (Although if you go to the Chef's table, I'm sure you can find out yourself. Or maybe they'll be in the cookbook.) I will be attempting the mash at home very, very soon. Now, I bet you were expecting that I put the meat fruit in here. To be honest, it was cool. It looked like an orange, but it was pate! How very Heston! The pate was nice, but I've had better to be honest. I did enjoy the taste of the bread with it. It really complimented it. Another tip: If you're looking for triple-cooked chips, don't go in August/September. Andrew tried to order some, but they were out, and apparently they were out at the same time last year when they went. Apparently potatoes in August/September have more sugar than later in the year, so the triple-cook method creates subpar chips. So they don't make them. It was an interesting thing to know. We even got a preview of some chefs filling the molds for the meat fruit. We were sitting right around the corner, so we got to get up and stand there and watch them do it, and I learned a bit about how it's done (But I'm sure the recipe will be in the cookbook.) Oh, and if you get there early, sit in the bar and have some cocktails. They aren't cheap (at £16 a drink), but they are the best cocktails I've had in London so far. For me, the chef's table at dinner was one of the best experiences and most fun I've had at a fine dining restaurant in London so far. The food here is less funky than The Fat Duck, and more historical, which makes it interesting in a completely different way. I'm not too sure I'll be back to eat again, as I got a nice selection, and the food overall didn't wow me enough like some fine dining places, but I'd come back to the bar for more of those delicious cocktails. Or maybe I'd come back with a big group and go for the private dining room. That seemed like an experience in itself as well. read more

My absolute favorite restaurant in London. It's busy, food is great and well thought out. The meat fruit sounds awful but it's a must. Also the pineapple dessert that takes over 5 hours is very special. Service amazing! I'm have reservations to return here again I like it so much! Nice ambiance, I like sitting close to the kitchen, it's interesting to see how things are prepare. read more

Just had lunch at dinner, wow it was amazing - totally blown away, am a vegetarian had a look at the menu before going and was a bit apprehensive at such a meaty menu, should not of bothered - staff made such a fuss over me with about 5 specially adapted choices for each course to making sure my chips were cooked in vegetable oil, I felt like royalty and can never remember a place that was went so far to accommodate my needs with such amazing food, totally blown away by the whole experience - also when the staff found out it was my husbands birthday they made him a another special desert - meaning he had a 5 course meal for £28 as they also gave us some White chocolate mouse as an after desert treat, Heston you have blown me away with every aspect of the dining experience - could not recommend a trip to dinner strongly enough - worth the four month wait read more

In a word? Underwhelming. Been to a handful of 2 and 3 Michelin star places and DbHB is easily the worst of the bunch. Not bad by any stretch but also nothing special, at least on my visit. Let's start from the top... When we arrived (and this may be part of the problem we had late reservation at 10:30) we we about 4 minutes early (does that even count?). The hostess immediately said "well you're early so you'll have to wait". I asked how long and she responded "I can't tell you how many MINUTES, have a drink in the bar please". Just weird. She really set the tone which was just kind of off. Again she wasn't overly rude just kind of standoffish. Part of the fun of trying restaurants is seeing how they balance the people vibe. Some are robotically formal and you marvel at their precision (Per Se) some are tiny and very informal but also precise (Jiro), so I am not criticizing that I found the service a little informal and "steakhouse-y" but that the precision expected when a restaurant is supposed to be one of the best in the world was totally lacking. We only sat at the bar long enough to order our drinks then were whisked off to our table. Again, better coordination would have avoided the awkwardness. We now ended up starting what was already a late meal with two full cocktails which meant we sat for 20m finishing those with staff kind of buzzing around wanting to get started (truth be told so did we, we probably should have turfed the drinks but again, just weird, it was they who threw the timing off which again is not the sign of greatness. Once seated menu explanation and the usual pre order banter was great. The sommelier arrived which is where things went downhill. I generally like to ask the Sommelier to pair by course since I've had so many good experiences doing that in the past. For some reason this sommelier read my desire for her to pair to mean that I didn't want to drink more than a glass or two. I enjoy being put in the hands of a competent sommelier but she wasn't getting it so I simply asked her for a recommendation. Again totally tone deaf to what I was looking for. I don't fault the restaurant for this, maybe their wines by the glass aren't suitable for a full meal pairing, but a sign of a great restaurant is partly how well they anticipate and respond to diners and this is far from an unusual request and it was met with complete incomprehension. The rest of the pace of the meal was totally off. We received bread with cocktails still on the table. Didn't get wine until after had started nibbling on bread and our first course arrived about 30s after we received wine and about 2m after the bread. They had to arrange the table like it was an Appleby's to get everything on the table it was just sloppy and felt like they were trying to rush is out. The Meat Fruit is as incredible as everyone says it is, a feast for the eyes and for fans of chicken liver pate the creamiest and redolent of monkfish liver more than chicken liver it's so strong (in a good way). Super yummy and probably the highlight of the meal. However the savoury porridge and frogs legs was a total disappointment. I'd say this dish is actively bad. First off it was lukewarm from the first bite and completely cold by the time we finished. Totally unacceptable but I was in no mood to be sending food back. The frogs legs are panko fried little bits of tasteless nothing, and the green porridge has bits of red beet that when mixed with the porridge turn the whole dish grey. Honestly pretty gross. Cold, tasteless and grey. No thanks. The next course was better timed we had a moment to breathe and I was feeling hopeful. The Iberico pork chop was very good as far as pork chops go, but wasn't making my eyes roll back in my head. It was tasty and warm. I've had better pork chops at home though. My wife's lamb was similar boring. Well prepared and competent preparation but felt like decent home cooking not one of the best restaurants in the world. The sweetbreads on the side were again these little panko breaded tasteless bits, don't know what's up with that. The veg sides are worth describing though, they were the highlight of the meal. Not sure how they prepare the carrots but man, they were amazing. Lightly spiced, still firm with a subtle meaty flavour. Yum. Same thing with the mashed potatoes. Verging on being like soft cheese they were velvety and tasted of fresh cream. Seriously give the veg guy a promotion. We ended with the also worth the hype Tipsy Cake which is like farmhouse buns bathed in butter, booze (Sauternes?) vanilla and sugar with a side of roasted pineapple. My wife went to the bathroom 30s before it arrived and they just left it there for 5m. It was plenty warm when she got back but again, weird for a Michelin star place to be so sloppy. The fresh made ice cream is likewise a fun and surprising end to a meal. Decent, but won't be back :( read more

My perfect Christmas dinner at Bar Boulud held the position of My Best Meal of 2011 for all of two days before being surpassed by tonight's experience at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. The once in a lifetime meal I'd looked forward to for 10 years that I had at Thomas Keller's French Laundry just in January 2011 unbelievably has fallen to a third position. Only three days in London and my expectations have been superseded. Incredibly both Bar Boulud and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal are in the same Mandarin Oriental hotel. Therefore I'm uncertain if I'm taken with London's culinary scene or simply with that of the hotel. "Dinner" surpassed Bar Boulud in food, service, and atmosphere. A view of the lit London Eye from our window side table created a romantic setting supported by the softly lit and dark wood dining room. I wish I was more articulate when it comes to writing about food. To avoid attempting to capture the sublime I'll simply state what we ordered and trust you order the same to complete the translation: * The appropriately acclaimed Meat Fruit (we needed to order a second toast for this "pate" * Lemon pickled mackerel (exceeded any piece of sushi Spanish mackerel I've had) * Cod and Fried Mussels (Erin's Main) * Powdered (salted/seasoned) Duck Breast with roast fennel and duck hearts * Tipsy Cake (brioche, sweet rum syrup, grilled pineapple - all the dessert you'll need I think I over-stated myself placing Bar Boulud ahead of French Laundry, congratulations Thomas Keller you've reclaimed #2, sorry Daniel Boulud. However Heston Blumenthal reigns if for no other reason than he seared my sous-vide duck breast before serving. The dining room is grand next to The Laundry's charming. French Laundry had superior flawless service. What a superb experience http://bit.ly/ugLIh0 read more

Dinner was a delight! I dined there with my partner in August as a special date night and the food is still devastatingly memorable in my mind. Mmmmmm... Firstly, I have to say the service was unbelievable. The manager was so gracious and warm---we had accidentally forgotten to cancel one of our reservations (we hadn't been certain when we would return from a trip abroad so had also made reservations for lunch the following day) which would, by policy, have us incur at least a 50£ charge. He immediately said it was alright and he just wanted us to have a good time that night. It would definitely have been soured with a cancellation fee! Our servers were really wonderful. I think their names were Leianne and Wanda. Wanda was especially warm and friendly, completely unpretentious, so attentive---she was so comfortably helpful, I felt like she was my best friend. Really a top-notch server. Walking into the restaurant, it is immediately a very romantic and extravagant mood. Dim but accented well, I felt it embodied the concept of the menu---a tribute to history and tradition while cleverly innovating with elegance. I wish we had taken some time to view the open kitchen but we were so consumed with the food! THE FOOD. We felt the meat fruit was compulsory given the buzz around it. I had hesitated because I normally don't really like pate but the flavor and texture of this was AMAZING! Perfection. And the presentation of encapsulating it within a jelly mandarin orange (even looked bumpy like a real peel!) was really fabulous. Licked every bit of that pate up! The salamugundy was so delectable! The chicken oysters were seriously the most delicious, savory pieces of chicken I have ever had! They were delicious with the marrow and horseradish cream. For mains, we had the spiced pigeon and pork chop. I had never had pigeon before but I now know that I love it. It's a bit like duck, very rich reddish flesh---and it was cooked so well. Juicy, juicy, juicy. I honestly can't remember the pork chop very well since it wasn't my dish but I do remember my boyfriend gobbling it up with gusto. Oh, and we got some carrots on the side which were good but nothing very special. We toyed with the idea of getting 2 desserts but honestly, we were so full by this time. We ordered the tipsy cake and omg, I wish we had ordered three. The pillowy sweet bread just melts in your mouth. And the roasted pineapple was the perfect complement. It was quite an expensive meal---it added up with the wine and tea (which was also of unique and excellent quality) we had also ordered. But it was a lovely treat for a romantic evening! read more

Came to Dinner for lunch and it was fantastic. Wonderful take on traditional British Food. The location is lovely, the staff attentive and the food was delicious. You must have the meat fruit read more

Call me oblivious, but I had no idea who Heston Blumenthal was until his name popped up in a NY Times list of places to go in 2011. I've since learned about the Fat Duck, etc., etc., so I was not totally ignorant when I walked into his new restaurant, but I didn't express any of the infantile cooing that might otherwise occur on other occasions. The meal was very good. It's possible that I'm spoiled (in fact, I am definitely spoiled, but whether this had an effect on my perception of the dinner is debatable), but the food didn't dazzle me. There were moments of awe (the baked lemon suet pudding in its caramel gooey-ness, the razor-thin rhubarb that looked like translucent sugar candy, the delightful finger limes that look like caviar and burst on your tongue like mini grapefruit, the astonishing sweetness of artichoke paired with succulent pigeon, the creamy mashed potatoes that very readily acknowledged their butter content). My companion started with the salamagundy (perfectly cooked chicken oysters, bone marrow, horseradish cream), continued with the pork chop (also perfectly cooked), and ended with the rhubarb sorbet. I had the roast scallops, spiced pigeon, and baked lemon pudding. We opted out of the tipsy cake, though the waiter did try hard to sell it to us. All in all, excellent quality, and for London the prices were not too bad. But still . . . at the end of the evening, it felt like something was missing. Had I walked in not knowing who Blumenthal was, I might have been more pleased, but my expectations were too high for what was offered. Having just read what I wrote, I think I've landed on the problem: it was perfect. Too perfect. So perfect it was boring. There was no edge, no excitement, no surprises (except perhaps the finger limes). Not that I need foam (foam is so pretentious), but there was nothing very risky about the menu. All in all, pleasant, but dull. read more

With the name comes high expectations, which can someone times be unfair. We had a late booking of 21:45 as that was the only time we can obtain on late notice, 2 weeks prior. We arrived well before our time slot, to sit at the bar and hope that another reservation may not arrive. Unfortunately we were unlucky but had a great time sampling the amazing, unique cocktails, one using chilli oils. The bar staff were great to start but soon dwindled and we were forgotten about, having to grab their attention on many occasions. We were then seated at the exact time slot. The waitress was great and they even remembered my conversation on the booking advising that one of us was a vegetarian and happily talked through the menu making suggestions to suit. The sommelier then arrived and he had to be the highlight of the night. He made us feel so relaxed, but also made us constantly laugh and smile. However, more importantly, he was extremely knowledgable and talked through different options we could try to match. Now the important bit, the food. The classically famous meat fruit. A lot bigger than I imagined with incredible flavour. I would say that there was at least one of these going to every table and would highly recommend trying it. The main was a ok but very forgettable. Overall the experience is something you wont't forgot anytime soon, but does it warrant the high prices. I don't think it does. Would I could back? Probably not, I believe it's a one time only 'special occasion' venue. (Visit - 28/07/2015 Dinner) read more

Requires a booking in advance for sure, it's that popular. This is a fantastic restaurant and essentially every dish on the menu is pitch perfect. Definitely go for the Meat Fruit, which is a pate disguised as a Mandarin orange, it's rich and rife for instagram opportunities. Every single main is amazing, I cannot stress this enough (or at least those that I tried). Your meal should end off with their Tipsy Cake for dessert (and you MUST have their dessert), which is a pineapple on spit roast with some cake thrown in and a marvelous innovation by Chef Heston. If you want to pick one fine dining place to eat in London, this is it. Book early to avoid disappointment. read more

So, my husband took me back to Dinner for my birthday, with only the Tipsy Cake in mind to order. Almost a year after we first tried it, we still giggled greedily into our individual cakes (we knew better than to bother trying to share one) before letting them send us into buttered and sugared heaven. I promise, it is worth every penny. read more

NOT WORTH IT. We dined here in August while visiting my wife's daughter who lives/works nearby and enjoying the fantastic job Britain did hosting the Olympics. Wish I could say the same for Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. All three of us are spoiled and get to eat at many fine restaurants. This place failed to live up to all the hype. The food was okay, but we certainly didn't feel anything was at all memorable. Frankly all the provenance and researching and updating old recipes and dishes is an interesting and worthwhile endeavor, but you don't get extra points if the meal delivered in the end is nothing special. Make that magnificent, given the lofty prices charged. The other aspect of our disappointment was the service. You could fairly well guarantee that if you were in mid-sentence, some waiter would interrupt you. Perhaps the staff is pressured to turn the tables. Don't know if that's the case, but it certainly felt like it. P.S. We had some terrific dining while in London, and I plan to write a more detailed review about a world class restaurant, The Ledbury, where everything is done right. read more

Obviously, the best thing on their menu is their famed meat fruit. Mandarin gelee with foie gras on the inside. It looks like a regular orange, which is gimmicky but part of the charm. The restaurant is really beautiful so you gotta give them credit for presenting such an awesome decor to dine in. Other than the meat fruit, I honestly forgot what else I ate there because it wasn't too memorable. But the meat fruit lives up to the hype. read more

Nice ambiance, great service. Starters are tasty, Duck is good and well prepared. My wife had a nicely done Cod. Beef on Rib is however ordinary. read more

Very creative, innovative cuisine, great service, great value for the money actually (I think you'd pay almost 2x for similar experience in New York). not to mention absolutely DELICIOUS. Go. Now. read more

We came with high expectations and were sorely disappointed. The bar in Mandarin had beautiful drinks and the glasses were stunning. It's certainly worth visiting and having a drink or two. However, upon entering the dining hall at 7.30 we felt like we had walked into lunch hour. For being a 5 star Michelin restaurant, the dress code was causal. We felt overdressed! We paid £900 for dinner for four persons and I feel like the food was decent and extremely overpriced. We ordered the meat fruit which was amazing, the best dish in the restaurant. However, the ribeye was terrible, it was thin and nothing to write home about. My partner ordered the pigeon and it was okay. The table enjoyed tipsy cake and said it was very good. If you are looking for an amazing wine list, look no further. You will enjoy being well attended by knowledgable staff. The location is amazing, there is no place like Hyde Park and Knightsbridge high street. read more

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal - Meat fruit - British Near Me - London, XGL

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Sorry folks... Good presentation, but the food is totally overrrr rated.

More than a little disappointed. I went on my birthday and was expecting something up to the standard of a restaurant in the top 10 of the San Pellegrino Top 50. Sadly, I got something very good, but not great. There is no tasting menu for dinner (there is one for lunch?) and the menu has only 3 course (starters, mains and dessert). Quite frankly, although this is a very good restaurant and I have nothing bad to say about the food, it was just "nothing special", and that's what I expect from a Top 50 venue. I have been to 35 of the Top 100 and 7 of the Top10. In London, The Ledbury and The Clove Club are much better. read more

"Dinner" was certainly the most hyped new restaurant opening in London in 2011. It shouldn't come as a surprise since it is Heston Blumenthal's restaurant. I had gone to "Fat Duck" for lunch shortly after Dinner opened, and it blew my mind. I was determined to try Heston's establishment that was closer to home. It's incredibly difficult to get a decent dinner reservation here, though nowhere as hard as Fat Duck. But if you are prepared to have a late dinner, and by late I mean 10 pm or later, then you can be lucky. The four of us reached here for such a late dinner one evening in October. But the table wasn't ready yet. That came as a surprise, given the time. But we didn't have to wait long. Soon after ordering a round of drinks at the bar, we were ushered in to our table. The dining hall is a separate room from the bar, and it's huge. But it has poor acoustics. Throughout the meal we found it difficult to hear each other at normal volume. Dinner specialises in historical British cuisine. The menu contains items from the 14th century onwards (the dates of origin are mentioned in the menu) ... Dishes that are not eaten anywhere else at present. It's an exciting trip down the history of British food. If you go in a bigger group, then you will be able to sample more chapters of that history. The starters was the most interesting section. I was torn between "meat fruit", "broth of lamb" and "rice and flesh". I settled on the broth of lamb, an 18th century dish that was served with egg, radish and turnip. I also sampled the meat fruit from a friend ... It was a mandarin orange stuffed with chicken liver. I left the rice and flesh, one of the oldest dish on the menu (from 1390), for next time. I went for a more conventional main course. From amongst the pork chops and the halibut and the pigeons, I picked the fillet of Aberdeen Angus, well done. It was served with mushroom sauce, a novel accompaniment to a steak for me. For dessert I went against the house recommendation of the "tipsy cake" and ordered the pudding instead and I did not regret my choice. The three course meal, with a glass of wine and one cocktail, cost us about £80 per person. It wasn't cheap but it wasn't much more expensive than what we had expected. The food and the presentation was great, and Dinner thoroughly deserves its one Michelin star. But no, it isn't the 9th best restaurant in the world ... That would be too much of a stretch. read more

Nice location, overlooking Hyde Park (in the Mandarin Oriental hotel). Very good service and extremely knowledgeable staff. Food is excellent. Good flavors, well prepared food and artistically plated. In the current menu, my favorite starter is Frumenty (octopus), and the favorite main is the filet of Aberdeen Angus. Dessert is a modest disappointment. However, the Tipsy cake is a good, simple finish to a very good meal. read more