It looks interesting, but possibly a little fussy for my uncouth northern tastes.
Anyone been - is it good?
I looked into it, but £160 a head plus drinks put me and my uncouth northern [s]Wallet[/s] tastes off. Would love to go though!
Find somewhere decent closer to home. Whereabouts oop north are you?
I'd love to go. I've got to say, Masterchef has been brilliant, but this is just incredible. Really creative, interesting food.
Need a meal before you go. I'd come out hungry if I didn't.
If you can afford to spend that sort of money on a meal, then go for it.
Whereabouts oop north are you?
Perthshire
I think it looks in-sodding-credible.
Honestly, I think £160 is a snip for food of that quality, artistry and originality.
I've not been to the Fat Duck but we went to his pub, The Hinds Head, which is just along the road from the Fat Duck and it was incredible.
I'm not normally one for all the fancy poncey food that they do in the tv programmes but the food in there was fantastic, possibly the best food I've tasted.
It wasn't too expensive either, cost us about £300 for meals and drinks for 5 of us.
looked like food for ****ers to me, if some **** with a broom up his shirt has to tell you how to eat it they've gone too far.
[url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/dec/05/fat-duck-restaurant-noroviris-outbreak ]Stay away[/url]
I went to a restaurant that does this kind of stuff, an ex-staff member, had a 6 course taster and I was hungry afterwards. dissapointing.
Not been the the Fat Duck myself but would love to go, and will do one day.
If you're oop north and fancy something similar (though not quite as spectacular) then give Simon Rogan's restaurant [url= http://www.lenclume.co.uk/sr/restaurant.html ]L'enclume[/url] a try. Its in Cartmel (south of the Lakes) and well worth a visit. Not as eye-wateringly expensive as the FD, though not cheap by any stretch, and you're much more likely to get a booking.
I'd go, and my missis keeps dropping hints.
Have been to Sat Bains in Nottingham and had the "chefs table" where Sat and his team bring out each of 13 courses and explain where the produce is from, and how it is prepared.
Also had the wine package with our own sommelier who brought a different wine to match each course. Sounds a bit poncy, but it was incredible how tasting a wine before the food, and then after, really brought out complementary flavour.
I still reckon that at just shy of £200 a head it was actually the best value meal I've ever had. It surprises me to say that, but it's true.
So, if you can afford the trip, and don't mind the journey, go for it.
Watching Masterchef makes you feel that it could well be money well spent for a special treat. I was lucky enough to go to Waterside round the corner and that was amazing. We then walked past the FD and peered through the windows like little kids.
L'Enclume does get good reviews including this recent one:
£89 makes it "seem" good value!!
My inlaws in their retirement have been doing the Michelin circuit.
They thoroughly enjoyed it there, different but still good.
We were bought back some of the sweets. Yummy.
But I couldn't get the tobacco to light when I rolled it in a rizla.
Yes I went but it was about 10 years ago, before it became "famous".
It was good back then, but really it was still a "gastro pub" and for that I liked it, but now?? Now all he pinkies have been ?
Not too sure I'd go again, Shirley there's somewhere far better near where you live ( as the FD isn't [u]that[/u] fantastic )
I've been - it was amazing. You're not hungry after circa 14 courses!
Great experience, and one of those places that is great once, but not sure if it's worth a return visit for at least 10 years as the menu doesn't change that much.
Food theatre - I really enjoyed it.
Nick
Honestly, I think £160 is a snip for food of that quality, artistry and originality.
SADLY PROBABLY DOWN THE ROAD THERE ARE PEOPLE LIVING ROUGH, OR SURVIVING ON FOOD BANK HANDOUTS.
Just perhaps donate the money you would have spent on making a wealthy man even more wealthy,on making a hungry family less hungry, and get a real sence of helping somebody in need.
Lets just embrace communism and eat gruel eh project!
He hasn't got 3 frigging stars for nothing!
Project, how much did you spend on your;
Computer
Bike(s)
Lunch
Etc
Get off your high horse, eh?
[i]Just perhaps donate the money you would have spent on making a wealthy man even more wealthy,on making a hungry family less hungry, and get a real sence of helping somebody in need. [/i]
Ignoring the fact that maybe I have done just that, how much money have you spent on things that you don't actually need, that could otherwise have gone to a more worthy cause?
Get over yourself.
SADLY PROBABLY DOWN THE ROAD THERE ARE PEOPLE LIVING ROUGH, OR SURVIVING ON FOOD BANK HANDOUTS.
Not in Bray there aren't. But your point is taken.
He's got a horse? They cost a fortune, eat the beast I say.
[i] But your point is taken.[/i]
Not by me it's not, but then I've never been a fan of hypocrisy.
Heston's Hind's Head is nice, if simpler food is your thing. Prob not worth a long trip though, as it doesn't have the 'wow'!
I've been and would echo what nickb says. I've probably enjoyed cheaper meals as much but for me it is about the whole experience along with unique, delicious food. Think of it more as a day out than a meal but you certainly won't be hungry afterwards. It was a lot of money and would have been way more if we'd have had wine but I'm glad to have done it
Not eaten there, but eaten at quite a few Michelins, the good ones are value for money, the bad ones (tend to be London or posh areas) are just taking people for a ride.
I bet there's more people who earn a living from a Michelin restaurant ie staff, suppliers etc, than if you go to a McDonald's. Besides worked hard for my money and can spend it how I like 🙂
I went there a couple of months ago for a family do, it was very good and a real sense of occasion and theatre with the food, the meal itself took several (iirc nearly 4) hours and was both filling and nice, the service was exemplary, overall a very enjoyable meal
Not by me it's not, but then I've never been a fan of hypocrisy.
Yeah, man, like right on, brother! I assume the computer you're posting on tonight was free, otherwise you would have donated the money to starving waifs or something. Wouldn't you....
Rather have a chinky from round the corner.
Actually i think the gist of Project's point is fair. It's a heck of a load of money for a meal, there are people in this country starving, and you could feed a lot of them with £160.
I think if you can afford to eat at places like this very often, then just maybe you should think about forgoing once in a while and doing something charitable with the money you didn't spend; but equally I'll defend the right to spend that sort of money once in a while as a treat. Or spend it on beer, computers, marching powder, bikes or whatever else you want to spend it on. It's a free country and we make our choices, and you don't need to defend them to me if you don't want to (or put another way, simply saying 'I earned it, I'll spend it how I want' is fine with me)
😯 at Steve
L'enclume
****in Yeeeaaaaah.
To frank, michelin star food is well worth it, even moreso Heston, Ferran Adria and their ilk. Go on, you know you want to...
Have you seen how many chefs The Fat Duck employs, Project? And the farmers etc who supply it? Almost certainly a more ethical way to feed yourself than via the multinationals, if you can afford it.
I went to a pop-up restaurant run by one of last year's Masterchef The Professionals' finalists a few months ago. £45/head for the set (only) menu, I don't have much money and it was possibly the best value meal I've ever eaten (and certainly the best).
Flash,I think IHN is agreeing with you
@funkydunc which michelins did you go to that you found bad? I'm pretty interested/intrigued
I love good food and have been to a couple of Michelins. Those who say they are a waste of money or feel hungry afterwards don't get it anymore than non cyclists who don't understand paying more than £200 for a push bike.
Always thought Heston was a bit novelty before watching mc tonight but it was fascinating even if you think the program is guff.
Deffo worth it for me because 1 great meal >>> 10 shit takeaways.
Actually >>> 100 shit takeaways.
In fact, **** the takeaways!
@cheersdrive went to Tamarind last month and it was a disappointment.
[i]Flash,I think IHN is agreeing with you[/i]
Yeah, I thought we were on the same side too 😕
It is a lot of money, and there are far more 'worthy' uses for that money. There are equally far more worthy causes for the much greater amounts of money that most of us spend on bikes (or even bits of bikes, or multiple bikes), but I don't see anyone being shouted down for spending £400 on a pair of wheels...
Deffo worth it for me because 1 great meal >>> 10 shit takeaways.
Yes, I'd rather eat out once a year and pay rather than eat some of the stuff we've eaten in "restaurants" and "home cooked food pubs" this year.
In fact me and my lad did a trip last half term and ate out for four days and nights. Most of the food was cr_*_p.
bruneep - MemberNeed a meal before you go. I'd come out hungry if I didn't.
edhornby - MemberI went to a restaurant that does this kind of stuff, an ex-staff member, had a 6 course taster and I was hungry afterwards. dissapointing.
😯 You paid that amount to get hungry?
IHN, sorry! Lack of sleep plus a curry and a beer has addled my brain! No offence meant, I assure you! Just didn't read things right! 🙂
In fact me and my lad did a trip last half term and ate out for four days and nights. Most of the food was cr_*_p.
Well, you just ate in shit places then, really. I rarely have a bad meal "out", and mainly because I like to choose a nice place to eat.
[quote=IHN ]
It is a lot of money, and there are far more 'worthy' uses for that money. There are equally far more worthy causes for the much greater amounts of money that most of us spend on bikes (or even bits of bikes, or multiple bikes), but I don't see anyone being shouted down for spending £400 on a pair of wheels...
+1
It has to come down to an individual choice. For me, £400 would be an obscene amount of money to spend on a couple of meals. Maybe that's because I just wouldn't be able to/have pretensions about appreciating it enough. At the same time, there will be things I would spend that amount of money on that many other folk might consider trivial, wasteful or unnecessary,
I don't see anyone being shouted down for spending £400 on a pair of wheels...
True. But the point I'm making is that if I buy a £400 pair of wheels, it'll be something I've worked hard for and likely will be the only pair I'll buy for a couple of years. If I was rich enough to buy a pair a month, I'd struggle to think that that's OK, I should probably look to do something better with the excess cash.
