Dinner at Dinner

I've never eaten at any of Heston's establishments so I, for want of a better phrase was bloody excited to go. I wanted to see if his creations were as amazing as the media made out. Dinner By Heston is based in the Madarin Oriental Hotel in Kinightsbridge overlooking Hyde Park, and it's a stunning location. The interior of the restaurant is inspired by Heston's knowledge of food and the kitchen is opened up to diners using glass walls so you can see the chefs busy at their craft. Pretty much a perfect setting.

Heston is not a classically trained chef, he is self taught and is famed for creating menus which look into the culinary history of Britain.The menu of Dinner continues on from the trend of his Fat Duck restaurant with dishes dating as far back as 1390.

It was our first time at Dinner which the staff were informed of. They were excellent, happy to answer any question you have in as much detail as possible, attentive without being overbearing. For starters we opted for the Meat Fruit and the Rice and Flesh. I had been warned by my friend Chris who writes the blog allthingsmeaty that it's a pretty rich menu and he's not wrong. When I eat I normally mound my plate up full of food, at Dinner you get modest and pretty as a picture portion sizes. But that's what it should be due to how intense the flavours are. The Meat Fruit which is one of the signature dishes on the menu was my favourite starter. You're presented with toasted brioche and what appears to be a mandarin but in fact is foie gras and chicken liver parfait. The tangy mandarin jelly helps counterbalance the rich creamy foie gras

Rice and Flesh is a saffron risotto with calf tail. Again, a very rich starter, the risotto is cooked perfectly where it has just enough bite. There are five pieces of calf tail placed on the risotto, which are unbelievably tender. Just one thing, I know it's a starter but would be nice with a teeny tiny bit more meat.

For mains, my guest opted for the Pork Belly and I chose the Spiced Pigeon. The pigeon was probably the most succulent bird I've had. It's slow cooked for 2 hours and served with a rich ale sauce, the artichokes finishes the dish off perfectly. Definitely the best bird dish I've had.

My guests Pork Belly (not a comment on her physique) had been cooked for 40 hours, and as you can expect after being cooked for so long, the meat falls apart so easily. Another great dish BUT I think I've had better pork belly (my dad cooks a bloody good crispy pork belly...yeah I said it).

For me the desserts are the real show stoppers at Dinner. We went for the Tipsy Cake and Brown Bread Ice Cream. I don't like swearing but the Tipsy Cake was so f**king good. It has to be ordered at the start of the meal which the staff inform you of. The reason for this is to give time for the pineapple which is served with the cake to be spit roasted and the gradual alcoholic basting of the brioche. The pineapple is caramelised on the outside but still moist on the inside. I found it slightly tangy but this complimented perfectly with the warm vanilla and rum filled brioche. Definitely a top 3 dessert for me.

The Brown Bread Ice Cream was another beautiful looking dish. Bread and ice cream is a pretty odd combination but the yeasty flavours worked well with the salted caramel and the ice cream was smooth as silk.

I completely get why Dinner is consistently recognised as one of the world's top restaurants. The attention to detail is so precise, the flavour combinations are perfect and the staff could not do their job better. Is it the best meal I've eaten? Not sure, but it's definitely up there.