The Fat Duck, one of the world's most famous restaurants, will offer the "Sensorium Select" tasting menu with 8 courses at a reduced price throughout February.
The news
It's not every day that one finds one of the most revolutionary tasting menus in fine dining at a "discounted" price. Yet, The Fat Duck, a leading restaurant in international creativity, will offer a gourmet journey at a reduced price throughout February, well below the standard rates usually set by the establishment.
For those unfamiliar with the matter, Heston Blumenthal opened The Fat Duck in 1995, earning three Michelin stars in 2004 and securing the top spot in the list of the world's 50 best restaurants just a year later. His egg and bacon ice cream (where the custard is enriched with bacon) and snail porridge (with a base of oats, garlic, and parsley, plus tender snails with fennel) are still discussed today in gourmand circles around the globe.
But let's get to the point: Blumenthal's tasting menu, observes The Standard, normally costs between £295 and £395 per person (equivalent to €345-€460). It's an overwhelming 11-course experience with dishes of extraordinary expressive force such as "Sound of the sea", "Beetroot air", and "Like a child in a candy store".
But now the restaurant in Bray, Berkshire, has chosen to offer a slightly more concise version of the tasting menu, with eight courses at the price of £225 (€264): all in all, about €80 less than the standard one, leaving aside the comparison with the extended options mentioned above. Not only that: it would even be cheaper than the "discounted" itinerary served almost 10 years ago, whose price was described by Guardian journalist Tony Naylor as "off the charts". At the time, Naylor reported that the restaurant received 30,000 booking requests every day - a true record, considering the ambitious format.
In an email sent directly to regular customers, subscribed to the newsletter, the restaurant stated: "For a limited period, The Fat Duck offers an alternative and shorter menu - the Sensorium Select - providing the opportunity to experience a series of dishes that represent the creative core of the establishment. A simple and particularly intense way to make everyone understand exactly what The Fat Duck represents." The Sensorium menu is presented as a "journey through the mind", through which customers' perception generates memories related to every bite.
For many years, getting a table at The Fat Duck has been difficult, as customers typically had to book months and months in advance, similar to other major fine dining establishments. However, according to the booking portal on the site, as we write, there is still room to grab a table, even on Thursdays and Fridays. And one cannot rule out the extension of the initiative (remember top chef Niko Romito's smart option a few years ago, aimed primarily at young people?). We will keep you updated.
