Hi all! My wife and I recently had the opportunity to visit the Fat Duck for their a la carte menu. We chose a la carte mainly because we made last minute reservations and it was the only menu available – but I don't regret it considering the (relatively) more affordable price point and the amount of food. I know people have asked about this in the past, so thought I'd share the menu and some pics for folks to reference in the future.
This was my first time having a three-star meal, and only my second Michelin experience ever (after Rooster & Owl, D.C.) and it really did blow me away. For somebody who is relatively new to the world of fine dining, the food was all excellent, with a fascinating array of textures and flavor combinations that I would not have expected – I appreciate the food chemistry (e.g., my wife's dessert, BST, consisted of strawberries and flavors that are chemically complementary like olives and leather) and the staff explanations.
In addition to the listed items on the a la carte menu, we were offered a "palate cleanser" of a liquid nitrogen-frozen cocktail mousse (not pictured), which was very refreshing, spoons of orange and beetroot jelly (we had a good laugh from the waiter saying "I must insist you eat the orange first" only to learn they are color swapped), bread & butter, and petit fours.
Overall, I really enjoyed the meal – probably the best meal I've ever had – and I look forward to continuing my fine dining journey!
by whiteandnerdy42
3 Comments
I loved my meal at the Fat Dick 15 or so years ago, but so many dishes just seem like celebrities that they have to wheel out to please the customers, so hopefully going a la carte will liberate them of that.
Glad to see you enjoyed it, as I did all that time ago.
I’ve been twice, ten years apart and the menu was pretty much the same so it has put me off going again tbh.
I’ve been to the Waterside, round the corner, 6 times and had pretty much a different meal every time.
Saying that, I’m at the Hinds head tomorrow night! Just literally across the road.
I am feeling very sorry for the poor stagiere who had to separate all those grapefruit vesicles!!