LONDON Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group and The Fat Duck Group have joined forces to create Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Chef Heston Blumenthal’s first London restaurant, which has opened at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London.
Blumenthal, of the 3-Michelin-starred The Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire, has won international acclaim for his unique and multi-sensory approach to cooking. This first restaurant to open outside of the village of Bray features the chef’s inimitable style of culinary alchemy with a menu heavily influenced by his ongoing research and discovery of historic British gastronomy.
Focusing on the revival and modernization of traditional British recipes, the menu at Dinner features simple contemporary dishes inspired by Britain’s historic gastronomic past and recipes dating as far back as the 16th century, such as Scallops with Cucumber Ketchup and Peas, Slow Cooked Short Rib of Beef in Red Wine Juice with Triple Cooked Chips and Tipsy Cake, made with Spit Roast Pineapple and Jersey Cream.
Mandarin Oriental and Heston Blumenthal worked with the internationally renowned designer Adam D. Tihany to create the restaurant interior. Inspired by Blumenthal’s deep interest and knowledge of 15th and 16th century cookery, the design is a contemporary British brasserie concept—an innovative illustration that influences the senses yet remains true to British culinary and design traditions. Tihany highlights rich, natural materials such as wood, leather and iron—historical elements at the root of 16th century British style—incorporating them in contemporary ways to reinforce Heston’s revival and modernization of traditional British recipes.
With uninterrupted views of Hyde Park, the restaurant also features floor to ceiling glass walls providing a glimpse into the open kitchen and an unusual one-of-a-kind large scale pulley mechanism. This contemporary chrome and steel contraption has been modeled after the 16th century pulley system originally designed for the royal British court’s kitchens. A private dining room is available for up to 10 guests, as well as a chef’s table for six located within the kitchen. During the summer months, a terrace overlooking Hyde Park will provide guests with one of London’s finest al fresco dining locations.
Seating 140 guests, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal is open for lunch and dinner and, from May, afternoon tea. The kitchen is headed by Ashley Palmer-Watts, group executive chef of The Fat Duck, who has worked with Blumenthal for 10 years.