HotelChatter

Some combination of dumb luck and divine intervention allowed us to book a table for two at 9:45 last Monday, and we arrived ready to stuff ourselves silly with Meat Fruit, Powdered Duck and whatever else our appetites would allow for that evening. When you eat at a Blumenthal outfit, you go there, and go there we did.

Upon entering, our vision was sidetracked by a shock of blond, spiky hair belonging to none other than Gordon Ramsay, who was seen dining at a nearby table. Resisting the urge muss his coiffure even more, we sat down, readying ourselves for the gourmet marathon ahead.

Powdered Duck

Certain items were practically required for ordering (e.g., the aforementioned Meat Fruit and duck dish), and in addition we chose the Roast Scallops with Cucumber Ketchup (£16.00), Roast Turbot with Cockle Ketchup and Leaf Chicory (£34.00) and Brown Bread Ice Cream (£9.50), which lay on a bed of Salted Butter Caramel Malted Yeast Syrup. Two trifling quibbles with the near-perfect meal: a slightly too bitter bite to the chicory accompanying the turbot and not enough salt balancing out the ice cream's overwhelming sweet. Otherwise, nary a misstep in service, presentation or taste, making it easy to see why Dinner was recently voted Best New Restaurant in the World by the Times' Giles Coren.

We'd be remiss not to note that Dinner is actually the terrain of Head Chef Ashley Palmer-Watts, Blumenthal protege. The restaurant may bear Blumenthal's name and influence, but, per The Man himself: "This is Ashley's restaurant." Palmer-Watts' fusion of hyper-traditional U.K. cuisine with hyper-modern cooking techniques has ushered in a new age in British cooking, one well worth the price and tango with Dinner's reservation line.

If you'd like to check out Dinner for yourself, mark July 1st, 2011 down on your calendar; that's when bookings open up for August and beyond. Ready your dialling and clicking fingers appropriately.

[Photos: Heidi Atwal]