The Fat Duck

Like one of the previous reviewers, I was soooo looking forward to visiting the Restaurant and was so saddened by it all. I never saw the bill as it was picked up by our friends, but my God it is so VERY OVERPRICED. We sent some orders back, a bottle of wine was corked and the table we were on wobbled until it was corrected by one of our ladies tissues. All I can add is that IF the VERY RICH eat here constantly, they are so easily pleased. What a let down.....
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bam - View all reviews by this user
5 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 2
Tuesday, September 14, 2010

I took my husband there last night to celebrate his 30th Brithday.

Both of us are big foodies and have eaten in many great restaurants with and without michelin stars, however neither of us had ever visited the Fat Duck.

After all the recent hype with Heston's Tv series I thought it would be a fun and incredibly tasty experience. It was NEITHER.

The food arrived in thimble sided portions and EVERY course was oversalted and none were actually hot! A couple (no more) of the dishes were delicious but most were truly disgusting, too fussy and over-thought with too many layers and flavours. I had wanted our night to be a culinary delight with amazing food and a wonderful night out.

Instead the Fat Duck was more of a Circus spectacle with a new waiter arriving with each course and reciting his lines as he presented the food.

Please please do not go to the Fat Duck it is not value for money at all - not even the service or overall experience made the £600 for two worth it! Actually I wish I had refused to pay.
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2 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Friday, September 03, 2010

I'm not sure what my expectations where apart from expecting the meal to be incredibly expensive which it was. I don't think I was expecting to be blown away by the food quite as much as I was however.

This restaurant really is something else, a unique experience and a cut above the other michelin star restaurants that I have eaten in. The ambience was perfect, friendly and relaxed. The staff really were superb, the service was absolutely faultless, knowledgeable and friendly and not at all pretentious.

Each course was outstanding and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend going if you love food and want something different. My only slight criticism would be that the cheese serving was a little mean between 5 of us, (I had more cheese just to myself in La Gavroche), however it is still unbeatable. We shared a drinks package which was very generous, and included plenty of refills. We knew it was going to be expensive and we did spend more than we usually do however that was partly because it was a special occasion and we wanted the whole experience (Champagne on arrival, dessert wines, teas etc). All in all, I think it was excellent value especially in comparison to the other 2-3 star Michelin restaurants. I really enjoyed our time at the Fat Duck and to me it was worth the money.
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Annie - View all reviews by this user
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, July 30, 2010

We spent a long sunday lunch (over 5 hours) at the Fat Duck last weekend. It was a special occasion, my sister's birthday and it was one of the best food experiences I have ever had. Incredible. We knew how much we were going to pay. What we didnt expect was the feeling of joy and playfulness which permeated our entire day, and the smiles remained on our faces long after we returned home. Great service, great athmosphere and great dishes. Each one of them is a discovery, a game and yes some are slightly less tasty than others (for example the pork belly does not match up to the Sound of the seas which is wonderful) but it's a journey which i cannot wait to repeat - when the menu changes next!
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Fried egg fred
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 6
Monday, July 05, 2010

I have done the watching Heston on Tv and being drawn in to the fun, magical side of his food, and for that reason, my wife and i took a trip to Bray to see what it was all about..........

So £450.00 for the two of us... my birthday.. the big 40th.

Great service........ lovely lovely....

Great bread ....... never seemed to stop coming to the table.

Great wine...... should be for the price.

Great looking dishes, lovely presentation.....

All seemed perfect..... all but one thing... THE food is not good to eat.

Yes its wacky, yes Heston the wonder boy cooked it, yes everybody is lovely...But the fact is when your paying top dollar then it needs to be bloomin fantastic.

I have been reading lots of reviews and it seems that lots are still happy, despite their admitting to the food being well below par, they still had a lovely time.

If you want to talk to nice french sounding, really over the top pleasant people and pay £250/ head and be disatisfied with the food. i can help..... Call me instead.

Total and utter waste of money....... gutted i ever went there......
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rob - View all reviews by this user
4 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 0
Monday, June 07, 2010