Dinner by Heston – the best way to celebrate post-CFA!!!

To congratulate me on finishing the CFA exam, Viet took me to Dinner by Heston 🙂 What a treat!

First impression on the restaurant’s design: everything seems to come just at the right amount, not too simple yet not over the top, not too casual but in no way overwhelming. Spacious layout with the kitchen visible through glass walls, the place was tastefully decorated to give you a relaxed ambiance in an elegant setting,  just what I needed!!

One of the most anticipated openings of 2011, turning on its kitchen fire in January 2011, Dinner has moved to establish a place of its own, shooting stars with its reputation. Also already managed to earn itself a Michelin star after 10 months in existence. I wished I could give a comparison between Dinner and Fat Duck but well, let’s leave that until I get to pay a visit. However, from what I could gather, Dinner brings about quite a different air and is interesting in its own right.

Heston created a signature for Dinner by bringing in modern-day twists on British culinary inspirations of the yesteryears, and it simply works. From what I experienced, Dinner gives you food, straightforward as it is, no unnecessary flairs, simple looking dishes that taste amazing!!!

The boyfriend 🙂

Gosh, I looked so frail… I lost 2kg after 2 weeks of intensive studying… I’m not sure whether I would pass… but who cares… I need to enjoy life from now until the results day!!!

Let us now move to to the main part: the food! The bread is good, so much that you may ask for more, but beware if you do not own a big appetite, you may not make it to dessert with too much bread upfront. The portions are of the right size, and unexpectedly filling. (all the more for us to love this place)

STARTERS:

THE famous MEAT FRUIT!!! One that has been featured in many reviews, one that has been mentioned over and over, one that has been talked about so much, and also one that was especially recommended to us. We really wanted to see if this deserves all the hype, and so ordered it with high expectations…It absolutely did not fail to impress. This chicken liver parfait disguised as a mandarin (yes, you guessed it right, that is it), is SENSATIONAL!!! Super smooth with a hint of sweetness, it would melt on your tongue and wake up all your taste buds. Perfectly combined with the crunchy grilled bread, it would make your senses roam wild in a fantasy world of textures and tastes…a must-try, and a must-order-again!!! I wish I had taken a second picture after taking a slice just to prove that is really is not a mandarin, but by the time we came back to reality and reach for the camera…

The Roast Scallop, looks very simple but tastes wonderful. The flavour and firm texture of the scallop contrasted and complimented really well by the cucumber ketchup, diced cucumber and borage.

taking pictures to post on Facebook…

MAIN COURSES:

Black Foot Pork Chop with spelt. The Serano wonder is cooked to perfect tenderness, juicy and sweet, with fat marble melting away into every bite. The spelt does a great job to balance the richness of the meat, making it a true delight that can really make it impossible to stop taking slice after slice.

Spiced Pigeon, flavourful pigeon breast pieces with lightly crispy skin and atichoke…what else do I need to say? AMAZING, the way tastes burst out and mix together!

Look at my happy face!

DESSERTS:

Chocolate Bar with passion fruit jam and ginger ice cream. With a simple look, this is probably one of the rare choices on the menu that brings a reminiscence of minimalism. But once you start to dig in with a spoon, the jam flows out, giving a slight touch of sourness covered in sweetness that is makes a wonderful companion to the bitterness of the dark chocolate cover. The ice cream brings in a neutralising impact that fills the void left by the swirls and twists of all these flavours. Such an astonishing aftertaste.

The Chocolate Bar was wonderful, yet somehow this Tipsy Cake managed to completely outdo it. Leaving no room for competition from the way I see it. A tipsy cake and a slice of spit roast pineapple. The fruit, perfectly caramelised on the outside, with its juice in tact and a retained acidic hint that makes up a perfect marriage with the sweet tipsy cake that was baked in brandy. Heavenly a combination it was, loved it to the very last bit!

To complete the extraordinary adventure, we were given this lovely chocolate ganache. Hail to British cuisine!

Early Christmas celebration, would love to return soon!!!