Finer Dining.

[Jesse]

4 hours ago, Gus Mears said:

Probably teaching you to suck eggs here, but they do a pre theatre menu - two courses for £23 - which for the quality of food is great value.

We've had a look at that, and it's probably what we'll do next. But the thing is, if I'm setting foot inside a Hawksmoor I am absolutely buying the Tunworth mash (which is fine, it's only £8) but there's no way I'm holding my wife back from drinking three expensive cocktails worth more than our meals combined.

[Hannibal Scorch]

The most expensive meal I’ve ever had was in a theme park. But not burger and chips.

I booked California Grill for our 1st Wedding anniversary. A restaurant at Walt Disney World. The food was fantastic. The highlight was a rack of lamb cooked medium and still slightly pink in the middle, but was so delicious. And it almost melted in the mouth. Including tip and drinks it cost about $250 in 2010) but was worth every penny (or cent).

[air_raid]

For Mrs raids first birthday since we started going out, I took her to Adam Reid “at The French” umm, at the Midland Hotel, just prior to Mana bringing a star back to Manchester, as the best place I thought likely to give us a top end feed. We had the 8 course tasting menu with wines to match and while it was not as pricy as it is today (understandably) it was still probably 4 times the cost I’d ever paid previously to feed 2 humans, but it was worth every penny, especially delivering ingredients that I usually don’t enjoy, in ways I found delicious - I usually hate butter but there was malty bread and salted butter with a soup course that was very pleasant indeed. Adam is a great chef and his staff (at least at the time) were great, I hope Kamila is still there if we get to go again.

For six months together we went to Rogan & Co in Cartmel, which was a more straightforward 4 courses (IIRC) affair which again was a lovely bit of business, things like a truffle pudding side dotted with black garlic emulsion, and my beef tongue main, lived long in the memory. The trip also triggered an entry for Chippy Tea the night before, about the excellent Fish Over Chips in Grange Over Sands, where we were staying.

Then Covid happened, and our attitude to spending lavishly on a single meal changed, seemingly forever. Buying the house and trying to become mortgage free as quickly as possible hasn’t helped either.

[Carbomb]

One of the finest meals I've ever had was at Andrew Edmunds in Soho - I often go to the theatre with my mum, and we take the opportunity to grab a nice meal at a restaurant.

Andrew Edmunds is one of those old-fashioned restaurateur businesses; it's the name of both the restaurant and an art dealer's shop next to it. The owner must have been one of those bon vivant types you don't see much of any more. It's a poky little place, but has a kind of Floydian charm about it. The cuisine is Anglo-French.

For starters, I had duck rillettes served with steamed quince - for a long time, I really didn't like the idea of fruit with savoury dishes, so I don't know why I ordered it, but I'm glad I did, as this was the dish that turned me around completely on that. It was a perfectly-judged combo of sweet and savoury, fat and acid. Stunning. 

Mum had razor clams in garlic butter; I tried a bite, and it was beautifully cooked. The butter did a great job of complementing the seafood flavour instead of overpowering it.

Mains, I had pork belly with lemon and herbs. Again, the right balance of flavours so that the herbs and lemon lifted the pork flavour instead of overpowering it.

My mum had steak with mushroom and red wine glaze on polenta (this is how good the meal was - years ago, and I still remember it). She is a tiny lady, so she very often can't finish her main - so I, the human dustbin, will often finish it for her. A very rich and sumptuous dish; the steak was perfectly done, the glaze was unctuous and thick, but the red wine and mushrooms cut through it so as to not make it sickly, and the polenta made an excellent "blank canvas" to contrast the meat and sauce flavours against. It had a slight cereal flavour, but it was there to provide texture and lightness, and it did just that.

As I understand it, Andrew Edmunds himself passed away in 2022, but the restaurant is still going. I'd love to go again soon. Going to try to make that a goal this year.

Edited August 25, 2025 by Carbomb
Alessandro Costacurta

[Mr_Danger]

My kids fucking love a Wetherspoons, the low class Brexit bastards.

[Onyx2]

1 hour ago, Carbomb said:

One of the finest meals I've ever had was at Andrew Edmunds in Soho - I often go to the theatre with my mum, and we take the opportunity to grab a nice meal at a restaurant.

Andrew Edmunds is one of those old-fashioned restaurateur businesses; it's the name of both the restaurant and an art dealer's shop next to it. The owner must have been one of those bon vivant types you don't see much of any more. It's a poky little place, but has a kind of Floydian charm about it. The cuisine is Anglo-French.

For starters, I had duck rillettes served with steamed quince - for a long time, I really didn't like the idea of fruit with savoury dishes, so I don't know why I ordered it, but I'm glad I did, as this was the dish that turned me around completely on that. It was a perfectly-judged combo of sweet and savoury, fat and acid. Stunning. 

Mum had razor class in garlic butter; I tried a bite, and it was beautifully cooked. The butter did a great job of complementing the seafood flavour instead of overpowering it.

Mains, I had pork belly with lemon and herbs. Again, the right balance of flavours so that the herbs and lemon lifted the pork flavour instead of overpowering it.

My mum had steak with mushroom and red wine glaze on polenta (this is how good the meal was - years ago, and I still remember it). She is a tiny lady, so she very often can't finish her main - so I, the human dustbin, will often finish it for her. A very rich and sumptuous dish; the steak was perfectly done, the glaze was unctuous and thick, but the red wine and mushrooms cut through it so as to not make it sickly, and the polenta made an excellent "blank canvas" to contrast the meat and sauce flavours against. It had a slight cereal flavour, but it was there to provide texture and lightness, and it did just that.

As I understand it, Andrew Edmunds himself passed away in 2022, but the restaurant is still going. I'd love to go again soon. Going to try to make that a goal this year.

I'd never heard of this place (Soho is so dense with good restaurants) so I looked up the menu. Looks cracking. But I love that it's hand written and then posted on the website! 

[Rossman]

Wouldn't class it as fine dining, but it cost as much. On our first holiday abroad in 2018, my wife and I went to Valencia. On an evening roaming the streets looking for somewhere to eat. A guy with a clipboard started telling us about this great restaurant round the corner. He asked us, what we liked to eat and not being fussy, we said everything really. He took us to the restaurant, who promised us this great dining experience. On reflection, it seems like they took, "we will eat everything" quite literally.

It had two floors and there were about 10 tables over both. The chef / maitre d took us upstairs, got us a glass of wine each. And then started bringing out food. I can't remember it all, but we started with some tapas bits like marinated prawns & maybe patatas bravas. Then out came a whole fish each. After we had devoured that. They came with a full lobster for each of us. As we were blasting through that. The table next to us got their bill. They only had a glass of wine and the marinated prawns. And remember the guy saying, "you will enjoy that, but you won't enjoy the bill so much." Didn't pay much attention, as I was sucking out the sweet juicy lobster claw meat.

I think they brought out about 5 plates of food in total. The last thing they brought out was the bill - 240 euro!

Then we thought, oh we've gone a bit overboard here. Asked if we can have a word with the owner, he wasn't around.... Reluctantly went to pay the bill, they didn't take card. My wife, had to go over the road to the cash point to pay. I remember everything on the bill had the same name. And at the bottom, vino - 3 euro.

We now go all inclusive, to be on the safe side.

[RedTwoster]

I’m going to sound pretty wanky here (what’s new, eh?) but there was a point where my wife and I had tried almost every Michelin-starred restaurant in Scotland. A few other places have earned stars since then, but here’s what I thought of the taster menus at each (and one or two non-Michelin starred places)

Restaurant Andrew Fairlie (two Michelin stars, Gleneagles) - we ate here before the sad death of Andrew Fairlie and while it was decent enough, neither of us were enormously impressed. The signature dish, Smoked Lobster, wasn’t for me and I’m a big fan of lobster (and shellfish in general) 

The Kitchin (one star, Leith) - Tom Kitchin himself was cooking there when we visited, and although it was good, once again it didn’t blow me away as I’d hoped. Everything was solid, nothing was spectacular. 

Number One at the Balmoral (one star, Edinburgh) - now this is more like it. Every dish was fantastic, even up until the sweet trolley at the end, where you were able to choose some of their home made sweets to take home with you. There were some theatrics, but the food is what really stole the show. At the time it was the best meal I’d ever had, until…

Cail Bruich (one star, Glasgow) - at one point during the meal, my wife turned to me and said she thought it was the nicest thing she’d ever eaten. I agreed, and then the next course came which was even better. Even the cheese dish - blue cheese (can’t remember which) on an apple tarte was spectacular - easily the best cheese dish I’ve ever had. If you visit Glasgow, you really should book a table here. It’s not cheap, but it’s also not something you’ll forget in a hurry.

The Peat Inn (one star, Fife) - a really lovely meal, with a not-so-lovely drive as you make your way there, with twisty, turny and occasionally single-track (or very narrow, at least) roads. Still, it was worth it in the end. The food was incredible, and it’s a small, rather intimate setting. You can stay the night there if you wish, and if we hadn’t lived nearby at the time I’d probably have done that. 

Six by Nico (no stars, Edinburgh and Glasgow) - Six by Nico has almost become a chain fine dining restaurant, opening ‘branches’ in Belfast and (I think) Manchester. And it’s absolutely brilliant. The gimmick is, they change their menu every six weeks and go with a theme - it could be Wonka, The Chippy, childhood favourites or Alice in Wonderland - and the food is so creative, with a hint of Heston about it. And for fine-dining it’s actually pretty inexpensive. When we lived nearby these restaurants, we’d always visit on a menu change and we were never disappointed. There’s so much creativity on show, and the cooking is always spot on.

Uig Sands (no stars, Isle of Lewis) - I’m not sure there’s a restaurant in Scotland with a better view (photo from TripAdvisor). You look out on to the rolling sands of Ard Roil Beach, and you’re surrounded by moorland and nothingness. They don’t do (as far as I know) taster menus, so we ate a la carte, and it was sensational. They work with fresh ingredients, and as soon as they run out, the menu changes to accommodate - so if you visit, an earlier table is your best bet. The staff were lovely, the food was great and the atmosphere was nice too.

The Haar (no stars, St Andrews) - the signature lobster dish here was much better than the one at Andrew Fairlie’s in my opinion. They also have a Haar at Home site which started during the pandemic and continues to deliver to most places in the UK. We’ve ordered from it quite a few times and have never been disappointed. The restaurant itself is even better, though.

The Newport (no stars, Newport-on-Tay) - one of my favourite fine dining restaurants. Spectacular views over the River Tay if that’s your thing, and even more spectacular food. Every time I’m in the area, I visit. It’s never disappointed, and if you look at the menu in advance and don’t like the look of something, they’re happy to whip up an alternative that doesn’t simply omit the ingredient you’re not keen on. Highly recommend.

Edited August 25, 2025 by RedTwoster

[Just Some Guy]

Scotland! That reminds me of a place I missed off my list.

Craig Miller in St Monans, East Fife.

Fabulous restaurant in a pretty seaside village.

[RedTwoster]

31 minutes ago, Just Some Guy said:

Scotland! That reminds me of a place I missed off my list.

Craig Miller in St Monans, East Fife.

Fabulous restaurant in a pretty seaside village.

Fife is absolutely rammed with great places to eat - The Cellar in Anstruther is also sensational, and you can get one of the best chippies in Scotland in that town too. But the roads are genuinely terrifying - among the worst I’ve ever driven on! 

[Thefatduck]

We sat at the chefs' table / counter at Smoke at Hampton Manor which is now closed sadly.  Not Michelin star but very nice. A tasting menu where everything was smoked, grilled or flame kissed.

https://hamptonmanor.com/menus/smoke/?gad_source=1   (scroll to the bottom for the menu we had).

https://major-foodie.com/smoke-at-hampton-manor-solihull/.   (images of interior and some dishes).

It was fascinating watching genuine team work from a group of very talented chefs. Everything was seamless (or seemed it). Years of training made it look effortless.

The amount of preparation was impressive as was the consistency of the plates served. Everything was so precise. The chef at the pass (right in front of us) explained what he was doing and why flavours worked well together; a lovely insight from someone so focussed on what he was doing.

As mentioned by others, what chefs do with ingredients to elevate them from what I could do at home to something that makes you stop and say 'wow!' is what elevates the good to the great.

On a related note, many years ago I had some carrots at River Cottage and still think about them now - heritage carrots tickled by some salty butter, *chef's kiss*.

 

 

Edited August 27, 2025 by Thefatduck
Spag

[johnnyboy]

On 8/23/2025 at 1:03 PM, johnnyboy said:

I'm planning on taking my wife up the OXO Tower as a Christmas present.

All booked.  98% for the double entendre.  "Come on darling, I'm taking you up the OXO Tower..."  etc

[Just Some Guy]

Yesterday we went to Morston Hall run by celebrity chef Galton Blackiston.

We just went for an afternoon tea rather than the full evening shebang but it was rather good.

Quail scotch egg, 6 types of sandwich, 2 types of scone & 4 sweet treats with a fantastic pot of tea. £45 each.

The staff were super friendly and I have no complaints.

Today we wandered into No1 chippy in Cromer to find it's also run by Galton Blackiston.

I'll stick that in the Chippy Tea thread where it belongs.

[Thefatduck]

I went to 670g in Birmingham last weekend with the current Mrs Duck and another couple.   

We used the first table app to get 50% off the signature tasting menu, meaning it was about £65 a head which is mad money to pay for your tea but it was very, very good.
Drinks were extra, we had some nice cocktails, a bottle of viognier and a glass of red each with the venison  

https://670grams.com

This morning I awoke early and I started to write up my thoughts on how it was for you good people and then realised that Grace Dent did just that this for the Guardian today. 

She gets it spot on in my humble opinion.

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/oct/19/670-grams-birmingham-b9-grace-dent-restaurant-review

Would really recommend it for a special occasion. Staff were lovely. The atmosphere was great. Food was really, really good.  All in all a great night out. 

But we did need some toast when we got home.