Isn’t it too expensive?
Yes, it’s expensive, but in the same way that a vintage Jag is more expensive than a city runabout, or going to Tuscany is more expensive than a trip to Tasmania. You are paying for a vastly different experience. I will remember this meal a lot longer than any number of steak dinners. I’m not saying you should put yourself into debt to go there, but if you are able to do so, do it. And if you can afford to splash out on the matching wines, so much the better. Sommeliers exist for a reason.
Is the food really that good?
It’s not just the produce at work here, but the ideas behind it. Things made to do something they’re not meant to. Quite often it’s truly inspired, whimsical, playful. If you had told me salmon would work well encased in a liquorice gel and with the flavours of pink grapefruit and vanilla before now, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. It’s the complete antithesis of what we are used to in a dining experience, in that often the produce is the star. Here it is the method. That said, I also had the most tender lamb and the best bread and butter I have ever eaten in my life.
Don’t people do it just to show off?
Some probably do. On the day we went there was a broad spectrum of diners. Some had been to the Bray restaurant and wanted to relive the experience. Some had truly made it a destination restaurant by combining it with their overseas holiday. Some were Heston fans who had scraped together enough for the meal and were probably going to live on lentils for months. Some (our table, and probably others) happily snapped a plethora of photos as a shared experience to remember a special, unique afternoon.
Is it really worth it?
For me – yes. A lot of people spend silly money on their passions; some love spending time on their boat or restoring an old car, some see upgrading to business class as an essential part of travelling, others buy season tickets to the opera or spend thousands following a performing artist around the country. I spent a large amount of money on a meal that I will remember for years to come, and I enjoyed every fat minute of it.