Dinner by Heston Blumenthal *One Michelin Star*

We couldn't get a reservation at the world famous Fat Duck restaurant
*World Number 1 in 2005 and no. 5 in 2011*
Think u need to make reservation 9 months in advance
or have connectionsSSsssssSSSsssss


Heston Blumenthal opened another creative establishment at Mandarin Oriental by the Hyde Park
and he named it.....Dinner
afterall Dinner is a ritual in many cultures
as he described it..."a formal evening meal, typically one in honour of a person or event"


even this new establishment got a MICHELIN STAR in less than a year
and we couldn't get any reservation for dinner
nothing until February 2012
-_-"
and we were so lucky to managed a table for lunch
so so so very lucky!!!!


and he's the reason we crossed the English Channel during this trip
otherwise we wouldn't have stopped by in London

the restaurant itself faces the beautiful Hyde Park
which we took a nice stroll with squirrels trailing behind us after this amazing lunch
Princess Diana's Memorial is at this park

sorry for the quality....
my hands shaked so much
either from the excitement of dining at this establishment or just TOO HUNGRY

our beautiful bags have their own lil corner
most of the time, restaurants offered stools or bag hangers for guests/ diners


Off Topic:
this morning, while having coffee in Rennes an old lady was so amazed at my Alessi Cat bag-hanger
she kept on telling me in french how beautiful and practical it was
and this Monkey gave her the Alessi bag hanger
she was so delighted hahahaha
well I would be, to receive a gift from a stranger


and in less than 12 hours time, I got a new Alessi bag-hanger from the boutique
the very same one, afterall it was only Euro 17 here
as compared to hundreds of dollars in Malaysia -_-"
stupid government tax!!!!

freshly baked bread
the format at this place is re-interpreted historically inspired British cooking
it still looked modern to us :P

Roast Marrowbone
inspired from english cooking in 1720
served wtih parsley, anchovy and mace with pickled vegetables
everything was so fine!!!!

Roast Scallop from 1820
served with cucumber ketchup *yes a ketchup made from cucumber*
with purple sprouting broccoli and borage
I've never seen such tiny broccoli!!!

Meatfruit inspired from english cooking in 1500
it was highly recommended by Peakie D and so I had this :D

so pretty rite?
everything can be eaten except the green stalk + leaves

it's actually really really creamie and smooth chicken liver parfait 
with a hint of Mandarin
served with grilled bread

and this is how u eat it!!!!


I am not a fan of parfait but this was amazing
the texture was so smooth
and the richness of the chicken liver was balanced by the citrus of Mandarin

the butter was so yummy here we had so much :D

JS really brought Miss Monkey roamed the Earth
:))))))

Spiced Pigeon from the 1780
with Ale and Artichokes

Roast Halibut from 1830
with Dandelion leaves and cockle ketchup
this guy has got a fetish for ketchup I think
but his definition of ketchup isn't the same as the tomato ones that u consumed
guess the technique in making it is the same????

I had this amazing AMAZING Black Foot Pork Chop inspired from year 1820
served with Spelt, Pork Fat, deep fried cripsy pork fat and Robert sauce


the meat was char-grilled in the oven with wood fire
since the kitchen is an open concept type
u can watch everything....EVERYTHING!!!

we also ordered the famous double fried chips


JS attempted this 4 years ago, recipe from Heston Blumenthal's book
it took so much of effort
to boil, chill, deep fried, chill, deep fried again
just to achieve this texture and result

made from Maris Piper potatoes
it has a good taste and nose
very very potato-ish
nothing that u can get back at home
and it was super crispy even after 45 mins

all the fire woods for cooking

for dessert we had an amazing Lychee Frozen Ice from the 1590
served with roseship jam, Barberie granite and Red Current
very very refreshing

Tipsy Cake from the 1810
this was really amazing


the spit roasted pineapples on the side were slow roasted for hours
caramelized and crispy on the edges
it was honey suckled sweet


while a special type of dough were used
with lotsa alcohol innit
I dunno wat type of alcos were used
but indeed this Tipsy Cake did earned its name

yeah the dough was crispy all over on its edge
soft and fluffy on its side
it has absorbed most of the alcos
very very rich and yummy
one of the signature dish here 

one of the petit four of chocolate mousse
after the rich yummy Tipsy Cake, we couldn't manage anything else

Tea is a very English thing
so we must must have tea here in London
kekekekekekeke


Overall it was a very good experience and beyond expectation
food is so simple and yet so complicated to prepare
guess that's what Heston Blumenthal aimed to achieve here 
afterall he's the Molecular Gastronomist!!!!


Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park,
66 Knightsbridge,
London.
Tel: +44 20 7201 3833
www.dinnerbyheston.com




c

Current Location.....

*pic stolen fr the Web*

the mystical Mount St. Michel

a tidal island north of France

when the tide is low, the land is revealed

we were advised not to walk on the land/sand/ but instead to use the bridge

just in case :D

coz the high tide rushes in so fast, it can rise up to 14 metres = 46 feet

*another pic stolen fr the Web*

when the Tide is receding....

many visitors come here as pilgrims 

we are just gonna be tourists here...kekekekeke

No...we are not gonna walk on the sand

no no no no....

will definitely use the causeway

afterall they will destruct it after April 2012

to make Mount St Michel an island again......

Bee-Boo-Bee-Boo

today we hiked up this holy site of Spain - Montserrat
*will further blog about this place another time*
my feet are screaming
think we walked a total of 12 hours today kekekekeke


but.....
what a beautiful sight
all the pain just went away 
:))))))))))))

Yves Saint Laurent's office

We were busy shopping on the famous strip in Paris
jumpin from brands to brands we actually entered into YSL's Office :P


yeah when u r so intoxicated with retail therapy
u dun really know if u r goin into the boutique or apartment or office


Once at the reception, 3 beautiful french lady greeted me
all of them in chic YSL suits *what else!!!!*
lips painted with the signature YSL RED
hair tied in neat chignons
wearing YSL black patented pumps shoes


I then only realised, these 3 beautiful TALL ladies were the receptionists of YSL House
O_O.....receptionists?!?!?!!??!!?
wow.....u ladies hiring??? I make quite good coffee :D:D:D
well I didn't say that of coz


realising we were inside YSL House *wooohoooo wat an accidental privilege*
we acted stupid and asked: "This is not a boutique????" followed by eyes wide wide opened kekekekekeke


they were so helpful and gave me a YSL postcard with all the boutique addresses in Paris
and even showed me on the map 
*though we already know it at the back of our hands*


then I caught a glimpse of another good looking despatch boy pushing the clothes rack
full of YSL pret a porter into the workshop
ooooo these could be the future collection!!!!


this is also the very same building where chief designer Stefano Pilati works his magic
*Yves Saint Laurent the man died in 2008*

pic stolen from Photog JingNa's site

that glass door with the YSL logo on the right

was an automated glass door which I used

coz the wooden one was obviously not working

for security purpose, u need to punch in passwords to get into the wooden doors

so u can't really blame me for invading this office

it's just too good looking to be an office/workshop etc

I think it's a must-do *visiting the original maison/house* if u appreciate fashion

it's like how JS visits all his fav winemakers

the very same building/apartment where it all started......

:))))))))))))))

My turn.....

tee hee hee it is now my turn to open all my pressies
I mean my purchases :P
opening bags purchase is a RITUAL for Ms. Monkey


whenever u r in Paris, Rue Cambon lot number 31 is a MUST VISIT
coz that's the only Chanel store where u get a white paperbag instead of the BLACK
and it was the apartment of Madam Coco Chanel
what a legendary address :)))))))))

the white Camellia flower - Mdm Coco Chanel's favourite flower
which inspired her hence it was used in most of her designs

told ya opening every purchase is a ritual
by this time, JS kinda got used to my weird habits :P kekekekeke

 more Camellia flowers~~~~~~

the famous interlocking C's
bearing the initial of Coco Chanel

I lurve this color
It's black indoor and is actually blue under sunlight!!!!

with 3 gigantic compartments for all my gadgets
and stuffs a lady could carry these days

since I lurve it so much like a possessed woman at the Chanel boutique,
JS decided to buy it for Monkey
hehhehehehehehe

next is a small purchase
which was not a necessity but bcoz it came available in all the XMAS colors
and it was darn cheap!!!!!

this was a pressie for my dearie iPhone 4s which we got in London
merry christmas iphone!!!!
hmmmm I dun have a name for the phone yet

Yves Saint Laurent
another legendary name in Paris

the small Chyc shoulder bag adapted from the classic one
I've been eyeing this baby a few years ago until they designed a smaller petite version

yea small bag for a petite frame like me :D

I wanted RED but it is only available in this yummy green color for the Cruise collection

Monkey: "Do u have it in RED? Rouge??? u know it's for xmas"

S.A.: "I ohn-lee harf dis color Madamoiselle. ONLY ONE piece.....One boutique one piece!!! only one."

guess that was the magic word..

but I really do lurve this color more and more!!!!

then sensing my needs, the clever S.A. added

"U like RED? I harf some-ting red, jessst ah-rrived today, also only ONE PIECE!!!"

gawd how many bags that u got in single piece???

-_-"

Oh My Gawd!!!!!
they now have smaller Chyc Cabas
the standard size is just too big for me but this version is absolutely .......*speechless*


I just went aaahhhh.....ohhhhh....over it....
:)))))))))))))))))
then JS said he'll get the red one while I buy the green one


JS: "how come the green one so small and still same price as the red one?"
Monkey: "Good things come in small packages u know" *smirks*

my favourite color :)))))))))
when the Cruise collection hit the stores
I went around asking for specific bags and specific colors
coz not all boutiques carry ALL the sizes of bags


"I want it in SHOCK color not Orchid not Amethyst" *it's the name of the bag color*
S.A.: "Wow.... do u work in Bottega?"
"errr no...I just lurve the brand....hehehehehe."

that was Week 1
the following weeks, both of us had to suppressed the urge to shop
coz there ain't any room to store em
*books, kitchen stuffs, peripherals, gadgets, collectibles, food, decorative items, limited edition items, wines....*
looks like we have to leave some stuffs behind huh?


and I haven't even go to factory outlets yet *scheduled next week*
think have to cancel this plan
-_-


www.ysl.com
www.bottegaveneta.com
www.chanel.com