The Fat Duck

I was pretty excited to try the Fat Duck with my friends. Having dined at several top, 3 star restaurants in the world, I was very curious to try out the famous Fat Duck. However I was unfortunately underwhelmed by the experience. The food: None of the dishes were a home run or a “wow”. They were all just ok. I didn’t particularly wish a repeat of any of the courses. Additionally, I also felt the first few courses were too cold / similar in texture. I’ve always thought of Fat Duck as a molecular gastronomy restaurant, but the main course (ballotine of pigeon) is as classic and traditional french as it gets. In terms of quantity and quality of the courses, the Fat Duck pales in comparison compared to other 3* establishments I have tried in London. Essentially, there was nothing “wrong” explicitly with the food, but there was also nothing right. The journey was also underwhelming, it felt like a string of random gimmicks forcefully put together. Several courses (Sound of the sea/the Cheese and grape course) - the waitstaff said they would come back to explain, but both times they forgot and just served the next course instead. This creates a very anti-climatic experience where our novelty and curiosity wore off eventually as nobody followed up with explaining the dish. The staff was pleasant and polite, but they unfortunately failed to execute the storytelling to perfection. Overall, without the precision and the commitment to deliver the storytelling of the Journey, the food at the Fat Duck was unable to hold its own. I sincerely hope the Fat Duck finds its way to balance the delivery of the experience and cuisine with the operational challenges its faced over the last few years.