Fat Duck

Members choose the Fat Duck to:

• Test their skills as a serious gourmand.
• Discover a new way of experiencing food.
• Find out what the fuss is about.

Our restaurant expert Hernan Castro-Vidal says: 'With three Michelin stars, The Fat Duck in the riverside village of Bray, Berkshire, is well known for its ‘molecular gastronomy'. Chef Heston Blumenthal applies scientific methods to cooking, producing dishes such as nitro-scrambled egg ice cream with bacon on French toast. It's a flavour playground, with breakfast for dessert and sweet-tasting fish for mains.

'The dining experience at The Fat Duck is as innovative as the food, and Blumenthal plays with both your senses and expectations. The waiters explain the why and how of every dish on the 13-course tasting menu – it's not just service, it's ‘culinary theatre'. Members say that the sommelier can pair each dish with a perfect wine.

'The restaurant is set on the village high street in an unassuming cottage, with low ceilings, stone floors and simple decor – the effort here all goes into the food. If you weren't looking for it you could miss it completely, but the restaurant has become well established since opening in 1995.'

Guide price: tasting menu £160

Insider tips

• Diners should aim to arrive at 7pm-7.30pm; it takes about three and a half hours to eat all the the tasting menu's courses.
• There's no bar or waiting area in the restaurant – members who are meeting people often have a drink first at Blumenthal's nearby pub, The Hinds Head.
• Members like going to a Michelin-starred restaurant where there's no fine-dining stiffness or formality – here the waiters talk you through the slightly offbeat food (and even advise on how to eat it).
• The Fat Duck has a two-month booking period and tables fill up weeks in advance. If you have a particular date in mind, we can put it in the diary and book a table as soon one becomes available.
• Our restaurant experts speak to the reservations team every day the booking line is open (Monday-Friday), so can secure the best available tables for our members.