Ben and I have been to a decent number of Michelin starred restaurants and had a plethora of chef’s tasting menus. Which was our favorite? Hands down, The Fat Duck . Runner up was Gordon Ramsay at Royal Hospital Road, mostly for the amazing service. If you follow Michelin star ratings, the 3-star French Laundry should be right up there.
24 November, Wednesday; Cape Town, South Africa. I’ve never been a big fan of sushi. I like sushi restaurants, but I seldom order raw fish. I’ve been extending my tastes, though.
When Lisa and I realised we wouldn’t be taking a honeymoon immediately after our wedding, we knew we needed to do something special when we got back to San Francisco. Lisa suggested we try to get a table at the French Laundry , Napa’s 3-Star Michelin Restaurant . Apparently it’s really hard to get a table, but on our second attempt we managed to get a table for lunch. Our next dilemma was were to stay. Yountville is not know for cheap accommodation.
Having watched the abysmal England game, we decided to make good use of the early morning and make some sausages. Specifically Lincolnshire sausages , which are our favourite, and impossible to buy in San Francisco. Armed with our new KitchenAid Mixer, we set out to try the relatively simple recipe: Ingredients 2.5 kg Pork, half fat half lean (5 lb) 400g Day old bread (15 oz) 50 Gram Salt (2 oz) 10 Gram Pepper (6 oz) 10 Gram Dried sage (6 oz) Directions Cut the pork into small cubes.
On Saturday we are getting married. A day we’ve been looking forward to since we got engaged 18 months ago in Australia. We thoughts we’d finish off our life as single people in style with the Tasting Menu at the Fat Duck in Bray . The Fat Duck is legendary for having a crazy menu built from the ground up to challenge your senses. It certainly did not disappoint, it lived up to all the hype and was truly fantastic!
Zuni Café is one of our favorite dining spots in the city. Every time we visit, we unfailingly order the Chicken for Two as soon as we sit down, as it takes an hour’s notice, but totally worth the wait. When Ben’s manager mentioned to him that he’d recently made the Zuni chicken recipe, we immediately decided we were up for the challenge. Part 1 - The Hard Part You have to decide a few days ahead of time.
Ben surprised me for my birthday with tickets to see “ Wicked ” followed by dinner at Luce , which he chose based on its recent garnering of 1 Michelin Star. I’d heard great things about the musical, even from guys that hate musicals, and it definitely lived up to expectations.
Having succeed in getting away from San Fran for Memorial Weekend and 4th July , it was pretty obvious we’d do something for Labor Day Weekend . We made a pretty last minute booking at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay at The London West Hollywood . Despite booking late we also got a great deal at the Marriott in the centre of Hollywood, complete with a Spa which always makes Lisa happy! Having already done the tasting menu (Menu Prestige) at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant's in London and New York , it was natural that we’d do the same again. We’d read a little bit (we’ll Lisa had) about the L.A. restaurant so our expectations had been lowered somewhat. We agreed with the reviews; whilst the food was excellent, there was no comparison between LA and NY or London.
We spent the last of our free plane tickets on a holiday weekend to New York . As soon as we’d decided on NYC, Ben was immediately on the phone to get reservations at Gordon Ramsay at the London Hotel . Earlier this year, we had a dining experience (yep – it’s worthy of that cliché phrase) with Mark and Fiona at Ramsay’s restaurant in Chelsea and were excited to compare. Entering the restaurant was interesting. We checked in at Maze , which is another Ramsay restaurant. We were escorted through the noisy, busy restaurant into a more secluded dining room of about 16 or so tables.