The Fat Duck Re-Opens

I'm pleased to report that the Fat Duck in Bray has now reopened, two and a half weeks after the closure due to a health scare.

Tests have ruled out food poisoning, and at present the cause is still unknown however Heston Blumenthal has confirmed that "the Health Protection Agency and the local environmental health office have given us the all clear to open the restaurant".

Despite this closure, the Fat Duck remains top of my list of Restaurants to visit before I die, but it will be interesting to see whether these last couple of week affects the restaurant's 2nd place in the World's 50 Best Restaurants when the new list is announced on 20th April 2009.

Fat Duck - 400 customers made ill

Following my previous post commenting on the temporary Closure of the Fat Duck, it would seem that the number of customers who have fallen ill has risen from 40 to 400 according to the BBC.

Rigorous testing of the kitchens and all items on the menu, but no health issues have been detected. Samples have been taken from all staff to establish whether one is unknowingly carrying a virus, but as yet, no link has been found.

The Fat Duck is one of only three restaurants in the UK to hold the coveted Michelin 3 Stars. The other restaurants being The Waterside Inn, also found in Bray and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London.

Restaurants to Visit Before I Die

It really is a constantly changing list, but some of the places that I'd love to eat in are....

In no particular order:

• The Fat Duck, Bray, Berkshire
• Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, Great Milton, Oxford
• Harry's Bar, Venice
• The Seafood Restaurant, Padstow
• Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London
  
• El Bulli, Roses, Spain
  

And some of those I've already been lucky enough to eat in:

• The Ivy, London
• The Three Chimneys, Isle of Skye
  
• The Hoste Arms, Burnham Market
• Criterion, Picadilly Circus, London
• Claridges, London
  
• The Walnut Tree, Abergavenny
• The Lanesborough, Knightsbridge
  
• Quaglino's, London
• On the Inlet, Port Douglas, Queensland
  

My favourites places to eat in and around Leicestershire:

• The Hammer and Pincers, Wymeswold, Leicestershire
• The Red Lion, Stathern, Leicestershire
• The Olive Branch, Clipsham
  
• Finch's Arms, Hambleton

I'm always welcome to receive suggestions of good places to eat, so feel free to add your comments if you feel that I have overlooked somewhere.

Fat Duck - Closed Due to a Health Scare

Heston Blumenthal's restaurant, the Fat Duck has been one of my "Restaurants to Visit before I Die" for some time.

However it is reported in the Telegraph and The Times that the restaurant has been closed by the chef / owner as a precaution following a number of customers falling ill, after dining in the 3 starred Michelin restaurant.

Despite the local Environmental Health officers not having found any problems at the Fat Duck, Heston Blumenthal took what must have been an extremely difficult decision to make, while he carried out further investigations.

While reading the details of the closure, I was also surprised to learn that the Fat Duck had been knocked from its perch as the "Best Restaurant in the World" according to Restaurant Magazine. This title has been held by "El Bulli" in Spain, since 2006. The Fat Duck is now listed as the second best and I am sure that Heston will be hoping to regain the title when the latest awards are announced on April 20th 2009.

Despite the recent problem, which has been dealt with in a proactive way, the it remains one of my ambitions to eat at the Fat Duck at some point in the future.