Eager diners who were quick off the mark to book a table at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal at the Mandarin Oriental may have to rush online to book a second table as Heston revealed today that the tasting menu won't be available for another month or so. However, restaurant goers dining there in the first few weeks will benefit from having Heston in the kitchen himself alongside head chef Ashley Palmer Watts). 'I'm around on and off for the soft opening,' Heston told us. 'And for the opening I'll be there 80% of time for the first two, three, four weeks. And then I'm up here periodically during the year, but I'll be based in Bray - it'll be Ashley in the kitchen.'
Speaking at a press launch today, Heston revealed that he'll be offering a three-course set lunch at a bargain £25, while a-la-carte will come in at around £50 a head. Heston today also announced that he'll be introducing an afternoon tea at the Mandarin Oriental in about three months.
When Hot Dinners buttonholed Heston to find out more, he admitted to being just a little worried about the level of excitement the restaurants opening was generating. 'It's weird really because I've seen the room and kitchen during the building period, but seeing it finished you realise how big the whole thing is. My only concern is that the anticipation has been so massive with this, it places a lot of pressure on us.'
So where does he see Dinner at Heston fitting into the London restaurant scene? 'London is one of the best cities in the world to eat in. I feel that there are so many fantastic restaurants in this area - we're trying to pitch Dinner in a spot that it occupies on its own. It's just something that's not quite been done before. If you look at Marcus, Pierre, Petrus - the quality of the restaurants around here is fantastic. So it's just managing expectations and giving the room a sense of grandeur that's relaxed as well.'
And although the Mandarin Oriental is a five star hotel, Heston was quick to dismiss the idea that there might be a dress code. 'I do not understand why any restaurant would have a dress code in this day and age. If you want to wear a suit, wear a suit - if you want to turn up in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt that's fine...that really reflects what's happened to eating out in this country - we should be comfortable in our own skin and food should be about having fun - it doesn't matter how complex or gastronomic it is, you should still be able to just enjoy it.'
Asked whether there's a signature dish at the new restaurant, Heston hesitated a little before suggesting 'the meat fruit which was inspired by one of the Channel 4 programmes we did, which was based on an old Tudor recipe. But because it's looks just like a mandarin it ties in really nicely.' Another dish worth having would be the hay-smoked mackerel which features a Tudor-inspired lemon salad as one of its garnishes.
As for Head Chef Ashley Palmer Watts, on whose shoulders this enterprise rests, he says the mood at the hotel is 'exciting and nerve-wracking and extremely busy. We've done five services now - the kitchen's starting to gel together and the flow of service is coming together.
'The other day we were dressing on the pass and I face into the kitchen and the food's coming out of the kitchen and I'm dressing away and I look up and the Horse Guards are going by - there's this beautiful moving picture at the back of the kitchen.'
