Recorded this last night on Sky+ (the world's best invention - Amelie hates me with the remote, mind).
I have to say I like old Heston (he used to be a bit of a breakdancer in his youth apparently
). He's the first to admit that you wouldn't be able to do his recipes to the letter, but you can take little bits from each one though.
His restaurant would be amazing to go to though - this is from a article about the place:
Most diners opt for the tasting menu, a now 17-stage experience that includes many of Blumenthal's classics, some with dates of creation, as well as intriguing new additions. Some things stay on, like the Nitro-Green Tea and Lime Mousse (2001), but no dish ever stands still. So what are his latest brainwaves? A new seafood dish, Sound of the Sea, is joining the tasting menu.
Presented in a glass-topped wooden box containing an edible seascape made up of abalone, razor clams, shrimps and oysters, it is served with an iPod so diners can listen to marine sound effects while they eat.
Meanwhile, the Maître d' has been trained by a magician to turn a rose petal into an egg at the table, which he then whips up into the famous egg and bacon ice cream. And then there's the sweet shop. When guests book they'll soon be sent an atomiser containing the smell of a real sweet shop and some 3D glasses. They pop on their specs and log on to an online sweet shop, where they fill their virtual bag with virtual Fat Duck goodies. And if that's not barmy enough, when they finally go to the restaurant they'll smell the same smell and hear the shop's doorbell, and will be given their bag of sweeties to take home with them. There's even talk of hanging candy canes from the trees on the road leading to the restaurant. It's safe to say, The Fat Duck is unique.
The Restaurant that regulaly beats it (but not always) to number 1 spot in the world is El Bulli in Spain. That's a place I'd really like to go to as well:
The restaurant has a limited season from April to September; bookings are taken on a single day in the previous October. It accommodates only 8,000 diners a season, with 800,000 people calling to try and book places — around 400 requests for every table.
The other 6 months, the bloke is creating new dishes for the coming season
