On a cold January weekend I found myself privileged to be one of the few people to dine at Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck restaurant in Bray, currently ranked as the number two restaurant in the World behind Spain's El Bulli. I say privileged as what was to follow were ten courses of magic bordering on lunacy!

From the moment you enter the restaurant, the staff (of which there are many) are welcoming and attentive. Dressed smartly in ties and waistcoats, they escort you to your table in preparation of what's to come. We chose the tasting menu over thea la carte and sat in anticipation as the first course appeared.

Like something out of a chemistry lab the Nitro-poached green tea and lime mousse was prepared at our table as a palate cleanser. Then came the Orange and Beetroot jellywith a twist! The colour and flavour combinations were reversed with the purple jelly being orange in flavour and the orange jelly tasting of beetroot.

The courses continued, each being more outlandish than the next. Snail porridge (amazing), Sounds of the Sea accompanied by an iPod shuffle secreted in a seashell and Hot AND Iced tea- ingenious! Half of the liquid in the cup is cold and the other half is hot.

Then we finished with breakfast... No... We hadn't taken so long to eat our meal that we were there all night but at The Fat Duck this concept is reversed as well. Parsnip cereal served in a Fat Duck box with parsnip milk was truly delicious. Then back to the chemistry lab for Nitro-scrambled Egg and Bacon flavoured ice-cream once again prepared at the table.

Even the petit fours are a tribute to Heston Blumenthal's creative genius. It would be impossible to describe every dish in detail here and do them justice as it was truly an experience not to be missed.

Even if some of the dishes are not to your taste I would encourage anyone who counts food as a wondrous thing to be savoured, to try this restaurant. Stuffy it is not, but it is a relaxing experience of pure theatre. Even watching the faces of the diners around us as they followed the twists and turns of the menu was a delight!

I cannot praise The Fat Duck highly enough and would definitely count it on my list of things to do before I die. Long may it continue to turn fine dining on it's head!

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