Wednesday 16^th November 2011

How to explain, how to explain my vision of Love? Leonardo was the root of it, I’m sure.

So perhaps first of all, to delay, let me tell you about Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. That’s the name of the restaurant, lodged within the so-called Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Knightsbridge, directly opposite H Nicks.

You know those 5 star hotels, seething with suspect money and rich tourists in nothing clothes, no whiff of normality. We were in the private room, which is library red with massive door knocker-type wall lights, gazing through glass panels at a lot of sports jackets. Only on the way out were two dollies, perhaps Russian, tottering into the bar in dolly clothes and 8 inch heels.

There were five courses, all British, from different historical periods: the second was a mandarin with leaves on a board, only it was paté and the ‘peel’ was an orange jelly of some kind. In the 16^th century such food illusions were popular. The Tipsy Pudding was from the 19^th century and had been re-modelled by Heston with brioche. Someone has to sit up all night and monitor its oven progress every three minutes, then judge the insertion of alcohol. Many confections fail, collapsing under the strain of the drink.

The result was a fairly uneventful bread/cake with the power to knock you across the room from the added spirit.

I love Heston; he’s absolutely off his head.

The Multis arranged this now engraved evening. How shall we ever forget it? The wines they ordered were some of the greatest known. I’m sorry to say it was a subscription dinner. I was let off since it was given for my birthday six weeks ago but £2600 was total. I hear that the priceless Multis underwrote and bailed out to a considerable extent. A large JCB, its scooper full of cash, was seen manoeuvring into the hotel at the end.

O! my vision of Love – may it come into words when called!

Meat Fruit Illusion at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Tuesday 8th November 2011

Door-Knocker Type Wall Light in Private Room at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Knightsbridge, London

Non-Private Room Diners at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Seen Through Glass from the Private Room

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal: Menu Part 1

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal: Menu Part 2

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal: Menu Part 3