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<\/a>Leslie:\u00a0 Last spring, we celebrated Keith’s 30th birthday by having a meal at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal<\/a>.\u00a0 The weather was unseasonably cold but it was nothing a colorful\u00a0wool coat, shiny red shoes, and a sunny day couldn’t fix.\u00a0 Before lunch, we strolled around Hyde Park and watched the humongous swans on Serpentine Lake.\u00a0 Then we went to Harvey Nicks<\/em>\u00a0for a little dose of high fashion just like Eddy & Patsy from one of my favorite shows, Ab Fab<\/a>!\u00a0 The building with the red brick below is the Mandarin Oriental Hotel where Heston’s restaurant is located.\u00a0 It overlooks\u00a0the park.\u00a0 On the other side of the building across the street is Harvey Nichols<\/a>.<\/p>\n Keith:\u00a0 The signature dish of Dinner is meat fruit, which I just had to have.\u00a0 It’s a chicken liver mousse covered in a textured\u00a0jelly, creating the appearance of a small orange (including a stem and leaf sticking out the top).\u00a0 The only thing better than the presentation was the taste.\u00a0 It was honestly one of the best things I’ve ever eaten.\u00a0 The next time I’m in London, I *will* be eating this again.\u00a0 Leslie started with bone marrow and snails which was also delicious.\u00a0 Our mains were both very well done, but probably also they were the low point in the meal in that they weren’t as inventive as the starters.\u00a0 I ordered the Ribeye because it came with the famous triple cooked chips.\u00a0 The chips were excellent (as was\u00a0the mushroom ketchup) but the steak was just a steak and, actually, not as good a ribeye as\u00a0we buy from Oak Del Farms in Wisconsin.\u00a0 Leslie’s pigeon was also very nice, but as I’ve said, just not as exciting as the starters.<\/em><\/p>\n Leslie:\u00a0 I’m a sucker for snails.\u00a0 Snails and marrow, that’s even better.\u00a0 The presentation of my starter was just gorgeous.\u00a0 A bone, split down the middle.\u00a0 Atop the marrow were the snails as well as some micro-greens.\u00a0 On the side\u00a0was a salad of French breakfast radishes and endives.\u00a0 The pigeon meat was very delicate in texture, served medium rare, with a hint of star anise and a rich ale sauce.\u00a0 I imagined Heston with a little gun, hunting pigeons at the park, just for me.<\/p>\n Keith: Going into the meal, I didn’t even plan on getting dessert.\u00a0 But in the end we caved in, and I am so glad we did.\u00a0 I\u00a0ordered\u00a0the quaking pudding, Leslie got the tipsy cake, and we shared.\u00a0 The quaking pudding was like a pear flan, and I was surprised at how much I liked it (given that I don’t like flan and generally don’t like fruit based desserts).\u00a0 But the\u00a0tipsy cake…\u00a0that turned out to be the best dessert I’ve ever eaten.\u00a0\u00a0It was a brioche, soaked in cream and rum, which a crunchy top, and served with roast pineapple.\u00a0 Generally, if it isn’t chocolate, it isn’t dessert\u00a0to me.\u00a0 And I’m not usually\u00a0a fan of alcoholic desserts.\u00a0\u00a0And, as\u00a0 already mentioned, fruit and I don’t get along.\u00a0 The stars were perfectly aligned for me to dislike this dish.\u00a0 But it was so good.\u00a0 So good.\u00a0 Rich, light, sweet, acidic, crunchy, soft.<\/em><\/p>\n Leslie:\u00a0 <\/em>The tipsy cake was incredible.\u00a0 We had to order it at the beginning of the meal because the preparation took longer than the other desserts.\u00a0 It was so good, I almost didn’t want to share it with Keith.\u00a0 Before the bill came (possibly to soften the blow),\u00a0they brought out some chocolate mousse infused with earl grey tea along with a caraway biscuit.<\/p>\n Keith: Between the meat fruit and the tipsy cake,\u00a0this meal included\u00a0two of the most perfectly executed, well balanced, and memorable dishes of my life.\u00a0 I can’t wait to go back.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"mandarinorientalhotel\"](\"http:\/\/driftlessappetite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/mandarinorientalhotel.jpeg\")
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