"Fine dining hotel restaurants with big-name chefs can get a bad rep—often for good reason. They can be stuffy, serious, and boring. Dinner By Heston Blumenthal—a painfully expensive, British fine dining restaurant inside Knightsbridge’s Mandarin Oriental—is all three. Guests are dotted around the huge room, making the whole space feel desolate. And with its 50 shades of brown interiors (dark wood tables, brown leather chairs, you get it) and stagnant atmosphere, the whole thing is a bit of a bore. The crowd here is mostly business sorts, couples celebrating stiff anniversary dinners, and far too many staff members. There are some nice touches—like the never-ending slices of complimentary sourdough and softened, perfectly salted butter. But then comes a £60+ piece of halibut that’s so bland it could’ve been boiled in tap water, and three roasted cauliflower florets and a dollop of shiitake dressing for another £50. Coupled with long gaps between courses, and not much else going on in terms of experience, dinner becomes a drag. Food Rundown photo credit: Rianne Shlebak Complimentary Sourdough The gift that keeps giving, this springy sourdough comes with softened, salted butter that glides on smoother than silk. The waiters will keep offering you more until you finally tell them to stop. photo credit: Rianne Shlebak Halibut & Green Sauce A delicate piece of fish that lacks flavour. Sure, the parsley sauce is nice and refreshing, and the halibut is all the things a well-cooked fish should be (buttery, light) but the lack of seasoning makes it a boring order. photo credit: Rianne Shlebak Roast Cauliflower Receiving this as a main—three pieces of roasted cauliflower—we couldn’t help but feel short-changed. It tastes great: the cauliflower is smoky and caramelised, and the macrows (a medieval-inspired macaroni and cheese-type dish) on the side is good at filling you up a tiny bit. But ultimately, this feels like a side dish. Triple Cooked Chips These, dipped in ketchup, are excellent. No notes. photo credit: Rianne Shlebak Honey Roast Parsnips Meaty and sweet, these parsnips have a nice bite to them and are more satisfying than some mains. photo credit: Rianne Shlebak Rhubarb & Rosehip This dessert is all style and no substance. The poached rhubarb is stringy and soft without being soft enough. Although we did enjoy the tartness of it with the yoghurt cream. photo credit: Rianne Shlebak Vegan Chocolate Bar An intense bar that’s like a thick mousse of dark chocolate laced with passion fruit and served with a scoop of mango sorbet. This is worth an order." - Rianne Shlebak
