The Fat Duck, led by chef Heston Blumenthal, presents a new and unusual restaurant proposition: a conscious experience. The three-star Michelin restaurant there favors smaller portions and emphasizes elements such as textures and flavors.
The restaurant’s argument, located in the United Kingdom, is that when you eat less, you can be more focused on the meal – the meaning of mindfulness, a state of full attention.
“Maybe you want to eat less. Maybe you want more time to mindfully savor each bite,” Fat Duck says while explaining the menu.
In an interview with Restaurant magazine, the chef says portion sizes have been rethought due to the number of customers using medications to reduce their appetite.
“With these weight loss drugs, like Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy, people eat less and the quantities of food can discourage them,” says Blumenthal.
In a video posted on social media, the restaurant explains that the menu combines two ideas. The first is that “less is more” because “we often want to eat to feel full rather than satisfied.”
The second is that eating can nourish the body and mind “if we eat mindfully, taking the time to slowly savor each mouthful.”
The experience, a scaled-down version of the restaurant’s tasting menu, costs £275 (R$2,029). The original sequel, titled The Journey, costs £350 (R$2,581).
One of the highlights is the sound of the sea dish, which combines oysters, sashimi and shellfish arranged in edible sand with moss. When trying it, visitors must wear headphones that play ocean sounds, such as waves and seagulls. The goal is to unite sound, vision, smell and taste.
Another recipe is the bacon and egg cereal, ice cream with nitrogen scrambled eggs and bacon, created in the 2000s by the house.
Those interested in trying the menu can make a reservation on the restaurant’s website.
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