Heston Blumenthal and Liu-lau-lau

Lucky Diners well fed in ‘once a lifetime experience’ at The Fat Duck…

So one of the tabloids in Melbourne recently screamed!


I remember this guy; his “trophy” food also looks very familiar. Yes; he came to cook specially for us. That was in 2012, when London was hosting the Olympics. My benefactor host flew us all the way to experience all these once-in-a-lifetime events! The whole Hampton Court was hired for the night-long joy of his friends – finest wines and cigars, the top entertainers in London and Heston Blumenthal! I was like the ‘Liu-lau-lau’ in that Chinese classic ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ [紅樓夢 ] – a country bumpkin in a Fantasy land, musically deaf and devoid of any appreciation of fine food and great wines.

Who is this Blumenthal? I didn’t even bother to find out, save to know that he was already then a celebrated chef in town. Everyone even got a copy of his book, duly autographed by the chef himself.

Now I know how much I have missed! One has to pay A$525 per fax to enjoy his food, excluding the cost of wines! Notwithstanding, the bookings are in thousands. But honestly, I just can’t recall what I have eaten, let alone how did the three candle-like meal taste that night.


What do you expect from a Liu-lau-lau?