J's Birthday

Last weekend was a bank holiday weekend which meant I got to enjoy an extra day off. But more importantly it was J's birthday.  We gave him an UP24 armband so that he could obsess over his walking, sleeping & eating and C made him a 'daddy' necklace which he wore proudly.

We had dinner plans the night before J's birthday but unfortunately our babysitter got sick so we had to cancel.  Instead we decided to find a pub on the river to eat at.  It was a gorgeous day so we were up for a walk and figured what better place to watch the sunset.  To our surprise the river was only a 10 minute walk from our house!  We knew we lived close to the river but had no idea how close.  We stopped at the first pub we found, The Bull's Head.  The pub had all the charm you would expect and the food was quite good but the service was typical british - S...L...O...W.

After dinner we took a bit of a stroll down the river before heading back home.  There were still a lot of people outside drinking, eating and enjoying the lovely evening.

J inherited his mom's flan pans so rather than make a traditional birthday cake I decided to take the flan plans out for a spin.  The cake was yummy and actually super easy to make.  J was touched and I know Joan would have gotten the biggest kick out of seeing her dessert from J's childhood come to life.

But the highlight of J's birthday was an amazing dinner (perhaps food sensory theater production is more accurate) at Heston Blumenthal's restaurant the Fat Duck combined with a night away from the kiddies thanks to our friends KK & MM.

After dropping the kids off for a sleepover we checked in to the Oakley Court Hotel, a beautiful old manor which was conveniently located between KK & MM's house and the restaurant's location in the town of Bray.  When we checked in we were greeted with two glasses of champagne.  Oh the joys of a couples night only!

  

Because we were so close we were able to take a cab to the restaurant.  Bray is a cute little town on the Thames and the streets are lined with old cottages.  We were early for our dinner reservations so we walked around the town a bit and then popped into The Hind's Head pub (also owned by Heston) for a pint.  The pub was very quaint and comfy - low ceilings, low stools and a wood burning fire.  A nice warm up to the main event.

At 7:00 pm we made our way across the street to The Fat Duck.  I couldn't believe we were finally going in.  I had been trying to get reservations since we moved to London but every time I tried (and by now I've lost count how many times I tried) they were fully booked.  Pure luck and a well-timed cancellation finally got us a seating!




The meal consisted of 14 courses of WOW.  Definitely the best restaurant experience we ever had.   Not only did the food taste good, but each course was both original and surprising and appealed to multiple senses.  I didn't take pictures of all the courses but I couldn't resist when course #7 - "Sound of the Sea" - came out.  Before the food arrived, the waiter brought over two shells with earpods that we were instructed to put on.  The iPod shuffles inside delivered sounds from the sea.  Then the food arrived - an incredible beachscape complete with sand made from tapioca powder & crushed sardines.

Towards the end of the meal a whiskey tasting arrived, but rather than drinks the whiskey was delivered as gums stuck onto a framed map of scotland + the state of tennessee for Jack D.


And our favorite dessert,

After dinner, the manager invited us back to see the kitchen.  There were 7 chefs packed into the smallest space you could imagine.  It was very frenetic but obviously well orchestrated.  Three and a half hours later we rolled out of the restaurant with the biggest grins on our faces.

In the morning we took a stroll around the beautiful hotel grounds and along the river before heading back to reality.  I don't think either of us had felt this relaxed and well rested in a really long time.  

Definitely a birthday we won't soon forget.  Happy Birthday, J!