The Fat Duck - Bray, Berkshire

The Fat Duck is situated in the very lovely village of Bray and is run by world renowned chef, Heston Blumenthal. It was voted the Worlds Best Restaurant in 2003, only to be knocked of it's perch by the famous El Bulli in Spain. However it's consistently been voted the worlds number two restaurant for the last few years. It is one of three restaurants in the UK to hold three Michelin stars.

I was visiting The Fat Duck with business colleagues of mine and the trip was arranged by myself. I had no problem booking, probably because we were going for lunch and I made a particular point of asking the restaurant whether or not there was a 'kicking out time' as what we were looking for was a 'lazy lunch' spread throughout the afternoon with a few bottles of wine, some good food and great company. We were told in no uncertain terms that if we opted for the tasting menu, it would take us approximately 4 hours.....our table was booked for 2pm.

I arrived at the restaurant just before 2pm, and walked through the door into a small corridor leading down to a table - I wasn't greeted by anybody and proceeded down towards what I thought was a member of staff sitting at the table....it wasn't, it was a guest!!! I then wandered through the first part of the restaurant where I discovered my guests sitting down at our table, sampling some rather fine Champagne. It was at this point, that one of the staff members actually noticed that I had entered the restaurant. I thought this was a bit odd for supposedly one of the best restaurants in the world.

Once in and seated, the food was...well, it was bonkers! It really was amazing and what I would describe as a once in a lifetime experience. I've never experienced anything even close to it.

The Waterside Inn - Bray, Berkshire

The Waterside Inn is also situated in the village of Bray, on the banks of the River Thames and is run by the famous chef Michel Roux. It is also one of only three restuarants in the UK to hold three Michelin stars. The Waterside Inn is also a 'restaurant with rooms' as they put it, offering visitors the choice of 9-10 rooms for those wishing to stay in Bray.

Hakkasan - London

Hakkasan is run by Alan Yau, the man behind Wagamamma and is situated in Hanway Place, Marylebone. One of our customers first mentioned the idea of Hakkasan to me, he suggested we take a trip down there when they were next in the UK so we duly obliged, not really knowing what to expect.

The first thing that hits you upon entering Hakkasan is how dark it is, it's underground and is very dimly lit but very cool and sophisticated. From the funky decor to the lady opening the door to the toilets, it's a little different to most restaurants I've been to. It's also apparently a big hit with celebrities, probably because they can eat there without being noticed...I mean, it really is dark.

The food, well the food was really good and despite banging my head on the light above the table we had a really great time. One thing that did put me off though was the pressure to eat up and move on that the staff give you. I prefer a more relaxed affair but right from the outset, the staff made it perfectly clear that they needed the table back at a particular time. However we were eaten up and done in good time and moved on to cocktails at the bar which was fun.

Conclusion: A really funky place to eat, with a great atmosphere and very good quality food. I'd certainly go back and eat there but probably wouldn't be in too much of a hurry.

Mallory Court - Leamington Spa

Mallory Court Hotel is a beautiful country house hotel set in 10 acres of gardens, just outside Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. Their oak panelled restaurant is run by Simon Haigh and holds one Michelin star.

We booked a table for two as surprise for my wifes birthday as we had stayed and eaten there around 15 years ago and loved it. This time around, was just as special with amazing food and excellent service.

The Savoy Grill - The Savoy, London

Last night, my wife and I had dinner at The Savoy Grill to see how a the best chef's do it. We arrived at about 9pm and sat in the lounge with a couple of glasses of champagne (yes it was very nice) and were led to our table at around 9.15pm. The people there were great, service was outstanding and the food was amazing. My wife went for the scallops to start, and I chose the ravioli of Dorset crab and salmon with the coriander & ginger volute. For our main course, we both opted for the Fillet of Beef (medium rare) and that was absolutely delicious. Then came pre-desert which was a cider jelly with some kind of blackberry sorbet..Mmmm... followed by a fantastic selection of cheese for me and a gorgeous looking desert for my wife!!!

All in all, the food was great and the bill wasn't too bad - £240 which included a £50 bottle of Pino Noir and two glasses of Champagne. For anyone considering The Savoy Grill, I would highly recommend it.

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