Eating Out – The 2016 Summary
Posted: Sat 31 December, 2016 Filed under: 2015/16, Day Trips, Domestic, Five Year Plan (now Ten), Food, Single Life, Solo Dining, Thoughts, Travel 7 Comments »In all over this year, I’ve had 22 Michelin-starred meals in 18 places, for a total of 36 stars all told. I’ve tried to keep a wide range through the year, from pubs-with-stars through to some of the most spectacular-looking dining destinations in the UK. In no particular order, I’ve been to…
- Three-star
- Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester Hotel, London
- Waterside Inn, Bray, Berkshire
- Two-star
- Hélène Darroze at the Connaught Hotel, London (three times, including tonight)
- Champignon Sauvage, Cheltenham (twice)
- Midsummer House, Cambridge
- Hibiscus, London (now closed)
- Hand and Flowers, Marlow
- Manoir aux Quat Saison, Great Missenden, Oxon (for my Birthday, no less!)
- Dinner at the Mandarin Oriental, London
- The Ledbury, London
- Marcus at the Berkeley Hotel, London
- One star
- House of Tides, Newcastle (twice)
- Raby Hunt, Summerhouses, Darlington
- Pony & Trap, Chew Magna, Bristol
- Paris House, Woburn, Beds
- Benares, London
- Alimentum, Cambridge
- Wild Rabbit, Kingham, Oxon
Interestingly, neither of the three-starred places count anywhere notable on my favourites. In my opinion the best restaurants of the year have been
- 1st= Hélène Darroze
- 1st= Midsummer House
- 3rd= Hibiscus
- 3rd= House of Tides
The best meals, on the other hand, is a smaller list – the top three would be…
- Hélène Darroze – the second visit
- Hélène Darroze – the first visit
- Midsummer House
Yes, Darroze really is that good (in my opinion, of course – others may vary)
Alongside that, honorable mentions go to
- Wild Rabbit – any other year, it would certainly have been in the top three, and indeed I’d say it’s probably number four/five in the list
- Marcus – much as I dislike the man himself, I can’t deny that the meal was bloody marvellous
There are other places I still want to go (and I’m considering another Scotland visit at some point in 2017) but I won’t be going to anywhere like as many as this year. I’ve massively enjoyed it, and I truly don’t want to become blase about the entire thing.
Is the House of Tides in Newcastle a new star? Not heard of this one – I thought that the RH was the only Michelin starred restaurant in the NE?
You’re after Charles Campion’s job when he explodes from over-eating aren’t you? 😉
I started by doing a mental sum of the cost of all of those meals – and then realised that it’s no more than the cost of a sunny week in somewhere reasonable in Europe. Spreading the joy of treats!
No, it’s been on the list since 2015 ( http://houseoftides.co.uk/about-us/ ) and is heartily recommended. On the quayside, near the Tyne bridge.
In the NE there’s also the Black Swan at Oldstead (York-ish) and The Star Inn in Harome, but I haven’t been to either.
And did you see that the RH is now two stars? Got marked up this year.
As for costs, I know exactly what I’ve spent this year (including tonight)
While not insignificant, it’s also nowhere near as high as it could’ve been – if I drank the wines, for example, I’d have more than doubled the expense. It’s also almost certainly less than I could’ve spent if I went out drinking every weekend (looking at what some of my friends spend in pubs etc., or on weekends)
As I’ve said before, it’s been a very different year, and somewhat of a blowout (for me) through having the first year of disposable income in a very long time. Next year will be different, but this one has been one heck of a year, and an awful lot of fun!
Ah, it was October 2014 when I last looked into what the NE offered.
I didn’t know, but am unsurprised that the RH now has 2 stars. Pleased for James – he seems to work incredibly hard and is not at all pretentious. Although, having just checked, the prices have gone up quite considerably haven’t they?!
Not that I’d noticed, re the prices – it’s the same as I paid in 2016 when it was still “just” a one-star.
The accommodation costs might’ve gone up – I didn’t look at them before – but still, £90 for a ten-course two-Michelin-star meal is pretty impressive.
More interestingly, I notice they’re also not doing vegetarian menu any more. http://rabyhuntrestaurant.co.uk/rh/menu/a-taste-of-vegetarian/
Luckily for me they still do fish… I hope they can still do wheat free. Mind you, it’ll probably be 2020 before we can (a) afford and (b) have time to go there again!