Eat, Drink and be Merry for Free at The Fat Duck

Chef Heston Blumenthal has washed his hands (so to speak) of  responsibility for the infection that caused 529 customers to vomit and suffer diarrhea all over the place after eating  at the Fat Duck in January and February.
The good news? He is inviting them back for a free meal.
“I am relieved to be able to finally offer my fullest apologies to all those who were affected by the outbreak at the Fat Duck,” Blumenthal said  in an e-mailed statement. “It was extremely frustrating to not be allowed to personally apologize to my guests until now,” he said. “I wish to invite them all to return to the Fat Duck at their convenience.”
"It was deeply upsetting to all of us that your enjoyment of The Fat Duck was not as we had intended it to be," he said in the letter. "I would be delighted if you would consider returning to The Fat Duck at a time that is convenient to you."
He adds: "If this is not appropriate to you personally, please contact us and we will address each individual situation with our insurers."
Chef Blumenthal  wanted to write to the diners months ago, but the collective heads of his lawyers and insurance people almost exploded  advising him against it.
The Health Protection Agency said in a report last month that they were hit by norovirus, also known as the "winter vomiting bug," (the what?) and that it was probably introduced by contaminated shellfish.
The restaurant, located in the village of Bray, west of London, reopened in March. Diners can choose from a variety of dishes, including a multi-course, at only  $208 per person.

Spain's El Bulli World’s Best Restaurant

LONDON – El Bulli was named the world's best restaurant, and that's the fourth year in a row, but its head chef dedicated the prize to his British runner-up.

The restaurant in Catalonia came top of the S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants 2009 following a poll of more than 800 chefs, restaurant critics and industry insiders for Restaurant Magazine.

Accepting the highly coveted award, El Bulli chef Ferran Adria said it had been "a very important night for Spain", with Spanish restaurants occupying three of the top five spots.

He also gave praised to Heston Blumenthal, the chef at Britain's The Fat Duck restaurant, who was forced to temporarily close his establishment earlier this year after a health incident and who came in as runner-up.

"I dedicate this prize to Heston Blumenthal. He has shown me what honesty means in this business.... This prize is for you," Adria said.

Heston Blumenthal returned the complement, crediting Adria as "my teacher".

He added: "If you had told me 10 or 15 years ago that I would be in the top 200 restaurants in the world I would have been delighted."

2009 winners list:

1. El Bulli, Roses, Spain
2. The Fat Duck, Bray-on-Thames, UK
3. Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark (Chef's Choice)
4. Mugaritz, San Sebastián, Spain
5. El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain
6. per se, New York City, US
7. Bras, Laguiole, France
8. Arzak, San Sebastián, Spain
9. Pierre Gagnaire, Paris, France
10. Alinea, Chicago, US
11. L'Astrance, Paris, France
12. The French Laundry, Yountville (Napa Valley), California, US
13. Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy
14. St John, London, UK
15. Le Bernardin, New York City, US
16. Restaurant de l’Hôtel de Ville, Crissier, Switzerland
17. Tetsuya's, Sydney, Australia
18. L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Paris, France
19. Jean-Georges, New York City, US
20. Les Creations de Narisawa, Tokyo, Japan
21. Chez Dominique, Helsinki, Finland
22. Cracco Peck, Milan, Italy
23. Die Schwarzwaldstube, Tonbach, Germany
24. D.O.M., São Paulo, Brazil
25. Vendome, Kadettenstrasse (near Cologne), Germany
26. Hof van Cleve, near Kruishoutem, Belgium
27. Masa, New York City, US
28. Gambero Rosso, San Vincenzo, Italy
29. Oud Sluis, Sluis, Netherlands
30. Steirereck, Vienna, Austria
31. Momofuku Ssam Bar, New York City, US
32. Oaxen Skärgårdskrog, on the island of Oaxen, Sweden
33. Martin Berasategui, San Sebastián, Spain
34. Nobu, UK
35. Mirazur, Menton, France
36. Hakkasan, London, UK
37. Le Quartier Francais, Franschhoek, South Africa
38. La Colombe, Cape Town, South Africa
39. Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo, Biscay, Basque Country, Spain
40. Le Chateaubriand, Paris, France
41. Daniel, New York City, US
42. Combal Zero, Rivoli, Italy
43. Restaurant Le Louis XV, Monaco
44. Tantris, Munich, Germany
45. Iggy's, Singapore
46. Quay, Sydney, Australia
47. Les Ambassadeurs, Paris, France
48. Dal Pescatore, Canneto sull'Oglio, Italy
49. Le Calandre, Padua, Italy
50. Mathias Dahlgren, Stockholm, Sweden

The Fat Duck Gets Fatter

Celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal has seen fit to hike the prices at his three-Michelin-starred Fat Duck restaurant by a third.

Our wizard chef raised up the cost of his 12-course tasting menu from £130 ($189) to £140 ($204) this week. But why stop there? He plans to eventually bring it up to £170 ($248), making it the most expensive tasting menu in the UK.

However, the Fat Duck's prices are still nowhere near those of the three-star restaurants in Paris, with menu prices soaring over €250 ($312)) for their Menus Prestiges.

The explanation was simple enough, Blumenthal said the hike was the result of the sheer investment in staff, produce and research that goes into the production of the Fat Duck's menu.

"The costs associated with employing 45 chefs to cook for, on average, 42 covers a service are huge."

Just remember, The Fat Duck did lose hundreds of thousands of pounds when it was forced to shut for two weeks all because of that norovirus thing and a bunch of people vomiting earlier this year.

The Fat Duck Mystery Solved - Contaminated Shellfish

Above is a raw oyster dish served at The Fat Duck, this may have been how it all started.

The vomiting and diarrhea that possessed patrons at one of Britain's most famous restaurants was caused by a virus that the country's Health Protection Agency says was probably introduced by contaminated shellfish.

But not only the shellfish!

Britain’s Health Protection Agency has said that the illness and workers at The Fat Duck, was caused by bad shellfish and poor hygiene.

Several weaknesses in procedures at the restaurant may have contributed to ongoing transmission. These included a delayed response to the incident, staff working when they should have been off sick, and the wrong environmental cleaning products being used.

In its response, the Fat Duck said:

"The restaurant had absolutely no knowledge of any staff returning to work whilst ill or infectious. Indeed our employee literature clearly states that no staff member should return to work before the 48 hour clearance."

As for the cleaning products, the restaurant said, “All materials used are of industry standard.’’

The report also said that the source of oysters that were served “showed evidence for contamination; and outbreaks of illness in other establishments have been associated with oysters from the same source.’’ Also, the report said, “razor clams may not have been appropriately handled or cooked.’’

Apparently, the report said, the Fat Duck changed razor clam suppliers in January 2009, and researchers found low-levels of norovirus in razor clams later bought from that supplier. Oysters from the same source were also found to have norovirus.

Six workers also tested positive for norovirus and may have contributed to its spread, particularly in the “cooked razor clams and langoustine cream,” which are served off of the $217 tasting menu. The illness caused nausea, diarrhea and vomiting.

The Fat Duck’s chef, Heston Blumenthal, reopened the restaurant in March. He estimated the restaurant, which has three Michelin stars, lost around $167,000.

The Fat Duck, a three-star Michelin restaurant staring celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal, was closed for more than two weeks in February after more than 500 of diners became ill.

The family-run fishery that provided the oysters blamed for an outbreak of food poisoning has blamed poor sewage treatment at a nearby plant for the contamination.