to ask what your best dining experience was? (UK)

[polkadotty2]

We have a milestone anniversary coming up and I would like ideas for something a bit more special than "lunch/dinner at a nice restaurant" but I'm not even sure what.. hit me up with your ideas/experinces!

We did Teppanyaki years ago which was interesting but looking for something different this time.

Much closer to home I can recommend Hanson at the Chelsea in Swansea, really lovely food, intimate atmosphere and well within your budget

I’m London, Le Gavroche tasting menu with paired wines was in a league of its own,, we still talk about it 8 years on.

Pied-à-terre was also lovely.

In not I’m. I should really proof read my comments!

The Walnut Tree near Abergavenny is very unflouncey for a Michelin star restaurant but a really intimate and friendly experience. The food is the best I’ve tasted in terms of Michelin starred outside of London and if you’re going in spring/summer the setting is stunning. The wine list isn’t at Mortgage levels either.

They have a few cottages next door that you can stay in for the night or they have a sister hotel in Abergavenny, The Angel Hotel, which offers a complimentary taxi if you’re staying there and dining at the Walnut Tree.

Love these threads

What are you after a side from foods? Location?
Amazing room?

Usually people mention a small place in Soho! Beginning with a?

DH and I went to Pied a Terre in London for his 50th birthday. That was a real experience and definitely recommended. We went for lunch so it was reasonably affordable.

Murano is also good.

@RosesAndHellebores

It's long gone but The Carved Angel in Dartmouth.

Am another fan of The Waterside Inn.

The Angel is there though and run by Elly who was on Masterchef a few years ago: theangeldartmouth.co.uk/

I've not been but I would like to.

Ps thank you for mentioning it, because I've now just mentioned going there to my mum for Mother's Day!

The Frog in Covent Garden is totally amazing; food, service, everything!

No: 6 Paul Ainsworth for me!!

50th birthday treat, was absolutely out of this world!

Hand and Flowers in Marlow. In my top ten in many years of fine dining and not as expensive as Fat Duck let's say.

The lamb dish I had was out of this world amazing.

I'd recommend the bar table. And book a late lazy lunch.

Marlow lovely to stroll around too, it's on the river.

If you want a different experience L’Ortolan (?) in Reading do a cookery course followed by lunch

I went to L'Ortolan a few years ago, it wasn't on the level of places like Pied a Terre and Pollen Street Social at all. Not recommended. OK but not for the price and hype.

Osip in Somerset. Just absolutely amazing, couldn't fault a thing. We went not long after they opened and I am aiming to go back this year.

Great thread. Hope you can choose one OP! It's funny how the experience is what stays with you. For us:

Manoir and Gavroche - fantastic

Mana - totally memorable

Hrishi - ruined by a couple close to us after he proposed. Obligatory shots for Insta then both spent the evening on or checking phones with messaging pinging continually. My initial pleasure for them disappeared rapidly!

Northcote - so bad, I cried and it takes a lot. Got full refund.

Enjoy your meal wherever you go.

Fat Duck and Dinner - I loved both. Fat Duck is mad money though - a once in a lifetime thing.

Clos Maggiore in Covent Garden I love. A really special setting and lovely food.

Orwell's in Shiplake was surprisingly brilliant. I loved the food and service.

Casamia in Bristol is excellent. Also agree on previous recommendations of Petrus, La Gavroche and L’Enclume. I also enjoy The Witchery in Edinburgh.

If you like Russian and Eastern European food I can recommend Mari Vanna, Bob Bob Ricard, and Ognisko in London.

Havent been myself, but Little French in Bristol is meant to be really good. Saw it on a programme with Michelle roux and first dates Fred - they both loved the food, and it looked lovely. A few critics have also raved about it. Think its henleaze. Might be worth a look.

Also - the restaurant at Berwick Lodge in Bristol is great. Have stayed at the hotel and eaten there on a couple of birthdays. Live in Bristol, but still a treat to get in laws to babysit and have a night off!

If it's a different experience you're looking for, you might like having a private chef come into your home and cook a menu based on your preferences. You can get incredible fine dining experiences with your every whim catered for. Costs less than the equivalent food in a Michelin starred/fine dining restaurant.

Disclaimer: My husband does this for a living. Other chefs also available . For an idea of costs, he charges 80 pounds per head upwards depending on what sort of menu you want.

Or you could look for a supper club that catches your fancy.

@Juanmariaramierz

Angels in Uddingston....outside Glasgow

Tuesday night still quiz night? 😂

Cottage in the Wood in Malvern has the best restaurant in the area in my humble opinion, and it's not expensive. We're lucky enough to live half an hour away and it's a regular treat for us.

Hotel is lovely to stay in too, and Malvern a very quaint little town with great hill walks.

The Corner House, Minster, Kent. The food is 👌👌👌

No6 was absolutely awesome., Rojanos by Paul Ainsworth is also fabulous but as both are in Padstow, they're probably a bit far!

In Bristol, I second Little French. Amazing food.

Another vote for any of Adam Handling's places - we went to Frog in London for a landmark anniversary long lunch, tasting menu with wine flight, and it was the most memorable and mindblowingly good meal ever. The service and cocktails/sommelier are impeccable and it's a small room so you can see straight into the kitchen, and not at all formal. Just got its first Michelin star.

L'Enclume
Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons
Helene Darroze at The Connaught
The Foyer at Claridges, for something more traditional