To go to an extremely expensive restaurant

[Fantaorage]

My adult DC and I both have big birthdays coming up and are foodies. We're not wealthy by any means, and we're far from posh / sophisticated / dressy up. I'm wondering whether to blow around £500 on a meal for 2 in a local 2 Star Michelin restaurant. We eat out reasonably often, but I don't think I've ever spent more than £40 per person before, and I usually spend half that. Neither of us are keen on wine, so we'd probably just go for water and not increase the bill that way. The £500 would just be food and tip for 2 people, with a sampling menu. I'm wondering how many of you have done that and whether you think it would be worth the cost for a once in a lifetime meal at a top restaurant, or whether we're likely to feel self-conscious among posher fellow diners and obsequious waiters, and to regret spending so much money!

Yes if it would be a real treat and enjoyable way to spend time and you can afford it then absolutely! I booked the Fat Duck for my husband's 60th (tasting menu so 500 for 2) but it was 2021 so covid was ongoing and our booking has to be moved. So we moved it to my birthday, then it got moved again so we ended up going on our wedding anniversary. We thought since we were now celebrating three things we might as well book the wine flight too so along with an aperitif and the tip the whole thing was just over £1k. Luckily we don't live far away so drove there and got a taxi back.

Well worth it as we are adventurous eaters and loved all the theatre of the experience. I'm dont think we'd go again (to the same place) as part of what made it worth the money was the newness and surprises of the whole thing. When the waiter showed us to our taxi he said "we look forward to seeing you again at the Fat Duck soon" and as we drove off we laughed and muttered "no you won't!" Not because it wasn't fab but because if we blow 1k on a meal again we will try a different once in a lifetime place.

It would be the French one all the way for me. I'm an adventurous eater but if spending £500 I would want to balance that with being as certain as I could that I'd enjoy the food. I would rather be adventurous at mid price range where it's no great loss if the dish is well made but just not to my taste.

I've been there and his place in York, Roots. Two of the best nights of my life and worth every penny.

Also Angela Hartnett's Murano. Absolutely superb.
Adam Handling's Frog is the next one I hope to go to.

Go for it, OP! Tasting menus are a wonderful experience. And truly great food is always worth it.

Reminds me of a superb beef bourgingion [can't spell it] we had in the ferry cafeteria coming back from France about 20 years ago..... we still talk about it.... Cost peanuts, best BB ever.

@HeadyLamarr if you’re in the area the General Tarleton which is his new pub is also superb!

If you have the money available and this is what you’d like to spend it on then do it!

As an adult, my mum has taken me to 3 or 4 very fancy restaurants over the last 25 years. I remember them being very special, can remember some of the food, and as a young adult it gave me to confidence to go to posher restaurants on pre-theatre deals etc because I knew what sort of thing to expect.

You’d be giving yourself and your DC a lovely evening (though do check out the example sampling menu online or ask the restaurant for the current one if you’re going soo, as some are very niche foods!), and you’d also be showing them how to manage themselves and what to expect in a fancier class of restaurant which may help them in future situations.

I have four DC now and Bella Italia is about as posh as it gets for family, upgraded to wagamamas if there’s only a few of us 😂 But I remember my posh experiences very well, and look forward to when I can do it again on special offers and deals!

Go on Great British Chefs website, search Michelin recipes, you cannot replicate that at home ! Its specialist ingredients, cooking techniques and equipment, its definitely not something even a really good cook can do !

Do it! Remember to allow for 12-15% service which at Michelin prices adds quite a bit! But as others have said, you need to not be counting pennies..whether its £400 £500 £600+ just have the mindset of treating yourselves and going big! Like you I dont really like wine with food so being alcohol free or just one glass is totally acceptable at these places.

"We eat out reasonably often, but I don't think I've ever spent more than £40 per person before, and I usually spend half that."

Where does a foodie eat for £20 per person??

Or have I misunderstood?

We go to Michelin Star restaurants probably once a month, we absolutely love it 🥰 its a completely different experience to tasting menus at other restaurants, usually Michelin for a reason . They’re reviewed yearly so have to meet a certain standard all the time.

Dress codes vary as do the people in the restaurant . But no one is looking , the food and drink is the talking point, promise 😉

I would go for it OP, BUT
Do your homework on the restaurant, read reviews before you choose, and don't just assume that expensive = good. If you don't usually spend that kind of money on a meal, you will be royally annoyed if it's not a great experience. Especially if you don't feel confident enough to say something at the time, if something goes wrong.
When you book, I would put a note on saying it's a special double celebration/birthday. Hopefully they will then give you the VIP treatment, and not the table nearest the loo.
You're paying, so you deserve to be there and have earned the right. Don't let anyone there make you feel otherwise.

Do it. I’ve had tasting menus a couple of times and absolutely loved it. Report back 😀

Make sure you are likely to enjoy the menu first. We recently ate in a 2 star Japanese restaurant in London. For the tasting menu for 3 it was nearly 1k. We didn’t enjoy it and i still feel sick at the thought of spending so much money. We are seasoned Michelin star diners so we did not consider it to be a risk as such

we also don't buy birthday and other presents, but go to nice restaurants instead. Only trouble was that kids (before they could grasp the concept) then kept suggesting on random evenings that why don't we go eat at this or that lovely place. Oh, that lovely starred restaurant where they took you to the kitchen and showed you how to pour wine, and mummy paid the equivalent of a national debt of a mid-size country? 😂

But yes, if you love food, totally worth it.

About ten years ago now, I visited a one star restaurant while on holiday.

the fact that I remember it and can still half swoon at some of the things I tasted, is testament to how good it was. Go for it.

and if it consoles you in any way, ten years ago I paid about 100 euros, with one added glass of wine. Inflation has made that meal seem relatively cheap.

and five years ago I was treated to a meal at a local restaurant that hasn't quite made the star recommendation, but did get an honourable mention. Again, well worth whatever it was my adult child paid for it. And I still remember it.

Go for it. It is an experience. I've been to few Michelin star restaurants but none that have been that expensive but would be curious. If you really break it down, the food is not worth the money, the food is good and pure and different. But it is an insane amount of money for leek soup. I don't like leek but they had managed to make it amazing. But it is still worth the experience.

who wants to be cooking and washing up on their birthday.

A lot of places don't have a menu and it always worries me that there will be tons of stuff I don't like and it won't be worth it.

This is a treat for us. We don’t do it often, but always love it when we do.

Absolutely go for it. What a lovely way to celebrate your birthdays.

Do it! It’ll be a lovely experience.

Do it! Lunch might br cheaper than dinner but just as delicious.

If it’s the Tasting Menu experience you’re after and the Michelin Star is secondary, we had a super meal at Six By Nico in London - though they have restaurants in other cities too. They have Themed tasting menus that change through the year. We had the Hollywood Christmas menu, the food and service were both great.

Just booking it for my birthday now on that recommendation! Thanks!

Same here. I LOVE restaurants and have been lucky enough to eat at a lot of really good ones (it influenced my career choice!) Now I'm broke and unemployed, I save up for a Michelin dinner once or twice a year (twice if my brother's shouldering most of the bill!)

I've partaken of two fiendishly expensive, critically-lauded tasting events and didn't particularly enjoy them. They're about tiny, individual dishes as art - both visually and in flavour - with odd little palate cleansers in between. I should say I don't like wine tasting events, either. Tasting separates the food/wine from the dining experience, and I want to relish them as a meal.

Decide whether you want to sample a number of fascinating culinary ideas, or sit down to a delicious dinner. And definitely go for it!

You don't need to be dressed up, just clean and moderately tidy. But do dress up if it will enhance your sense of occasion. Oh, and tell them it's a double birthday. You never know 🙂