A couple of week’s back I had the privilege of dining at Heston Blumenthal’s “The Fat Duck” in Melbourne. What an experience! I am lucky enough to have dined at the restaurant before in its original UK location, while travelling through Europe with my brother a few years back. It was hands down the best dining experience of my life. So to say my expectations for round 2 were lofty, would be the understatement of the century.

While being seated at our table the restaurant manager George asked my friend Michael how his flight from Sydney was. We all looked at each other confused as we had not discussed this at any point with the restaurant and had absolutely no idea how they would know he flew down for the meal. We enquired about the question and George clarified that they often do some random research on their diners and had seen that Michael runs a marketing company in Sydney. Our jaws had already hit the floor before we had seen a dish.

What followed was an epic meal, in size, length, quality and enjoyment. He has re-engineered his classics and come up with some spectacular new dishes to suit its home for the next 6 months. In my opinion, even better than the original in the UK. I have included a couple of snaps from a few of the 16 courses.

Savory Lollies – Waldorf Rocket, Salmon Twister and Chicken Feast

Snail porridge with joselito ham and shaved fennel

Salmon Poached in Liquorice Gel – Endive, Vanilla Mayonnaise and Golden Trout Roe

The “Not” so full English breakfast – nitro scrambled eggs, candied bacon & French brioche

We sat down at 8:30 and were the last to leave at quarter to 2 in the morning. Some may gawk at the price tag of $525 per head, but you are really paying for the memory and experience. It is a true performance rather than a meal. He is the Rolling Stones of the kitchen, experimenting with the most odd and mind boggling flavours and ingredients.

These things come down to value. I feel like the team at The Fat Duck ticked every service box possible and I walked out of the restaurant with a huge smile on my face. I would do it 1000 times over. Have fun and pay for things that make you happy.

Adam Mckenzie

Coming from 40 degrees to being woken by the pilot announcing it was 4 degrees almost made me do a U-turn in customs. However, I am slowly settling back into the routine after an amazing 4 week break in Europe. I saw some amazing things and met heaps of intriguing people. I spent the majority of my break in Hungary and Malta and thought I would share some of the highlights.

We began in Budapest, the capitol of Hungary. It is an amazing and charming city, full of great food, awesome rooftop bars, Mongolian architecture and dainty markets. The city is small enough to walk if you are staying centrally or alternatively the public transport is cheap.

They have the amazing Szechenyi Public Baths (see photo below) which are frequented by both locals and tourists. There are an array of pools, spas, sauna’s and steam rooms all varying in temperature. You can also book yourself a massage with a fully trained physiotherapist for a few dollars!

We also visited the old synagogue which is the most amazing and intricate building of its type I have ever seen in the world (photo below)

After we had eaten enough goulash we ventured into the Mediterranean Sea to visit Malta. It is a tiny island measuring 28km across and is almost 100km directly below Sicily. Malta quickly became one of my favourite places that I have visited in Europe. You can spend between 7 and 10 euro per meal and be absolutely stuffed with fresh and tasty produce.

They have amazing architecture and history there, including both pebble and sand beaches which makes it the perfect place to do a little bit of touristy stuff and also completely relax. The island has an intricate network of busses; tickets cost 1.50 Euro for the entire day which makes it easy to get around. We did a day trip to the neighboring island of Gozo, where they have the oldest monolithic structure in the world (5500 BC) and also film scenes for Game of Thrones.   You can catch a ferry there from the main island which delivers you to this port (see photo).

On the way back from Gozo, you can detour via the Island of Camino which has the bluest water I have ever seen in the world, even clearer than the blue grotto in Capri. The fast boats cost about 10 Euro and run from 10 in the morning until 6 in the evening, they also take you on a quick tour of the caves around the island of Camino.

The trip was amazing and I have come back truly relaxed. I can definitely recommend visiting both Hungary and Malta, if you are considering a holiday there, send me an email at amckenzie@jbsfinancial.com.au and I will reply with some more detailed notes and tips.