Royal Ascot’s Fine Dining
Words: Holly Butler
As if Royal Ascot needed more USPs this year, the Racecourse has announced that a multi-Michelin starred line-up will be heading their Fine Dining. Headlining the pass are Michael Caines and Phil Howard, each hosting a restaurant on all five days of the Royal Meeting, and will further be joined by both Raymond Blanc and Angela Hartnett, culminating in an astonishing 7 Michelin stars, and gentlemen, we’re rather looking forward to it.
On a crisp, sunny weekend in February we were lucky enough to sample a sneak-peek of Royal Ascot’s 2015 hospitality offering and we were not disappointed. With each course served by one of the four chefs, not even Warren Buffett would have been used to this caliber of culinary treatment, I know what you’re thinking gents, it’s a tough job staging Fine Dining reviews… but someone’s got to do it.
After placing a frivolous bet on a novice, but hotly tipped gelding, we sat down for the first course in the coveted Panoramic Restaurant, as the name suggests our seats boast unrivalled vista of Ascot – at the very top of the Grandstand, the restaurant’s private balcony offers uninterrupted views down the straight mile. We nibbled on an extremely decadent but overwhelmingly fresh Bollinger cured Severn & Wye smoked salmon, Champagne and Exmoor caviar jelly, expertly put together by chef Steve Golding.
Next on the agenda was a dish from Michael Caines MBE, taking over from Tom Kerridge at On 5; the 196-seater restaurant on the top level of the grandstand. Caines served us a rich Beef fillet with roasted shallots atop a celeriac puree, with asparagus, wild mushroom and red wine sauce. The dish is seasonally on-point and utterly delicious, naturally.
After a tiresome day of sipping bubbles (not quite as many as the 51,000 bottles of champagne consumed over the five days last year however!) and straining our eyes over a spectacular view of the races, we sat down with the understandably hurried Phil Howard. Managing a snatched conversation we quizzed Phil on his history at Ascot, after all, the co-owner of the Square’s ticking Soufflé timer was somewhat intimidating and slightly distracting, what with the 180 eager diners waiting.
Renowned for classical, seasonal dishes, Phil argues the affiliation with Ascot is unquestionable “I only do things now that I think are going to be either really great fun or really beneficial to the restaurant scene … I came to Royal Ascot for the first time in 2014, as a guest, and was bowled over by what a unique and truly spectacular occasion it is. I’m really looking forward to being a part of this year’s event, from the kitchen this time, and using my interest in British ingredients to create a stunning menu to match the spectacle of a day at Royal Ascot. We have been growing our own vegetables within the grounds of Fulham Palace for a year now and using them at The Square is something I am very proud of. I am greatly looking forward to bringing them to the Royal Meeting this year.”
We also finished off by sampling Phil’s strawberry ripple soufflé with elderflower ice cream. True to his traditional and indulgent aesthetic style, the soufflé is a rich mix of vanilla, cream, pudding rice and milk. The ingredients are cooked for hours after hours, puréed, and then folded in with egg whites and strawberry. That’s what gives it “a real heart and soul: it’s really important to incorporate in there enough body so that it delivers pleasure, so that it’s a sensuous thing to eat.” An obviously brave decision to serve en masse but rightly justified by Phil, “it’s delicious, represent[ing] the Square very well … Soufflés can be a bit precarious in the oven, but the preparation is relatively straightforward”.
The list of delectables by no means stops with the above, with 12 restaurants to sample from you could gallop along to a five course lunch overlooking the prestigious Parade Ring, along to a ‘Mad Hatter’s’ afternoon tea with live music and onto an evening tipple Trackside to join the purists for one last gamble… if you were so inclined of course.
Of course all of this frivolity does come at a price, with Fine Dining starting from £250 per person + VAT, get ahead of the crowd and book now.
For further information, please call 0844 346 3000 or visit www.ascot.co.uk
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