So it's been a while since we've been out to eat somewhere reallllly nice, so this bank holiday Monday Ian and I decided to throw away all caution and went to indulge in a fabulous feast at Gordon Ramsey's Maze restaurant in Mayfair.
As soon as we were settled at our table in the light, airy bistro-esque restaurant Ian was given the wine list to play with, I mean, read.
With hundreds of wines to choose from, no wonder they've plonked it all on an iPad, sortable by grape, country and colour, complete with tasting notes for each wine!
For lunch we had a few options - a la carte dishes (they recommend more than 1 per person as they're a bit small and fancy), sushi or a 4 or 7 course tasting menu.
In the spirit of indulging we opted for the 7 course...of course.
Once we'd ordered, and I'd warned the waiter that I detest bananas so would need an alternative for the first dessert, we tucked in to some beautifully warm bread and butter.
Our first course was a broad bean velouté with salt pollock which was surprisingly tasty, but looked a bit like green slop in bowl - not very photogenic. We both finished it off pretty quickly though and were much more impressed with the next course; yellow fin tuna and iberico ham.
Just look at that beauty....
Followed by foie gras mousse and pomegranate - delicious, but we had to order more bread, and Ian didn't like the texture so much.
One of the biggest hits was the lobster, prawn and salmon dumpling - utterly beautiful - I could have eaten many of these!
Our final savoury dish was pigeon - something I have never eaten before. It was so incredibly tender and tasty, and the wild garlic it was served with was a perfect accompaniment.
After our 5 courses we were getting pretty full, but we knew the best was yet to come. Luckily, the waiters gave us bit of a breather to find some space, and enjoy the light and relaxed atmosphere...before serving the salted caramel sundae, with banana for Ian.
Small...but perfect in every way!
Can you tell I liked it?
Little did I know what was about to be put in front of me - talk about saving the best 'til last....
Just look at this plate...
See those chocolate balls? They are cold and hard and have ginger ice cream inside them!!!
I would have been happy to just have eaten that seven times over!
After a good few hours, a bottle of wine and 7 incredible courses we tiptoed out blinking into the late afternoon light feeling wholly satisfied and ready for a nap. My favourites were, without a doubt, the final dessert, but also the yellow fin tuna, and the lobster, prawn and salmon dumpling.
Although having 7 courses is pricey, I would definitely recommend Maze - they have a 4 course option where the dishes are slightly larger, for just £30 - perfect for a special lunch on a budget!