‘In Search of Perfection’ chef Heston Blumenthal to open a cafe at Heathrow

LAX isn’t the only airport upgrading its restaurants. At London’s Heathrow, one of England’s most celebrated chefs is opening a restaurant this June. Heston Blumenthal of the Fat Duck in Bray, and Dinner by Heston in London will launch a restaurant called the Perfectionists’ Café in Terminal 2 aka the Queen’s Terminal.

The chef, widely considered one of the best chefs in the world, is still working out the details, but will say that the menu will be inspired by his “In Search of Perfection” series for British television and feature nostalgic favorites.

In a statement, Heston explains “We want to deliver a broad spectrum of easy to enjoy, familiar dishes from fish and chips to pizza. When we made the ‘In Search of Perfection’ series we spent hours researching the temperature of a pizza oven or the crunch of batter; it’s this inspiration that is behind the menu at Heathrow--with some truly British eccentricity thrown in for good measure.”

Blumenthal is known for his extreme attention to detail. I’m very curious to see what he dreams up for the rather more rushed airport dining experience. It’s going to be casual and he’s hoping for fun, too.

The British newspaper the Daily Mail has a few more details on the menu: “The burgers will be made by grinding all the grains in the same direction ‘to maximise the juiciness of the meat’. Traditional fish and chips will be served with the ‘ultimate crunchy batter’, and pizzas will be cooked in the first wood-burning oven in an airport.”

Once work on Terminal 2 is completed, an average of 55,000 passengers a day —or 20 million a year— will pass through the terminal each day. That’s a lot of potential customers.

The Perfectionist’s Cafe will be located immediately after security as passengers enter Terminal 2’s departure lounge. Fish and chips from Heston Blumenthal? I’m there.

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