The Terminal

Heston Blumenthal Opening Heathrow Airport Restaurant

Fingers crossed for Snail Porridge to go.
Fingers crossed for Snail Porridge to go. Photo: Heathrow Airport

Recently crowned “U.K. Chef of the Decade” and NYC naysayer Heston Blumenthal is set to open a restaurant in Heathrow Airport’s revamped Terminal 2 in June of 2014, the Standard reports. The 130-seat restaurant will serve scientifically field-tested hamburgers, modernist fish-and-chips, and pizzas that cook in one minute inside a super-hot, wood-fired oven. Sounds about right.

At the as-yet-unnamed restaurant, Blumenthal’s rapid-delivery hamburgers will be crafted and cooked in accordance with a new metric he developed after meeting with an oral physiologist:

A burger is most comfortable to eat when you don’t need to open your mouth any more than the width of three fingers. The bun needs to give way so you can get all the layers in your mouth at the same time. The bun we will use is a cross between a white brioche and milk bread.

The chef promises a maximum turnaround time of eleven minutes, tops, for everything on the menu, and, well, if Blumenthal can actually translate his Michelin-starred, list-topping cuisine to airport food, this, more than any of his gastronomic feats, will prove his genius. The tasting menu at the Fat Duck is pushing £200; here, Blumenthal’s “British favourites” will only run from about £10 to £20. There will also be a bar with a “multi-sensory element” and a deli with Blumenthalian souvenirs like British produce and cured meats to stuff your carry-on with.

Heston Blumenthal to open Heathrow restaurant [Evening Standard]
Earlier: Heston Blumenthal Named ‘U.K. Chef of the Decade’
Earlier: Heston Blumenthal Says No to NYC Expansion, Says London Restaurants Trump New York’s

Heston Blumenthal Opening Heathrow Airport Restaurant