Life is about moments. The moment you were born, the moment you took your first steps, the moment you rode your bike for the first time without training wheels, to the moment of your first kiss. Moments!

Now not all moments are good moments, but these moments stand out in your life because they are moments. Most of these moments are filled with excitement and exclamations of joy, maybe a video camera was involved and Facebook status updates were definitely changed. These moments never to be forgotten, because, they are moments.

For me, one of these “moments” happened on the 13^th March 2012. My wife and I had planned our annual overseas holiday (all done before the purchase of a house and possibly the end to this little pleasure). We were heading to the UK to visit family and we were also heading to Italy for some fun and relaxation.

Now my wife is a chef and really loves food and our TV never misses an opportunity to be on one of the many cooking channels we have in SA. And when your wife is a chef and it’s also her birthday, the normal birthday gift won’t always suffice. So the idea of visiting Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck restaurant was brought up (by her obviously). I know who he is, I’ve seen the shows and my wife has his cookbooks, so when I checked out the Fat Duck website, I thought, why not, this looks cool, let’s give it a shot.

So we did, we got online and made our booking. Here’s some advice, if you’re planning on visiting this restaurant, make booking your place there one of your top priorities. Seats go fast and you could end up on a waiting list and could then be bitterly disappointed if nothing opens up.

Our seats were booked and confirmed and we couldn’t wait for March 13^th.

The morning arrived and the excitement from my wife was so, so clear. I was looking forward to it as well, but there was a little bit of apprehension from my side, mainly because of two words “snail” and “porridge”.

The Fat Duck, for those of you who don’t know is situated in the village of Bray. Now Bray is one of those small towns, you drive into it and then suddenly you’re driving out of it again.

Our reservation was for 12:30, lunchtime, so we decided to do the British thing and stop off at one the local pubs before making our way across to the restaurant. Our choice was The Hinds Head, which we came to learn also belonged to Heston Blumenthal. As far as having that old English pub feel to it, The Hinds Head ticks all the boxes.

It was getting close to the time and after finishing off our glass of wine (my wife) and pint (me) we headed out of the pub and took all of 1min to walk to The Fat Duck entrance. The thing you will notice is there is no big flashy neon sign outside the entrance.

The only way you'll know this is The Fat Duck......

The hanging "duck" utensils are also a giveaway!

We walked in and the thing that you notice immediately is how small the restaurant is on the inside. It only seats just over 40 people and those 40 odd seats fill up pretty darn quickly. The very next thing is the service, it is out of this world. You are waited on hand and foot by a staff that is not only friendly and professional, but knowledgable on everything from the wine to the food. In fact you can ask any of the immaculately attired staff a question about the food and how it’s prepared etc and you’ll get a full and proper explanation. In fact we were told that all the staff spends time in the kitchen learning all the ins and outs of every aspect of The Fat Duck.

We took our seats, took a deep breathe and waited for the adventure to begin. It didn’t take long. The wine list was handed to us and when I say list, I mean directory, because when compared to other wine lists, The Fat Duck wine list looks like it works out, a lot, because it’s huge and puts all other wine lists to shame. They could change it’s name to The Big Fat Wine List.

Ladies and gentlemen...the Big Fat Wine List!

It didn’t take us long to decide on a wine, we headed to “Red Wines”, looked for South Africa and chose a Meerlust Rubicon and you can’t go wrong with a Meerlust Rubicon. The wine was de-cantered and our glasses were never allowed to go empty from that moment on.

We were then aptly told to “fasten our seat belts” and I say aptly because our culinary adventure was about to take off.

The excitement for what was about to arrive was clearly evident.

Now, we took photo’s of every single course that was served to us, except the amouse bouche. It was aerated beetroot with a horseradish cream filling. Now you’re probably wondering what on earth that looked like. Well, the only way to describe it is as a beetroot ball, kind of like a macaroon, that has been cut in half with a creamy horseradish cream centre. The lightness of the beetroot ball combined with the beetroot and horseradish flavours were mind-blowing. And this was only the beginning.

What follows is the entire 14 course menu. There was liquid nitrogen, there were iPods and there were fine mists of fragrances sprayed around us. Every single one of your senses is used to create a moment in your life that is truly unforgettable.

The Menu (please excuse the quality of these photo’s – this was taken with a basic camera, but I really wanted you to see what we ate)

NITRO POACHED APERITIFS

Nothing like a little shot of liquid nitrogen to cool things down.......

Vodka & Lime Sour, Gin & Tonic, Campari Soda. “Citrus Grove” (this was a scented mist sprayed around us before we enjoyed our aperitif)

RED CABBAGE GAZPACHO

Pommery Grain Mustard Ice Cream

Proof that the spoon into the bowl is quicker than the camera!

The tiny plastic containers on top of the moss are dissolving strips that you place on your tongue, leaving the flavor of moss.

JELLY OF QUAIL, CRAYFISH CREAM

Chicken Liver Parfait, Oak Moss and Truffle Toast

You taste the moss.....and then you get to smell it.

SNAIL PORRIDGE

About to face my fears.........

Iberico Bellota Ham, Shaved Fennel (Okay, I have to admit, I’m not a fan of snails and when I saw this on the menu, I did start to get a bit nervous about the prospect of eating it. But I did and honestly, it was incredible. One bite and all apprehension crumbled. I could’ve and would’ve eaten a whole lot more).

ROAST FOIE GRAS

Rhubarb, Braised Konbu and Crab Biscuit

MAD HATTER’S TEA PARTY

The tea party starts with a nice cup of......Mock Turtle Soup.......

Mock Turtle Soup, Pocket Watch and Toast Sandwich (Yes, there was a sandwich and as you can see from it’s size, it was small, but it was by far the most amazing sandwich I have ever eaten in my life).

...and continues with the best sandwiches in the world!

“SOUND OF THE SEA”

No......you can't keep the iPod!

(Put the iPod earphones in, listen to the sounds of the ocean and eat everything above the glass. A taste and sensory explosion).

Everything tastes amazing.....as long as you stay above the glass partition.

SALMON POACHED IN A LIQUORICE GEL

Artichokes, Vanilla Mayonnaise and Golden Trout Roe

ANJOU PIGEON

Blood Pudding, Risotto of Spelt and Umbles

HOT & ICED TEA

All I can say is....WOW!!!

(Drink it fast and the sensation of hot and cold in your mouth at the same time makes you just shake your head in amazement and ask “how?”)

GALETTE OF RHUBARB

This is only the beginning of the desserts......

Neroli Scented Yoghurt and Rhubarb Sorbet

THE “BFG”

Incredible.............

Black Forest Gateau

WHISK(E)Y WINE GUMS

Don't eat these "gums" and drive........

(We’ve all had wine gums in our lives, this takes the “gums” experience to a whole new level. Jack Daniels flavoured gums……..WOW!)

“LIKE A KID IN A SWEET SHOP” – sorry no photo’s of this one, you’ll have to take my word.

Aerated Chocolate – Mandarin Jelly

Coconut Baccy – Coconut infused with an Aroma of Black Cavendish Tobacco

Apple Pie Caramel – with an Edible Wrapper

The Queen Of Hearts – she made some tarts…..

(Basically a bag of sweets, but unlike any bag of sweets you’ve ever eaten in your life. It comes with a little sweets menu that tells you to “Smell Me”. You do and it smells like you’ve just stepped into a sweet shop)

I like a little liquid nitrogen with my bacon and eggs in the morning.

And that was the 14 courses, however, we did get spoiled just a little bit, who am I kidding, we got spoiled a whole lot. We got to experience a 15^th course, Heston’s famous “BACON & EGG ICE CREAM”. Cooked in liquid nitrogen, it tasted like bacon and egg yet it’s ice-cream. You’re tasting something that you’re so used to, but it’s unlike anything you’ve ever eaten in your life.

Is it a dessert.......is it a meal...........

Then our little adventure just got bigger. Dimitrios, the restaurant manager, took us to the kitchen at The Fat Duck (being a chef you can now imagine my wife’s excitement). You’d think of a sprawling, massive kitchen, you’d be wrong. It’s tiny and as my wife pointed out highly organised and extremely clean. The chefs are almost all shoulder to shoulder, focussed and dedicated to the task at hand. When you see the concentration of these chefs and all the attention to detail to their task, you can understand why your culinary experience was one of utter amazement.

I remember reading and seeing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as a kid and that feeling of “wow, I want to experience this” comes true the moment you step through the doors into the magical world that is The Fat Duck. You become Charlie, you have your golden ticket and Heston Blumenthal is a real life Willy Wonka.

If you ever have the opportunity to experience the magic that is The Fat Duck, then I would recommend you take that opportunity with both hands. I mentioned “moments” a little earlier and The Fat Duck experience is definitely one of those, a moment that will live with you forever.

Oh yes, our little adventure didn’t end at the kitchen, we were then taken across the road and got to see where all of the magic takes place. We got to see Heston’s lab, but that’ll be my wife’s and my little secret.

Yes, it’s true, sometimes as men, we like to read when we’re on the loo. It’s something in our genetic makeup, I can’t pinpoint it, but that would be my best guess really.

If there’s a magazine, a book, a pamphlet, heck our wife or girlfriends new shampoo or facial scrub bottle, if it has writing on it, we’ll read it.

Now imagine if we had entire novels on the toilet paper? Good idea? Yes or no? Well, a guy in the US has tried to sell a unique edition of Herman Melville’s classic book, Moby Dick. So what you’re thinking, well it’s all 822 pages of this classic novel, on four and a half toilet rolls. And he did it because a friend bet he couldn’t do it.

Don’t believe me, check out the pictures below:

A great business idea, yes or no?

This has got to be one of the silliest, but coolest things I have ever seen. If you are a Star Wars fan (like I am) then this will definitely put a smile on your face. If you’ve never seen Star Wars before and this video is the first time you’re seeing it, then please don’t judge the original.

A home-made recreation of Star Wars: A New Hope — with fans each performing 15 second segments of the movie — has become an unsurprisingly huge hit online.

The movie, which was uploaded to YouTube on 18 January, has already been viewed more than 1.5 million times on the site. The Star Wars Uncut project began in 2009 when Casey Pugh asked thousands of internet users to contribute by recreating scenes however they wanted.

In 2010 it won an interactive media Emmy and while the clips have been available online, they have now been put together into a full-length film.

Click here to see the movie: Star Wars Uncut

So, what did the comedy booker for David Letterman’s say exactly? Well, firstly, his name is Eddie Brill and when interviewed he gave the reason why the Letterman show only booked one female comedian in 2011.“ ‘There are a lot less female comics who are authentic’, Mr. Brill said. ‘I see a lot of female comics who to please an audience will act like men.’ ” Okay! That’s a pretty direct and to the point opinion and the result of voicing said opinion? In the famous words of Donald Trump “YOU’RE FIRED!”

Here’s the rest of the article that appeared in TIME ENTERTAINMENT. Have a read.

Who makes the better boss, men or women? Who are the better drivers, men or women? Who’s funnier, men or women? All these debates about who is better, men or women. As a comedian, I don’t really care whether you’re a guy or a girl, your only job is to make the audience laugh and if you do that by being authentic or inauthentic, who cares ……JOB WELL DONE!

What are your thoughts?

But what do you do when you’re not a comedian, what if you were a classical violin player and during your recital a phone goes off, blaring that annoying Nokia ringtone? Do you say something, do you throw your violin at the offender or stab them with the bow? Nope, you do what this guy did and then you get massive applause.

Click here to see the video of how a violinist gets his own back: NON-VIOLENT VIOLIST

A company has seen a huge rise in demand for odd shaped coffins, ranging from ones which looks like a human-sized skip, to others that resemble the Angel of the North.

There was an old footballer who was buried in a boot........

Bosses at coffin makers Vic Fern and Co say people are turning their back on the traditional wooden box and opting to spend eternity inside something a little more interesting. The Nottingham based firm now has a spin off company ‘Crazy Coffins’ which will try to make any shape casket you could want and previous examples include a guitar coffin, a car and a football boot.

Prices for one of their ‘dead funny’ coffins range from £2,000 to £6,000 while a traditional coffin costs around £800.

Click here to see some more “Crazy Coffins”

What would your “dream” coffin be?

(Thanks Newslite.tv for this news)

The “CCTV footage” makes it look like the crime of the century and you’d think that this criminal was a genius, but it’s the advertising people who are the geniuses behind this LG TV ad that’s gone viral.

Check it out here, it’s very, very cool: GREAT AD

The man had gone down on one knee and asked his girlfriend to marry him after appearing on the “mistletoe cam”  at a UCLA game All the fans at the game (and now the internet) saw her take one look at the ring and say “Is this a joke?” She then grabbed her bag and left the would-be groom on his knees. OUCH!!!!

And thanks to the internet this moment will live forever………….

Click here to see the video: PROPOSAL GONE BAD!

Click here to check out the video: CAMERA CRASH

I love it when the commentator talks about the cost of the camera and then goes on to talk about the actual people that might just be a little bit more valuable.

Could this be the first strike by the machines?

This video (in slow-mo and with music) shows these pooches, heads out the window, just enjoying life. Make you wish that it’d be this easy for us.

So, I’m not going to say anymore about this, just click on the link and watch the video: BE HAPPY!

Now remember this, no matter how much you enjoyed watching this, those dogs enjoyed their experience a heck of a lot more.