We've been lucky enough to have frequented Micheli...

We've been lucky enough to have frequented Michelin starred restaurants on a few occasions but until our visit to Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester we hadn't been to a three star. So we were both a little bit apprehensive about what the experience would be like. Would we feel out of place? Would we find it too stuffy, as we had done at a couple of previous meals at high-end restaurants? We needn't have worried. From start to finish our evening was an absolute delight.

Our visit began with being warmly welcomed into the plush interior of the restaurant and guided to our comfortable seats near the window looking out onto a rainy Park Lane. We'd decided in advance to choose the tasting menu, and after a small amount of deliberation we plumped for one of the three choices of wine flights to accompany it. We hadn't originally intended to, but as it cost not much more than the bottles of wine we were considering we thought we'd push the boat out.

A couple of tasty canapes and some excellent bread with the most fantastic fermented curd (which I kept sneakily eating at various points throughout the evening) kicked off the meal before the first starter; which was Dorset crab enclosed in crunchy celeriac with a dusting of decadence in the form of some caviar. Next was terrine of foie gras - not a full-on hunk of liver but a more subtle slice of pate to be smeared liberally across the deliciously-crisp brioche which accompanied it.

The restaurant's signature dish was to follow - sweet discs of lobster with a tremendous bisque and immaculate quenelles of chicken and truffle. Again the flavours were immaculate, clean and subtle rather than overpowering, though the bisque was packed with taste. So much so that our waiter encouraged us to mop up the remainder and provided more bread with which to do so. We did just that and were not disappointed.

A hunk of buttery-smooth turbot was our main fish course and, unusually for a restaurant such as this, chicken was the main meat. What chicken though! Soft, tender and intensely chickeny and served with woody wild mushrooms and Swiss chard. Each of the savoury courses was matched brilliantly with the relevant wines - mainly whites but a terrific light and spicy red with the chicken.

Pleasingly, a cheese course was included with the tasting menu and it was a trio of classically-French fromage: an intense Roquefort, a creamy Brie and a swan-shaped sliver of Comte, which I'd never tried before. The Comte was my favourite, Parmesan-like texture with a hint of crunchy sweetness.

A pre-dessert sorbet cleansed the palate nicely before the dessert of raspberry sorbet with watercress and a duo of meringues, one of which was an incredible pair of olive oil flavoured meringue leaves which just dissolved in the mouth. We finished off with coffees which were preceded by wonderful mini pastries including a lemon meringue pie which evoked all the memories of the Sara Lee favourite but in one tiny morsel. Then, for a final surprise, Clare was presented with a tempered chocolate leaf covered in nuts and freeze-dried fruits as we left the restaurant on our way back through the hotel lobby.

The service all night was just magnificent. Warm, knowledgeable and at times funny with not a hint of snobbishness. It really felt like our waiting staff knew how special a night this was and made sure we felt totally comfortable throughout. Being encouraged to mop up sauce from our plate was not what we had expected!

Of course it wasn't cheap - it's a three Michelin star restaurant in an incredibly plush hotel on Park Lane. However the meal, service and whole experience made it feel like money well spent. We left the restaurant feeling incredibly lucky and privileged to have enjoyed such a treat. We may never get such a chance again and we'll never, ever forget our evening with Alain Ducasse,