Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester
© Michael Franke
Time Out rating:
<strong>Rating: </strong>5/5
Time Out says
Tue Oct 16 2012
When you book a table here, they don’t ask for your credit card number. Instead, they ask (a) whether you’re celebrating a special occasion and (b) whether you have any dietary restrictions. That solicitous graciousness set the tone for our dinner at this triply Michelin-starred palace of haute cuisine. Yes, the expense at dinner is scary: over £100 a head for two courses without even beginning to approach the pricier territory on the wine list. But you get a lot for your money.
Service was warm and not at all intimidating, and the food was fabulous. It arrived almost non-stop. A big bowl of gougères (cheesy pastry puffs) with apéritifs. Fabulous breads, heavenly butter. An exquisite amuse-bouche. And both starters and mains had us swooning. Presentation is high-art stuff, but flavours are anything but dainty. Spiced confit foie gras with lightly pickled vegetables was sensationally good. ‘Cookpot’ (like a covered mini-casserole) of vegetables, girolles and Montgomery cheddar was unbelievably flavourful – one of the best dishes we’ve ever eaten. Sea bass came with baby artichokes and a powerful but beautifully balanced black olive tapenade. Anjou pigeon, deftly dissected, was robustly sauced.
The room and tables are decorated with tasteful opulence. The sommelier gave excellent advice. On our way out, a succession of staff bade us goodbye and, finally, gave us two little cakes in a fancy cardboard box ‘for breakfast’. Note: the three-course set lunch is a relative bargain, and while the price is fixed, the choice is from the carte. Other restaurants in the Ducasse empire are far more expensive than this one, and for us, the expense here was justifiable as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Special Offers
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Lunch: 3 courses and 2 glasses of wine £55
from set menu. Includes water, coffee and a sweet gift to take home. Includes Vat, excludes service.
Offer valid until May 31 2013
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15% off Tasting Menu
from the tasting menu (7 courses £120), Vegetarian tasting menu (Menu Jardin 7 courses £95) or seasonal menu (7 courses £180). Please note: tables booked at 6:30 will need to be returned by 9pm. Includes Vat, excludes service.
Offer valid until May 31 2013
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