Pétrus

The most daringly glamorous of all Gordon Ramsay’s enterprises, with purple and black walls, lashings of silverware and crystal lights twinkling from every corner, Pétrus is the domain of GR’s right-hand man, Marcus Wareing. Of late, dishes on the menu have become simpler, as is the current mode in the restaurant world, with the tricksiest assembly being tuna with spiced pineapple, marinated mooli, cardamom and mint. Starters from the set lunch (still at last year’s prices and undeniably fine value) promised much but delivered rather less, with a bland duck confit and chargrilled watermelon salad, and a crab bisque with pretty garnishes that all but sank without trace into the soup. From then on, things picked up nicely. Poached monkfish tail was pale and lovely against a vivid palette of carrots, carrot purée, escabeche and coriander cress – although there was no mention of the powerful orange flavour steering the whole dish, which subsequently came as a surprise. Roasted loin of Tamworth pig was pronounced superb: tender, juicy and full of flavour, accompanied by heart-stoppingly buttery mashed potato, creamy morel sauce and slender wild asparagus spears. Yet it was in the desserts and extra little freebies that the food became glowingly exciting, reinforcing the view that Ramsay keeps close, centralised check on all the savoury dishes in his restaurants, leaving the brigades of perfectly competent staff freedom to express their own talents mostly in the bonus nibbles and afters. A special dessert of the day, apple tarte tatin, was the most gorgeous we’ve ever tasted: an unbeatable arrangement of crisp, buttery, flaky pastry, truly intense, caramelised apples and plenty of caramel-encrusted, chewy edges to work on, emphasised all the more by super-smooth vanilla ice-cream and clotted cream – the star of an impressive show.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008

Services:

Booking: Booking essential
Child facilities: Babies and children welcome: high chairs
Dress code: smart; jacket preferred
Function room: Separate room for parties, seats 16
Takeaway service: Vegetarian menu

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Latest user reviews

It was amazing the best dinning experience I have ever had
Anonymous  Mar 20 2008