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Gordon Ramsay
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Left to run the most high-profile haute cuisine restaurant in the country, staff handle their roles as ambassadors for fine dining with admirable aplomb. They make no secret of the fact that Gordon Ramsay is not here, talking openly about what head chef Clare Smyth has devised for customers’ delectation each day and offering tours of the kitchen. Menus (à la carte, prestige and set lunch) are presented in an elegantly democratic fashion, no matter whether guests are first-timers or familiar faces in the pearl-toned dining room. A special occasion that’s expected to stretch the bank balance? This is the right choice; your challenge will be to go easy on the champagne and digestifs – it all adds up. While theatrical elements are incorporated in amuses and petits fours (say, jacket-potato consommé served from a glass teapot, and white chocolate-coated strawberry ice-cream presented in a steaming silver pot of dry ice), the classical French dishes are more zzzzz than zeitgeist, but there’s no denying the technical precision. Herbs bring a little sparkle. Camomile in a sauternes jelly that accompanied foie gras terrine, and a couple of Asian kicks in a salad served with pretty pigeon and wild mushroom pithiviers, were more successful than the freshly laundered scent of crystallised lavender buds decorating the chocolate tart. Wines start at a tolerable £20 and run to the likes of 1947 Château Latour at £2,900. If you’re looking for something to match disparate orders of fish and meat, the unfortunately titled Misery grenache-shiraz at £29 is a good choice, though the friendly sommelier will happily advise on other options.
Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009
Time Out reviews restaurants anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.
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Details
- 68 Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, SW3 4HP
- Area: Chelsea
- Tel: 020 7352 4441
- www.gordonramsay.com
- Category: Haute cuisine
- Travel: Sloane Square tube
- Times: Lunch served noon-2.30pm, dinner served 6.30-11pm Mon-Fri
- Price: Set lunch £45 3 courses. Set meal £90 3 courses, £120 tasting menu
- Credit cards: AmEx, DC, MC, V
- Services:
- Child facilities: Children admitted
- Dress code: smart; jacket preferred; no jeans or trainers
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What we did like :
We went for the “menu degustation”. Some of the dishes were very good (eg. Beef Wellington, Panna Cotta).
What we didn’t like :
Globally, we were completely dumbfounded that the Michelin awards 3 stars to this restaurant.
At the time of booking, the restaurant asked for payment by credit card of around £500 as an “advanced booking fee” since we were 5 people. I suspect this is to build up the feeling of booking with a “low-cost airline” that one would expect from Michelin starred establishments.
We were literally rubbing elbows with the people on the table next door. I can understand that Mr. Ramsey likes to maximise the profits on his investment, but is that really what we should expect from a 3 star restaurant?
The service was incredibly slow. The staff were clearly too concerned about those who had come for the lunch menu and had forgotten about others like us who had foolishly opted for the “menu degustation”. This meant that the poor waiters felt they had to fill up our glasses literally after each sip - which as a result was incredibly annoying.
The sommelier was completely disinterested and either didn’t feel like informing us about the wines, or perhaps didn’t know. In any case he was useless.
The “maitre d’hôtel” was not at all genuine, he should take smiling lessons. Furthermore, he told us that the chef could prepare for us a Beef Wellington with truffles as an alternative to the main dish in the menu. Either they forgot the truffles, or the chap was telling tales. That said, the Beef Wellington was very good even without the truffles.
As they had forgotten about us, we were the last to finish our meal at around 4-5pm. It is often the case that when we treat ourselves to 3 star restaurants, meals wind up around 4-5pm so this is usually not a problem. Here, however, it was made very clear that they wanted us to leave – they brought us the bill before we asked for it and they informed us that they needed to prepare the table for the evening. This I have never experienced before in a Michelin 3 star restaurant. Astonishing!
We are big fans of the Michelin Guide, and continue to use it as a reference for other countries. However, the fact that Michelin UK has felt it appropriate to award this Gordon Ramsey restaurant 3 stars for so many years completely discredits their reputation and very much calls into question the rating by the Michelin of other establishments in the capital, if not also elsewhere in the UK.