Amongst many people i know, the mention of Gordon Ramsay fields mixed reviews. A lot of people know him as the celebrity chef with lots of restaurants, and a big mouth, but not many in my circle realise the level that he cooks at, or should i say the level of cooking that his establishments strive for! Gordon Ramsay currently holds the third highest amount of Michelin stars in the world, which puts him in double figures with an empire that stretches from the far east to the US via Europe and South Africa. Gordon Ramsay's flag ship restaurant is where we found ourselves recently, situated in the heart of London's Chelsea amongst the six figurered price tag properties - with a wine list to match the wealth of the area and a well heeled clientele, hence Mr Ramsay's jacket required dress code. Being made to wear a jacket was not a good start for me as i am not and never will be a fan of wearing a jacket to lunch or dinner, so i was praying at the least for something spectacular. Now i must say in top restaurants there will normally be at least one embarrassing incident and not always the other half's fault, but for once this was plain sailing! With the wealth of experience and professionalism front of house, we were put at ease and made to feel more than welcome! The old saying first impressions count certainly rang true, but what is unique is the fact that this restaurant realises you have travelled to be there, realised that you have saved up for this meal and that there is every chance that it is a special occasion! These little touches are what make this establishment worth every little penny that changes hands, not an obnoxious waiter in sight or a snivelling Sommelier trying not too laugh at our poor choice of wine which incidentally was one of the cheapest on the list at £30 a bottle. Menu options were presented by the Maitre D - Jean Claude Breton along with general small talk about our visit and if a special occaison was being celebrated, which it was my birthday! We settled on the lunch menu at £45 per three courses. First we were presented with an amuse of sun dried tomato consomme with summer vegetables and langoustine which had a great depth of flavour, but a clean taste. First courses arrived shortly after with the Diane opting for a gratin of ceps and salad and myself a saffron rissotto with seafood, presented by three waiters and sauced at the table. Main courses of Daurade royale, navet carrots ,radish, baby gem lettuce and artichoke barigoule and slow roast pork belly with apples and Madeira jus followed quickly. The pork wonderfully tender and moist with the jus perfectly complimenting the dish. After declining the invitation of cheese(£8 supplement) we moved on to dessert. Rum baba ,gariguette strawberries ,lemon balm with vanilla ice cream was very good, but deep down i was envious of Diane's Banana parfait, passion fruit and salted caramel ice cream which looked delicious and sublime and of which i was duly informed was in fact excellent. On to coffee and chocolates and an unexpected surprise. White and dark individual chocolates presented on little spikes mimicking a tree of sorts were clever and very well made, these were closely followed by a small container spilling dry ice which contained white chocolate covered strawberry ice cream. Then a birthday surprise from the kitchen a little raspberry sorbet with a candle which was very novel and much appreciated but best of all you could taste the essence of raspberry. This was a nice touch from the restaurant as little thoughts like this do not cost much, but last forever in memories. As for embarrassing incidents we left unscathed apart from the the photo session, and a trip to the kitchen to meet the extremely talented head chef Clare Smyth.
In this day and age of odd flavour combinations that for the most part do not work and chemistry labs replacing kitchens and not forgetting the need for the periodic table on a plate, this was a welcome experience even if i had to wear a bloody jacket. The cooking is outstanding and the service excellent, with well executed and thought out dishes, presented nicely without the need for interference from picasso. Recent articles and reviews in cyberspace nod towards the vibe that Royal Hospital road is dated and not adding the wow factor, while this may be true for some, for others the cooking is excellent, classical and refined with enough modern touches to keep up to date with the avent garde of today.
Set lunch £45 - 3 courses
A la carte £90 - 3 courses
Menu prestige £120 - 7 courses
12.5 % gratuity on top of bill
Opening times: 12-2.30pm
18.30 - 23.00
Address: 68 Royal hospital road
London
SW3 4HP
TEL: 020 7352 4441
FAX: 020 7352 3334
Reservations on above number up to 2 months in advance, or 1 month on new online reservation system (lunch bookings only)
Dress code: Jackets preferred- no jeans
Restaurant website: http://www.gordonramsay.com/
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