Gordon Ramsey at Claridges, Brook Street, Mayfair

Gordon Ramsey at Claridges, Brook Street, Mayfair
Thursday 7 September, 2006

For my final night in London my sister, Sheridan organised a treat with some friends, Jane & Anine at Gordon Ramsey at Claridges. In Australia we don't know a awful lot about Gordon Ramsey - we did get one of his TV shows briefly where it was just him screaming and swearing at chefs in his kitchen. However, he has an enormous following in the UK and many cookbooks and TV series, one aptly titled, ' The F word'. Along with Gordon Ramsey at Claridges he also has Restaurant Gordon Ramsey, Petrus, Angela Hartnett at the Connaught, The Savoy Grill, Banquette, Boxwood Grill, Maze, La Noissette along with a string of international offerings. It's an empire on the rise.

In October 2001 Gordon opened Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's which gained a Michelin star in 2003 and the statement is bold, 'Gordon Ramsey at Claridges defines glamour with ease. The stunning Art Deco surroundings are soft and sublime, punctuated with elegant service.' Personally, I thought it was over-rated. We had a great night but the food and service did not live up to expectations at all.

We all met for pre-dinner drinks in Claridges Bar. The decor screams wealth and the dress code was Smart with jacket preferred for gentlemen, Jeans, T-shirts or sportswear not accepted. The anticipation of dining at such a highly awarded restaurant was immense, however sharing it with fellow foodies was a dream. We were all in for a good night regardless of the cost (which is the only way you can approach dining out in London).

From Claridges Bar we entered Claridges, the boutique hotel that is beautifully decorated and has the most stunning glass chandelier centrepiece by Dale Chihuly. I have been fascinated with his work since I visited the US many years ago and his installations have to be seen to be believed. It is rumoured that the piece for Claridges was commissioned for over £1 million.

We entered the decadent dining room with it's pink-ish theme and low hanging light fixtures - crisp white tablecloths and pink rose table centrepieces. It's very extravagent. The wine list was handed to us with two hands - it's that big and covers every country/ region and vintage.

Our Sommelier worked with Sheridan to select the first wine - a white wine from France which some of us enjoyed and some of us didn't. The Sommelier was keen to get it right with our red choice and recommended a red from Austria that was lovely.

Our mouths watered over the menu - I thought the food was very reasonable - 3 courses for £65 or 6 courses for £75. The killer cost is the wine list. My decision was relatively easy:

- Risotto with peas, broad beans and truffles (very nice, the truffles just melted in your mouth)
- Butter poached Label Anglaise chicken, citrus braised endive, sauteed potatoes, jus Grand Marnier (very tender chicken)
- Valrhona chocolate and hazelnut fondant with feuillantine and milk ice cream (chocoholics dream)

Sheridan ordered the:

- Cannelloni of courgette with ricotta and pine nuts, pickled girolles, broccoli puree (a light and refreshing dish)
- Fillet of monkfish wrapped in Parma ham, fricasse of lentils, chervil papardelle, horseradish velout (this was the highlight)
- Strawberry shortcake (very strawberry and delicious)

Anine ordered the:

- Blue fin tuna two ways, carpaccio with pickled white radish, seared and marinated with black sesame seeds, soy dressing
- Grey leg duck 'en vessie', pomme boulangaire, glazed carrots and onions, Madeira sauce (this was described as good pub food)
- Strawberry shortcake (very strawberry and delicious)

Jane ordered the:

- Blue fin tuna two ways, carpaccio with pickled white radish, seared and marinated with black sesame seeds, soy dressing
- Fillet of monkfish wrapped in Parma ham, fricasse of lentils, chervil papardelle, horseradish velout (this was the highlight)
- Valrhona chocolate and hazelnut fondant with feuillantine and milk ice cream (chocoholics dream)

The highlight wfor all of us was the petit fours that were delivered to the table afterwards:

- pistachio ice cream balls
- passionfruit balls with white chocolate shell coated in silver
Here's why things didn't live up to our expectations:

1. There was no WOW factor- for a restaruant is this calibre & notarity there should be some WOW factor
2. The staff lacked polish and it appeared many of them had no idea of what they were doing andcongregated near the kitchen doors whispering, scanning the dining room floor but didn't appear to do much. When they came to the table to deliver the food you could not hear the description of the food and we had to ask them to repeat it several times
3. The food was average - again, for a restaurant that has been awarded a Michelin star you want amazing food, food that is mouth watering and impeccably presented - the food here was good but I think Anine hit the nail on the head when she suggested that her main meal was like top of the line pub fare
4. There was a one hour 20 minute delay between our entree and main meal. They did apologise and provided us with complimentary pink champagne with our desserts but gave the excuse that the chef was not happy with the monk fish and had returned it twice! Twice! In a restaurant of this standard I think this highlights serious issues in the kitchen - who cooked the monk fish - the dish pig?
5. When the booking had been made it was made very clear that we had a 7.30pm seating and must vacate by 10pm. Clearly, with the delay of our meals this was not possible but this again highlights that there are issues with the running and organisation of the restaurant.

It was definitely an experience but not for the right reasons.

Gordon Ramsey at Claridges - 51 Brook Street, Mayfair - 020 7499 0099

http://www.gordonramsay.com/