Gordon Ramsay Reviews (London, England)

A 21st Anniversary Lunch at Famous Gordon Ramsay

Evanston, Illinois

January 29, 2009

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Best of IgoUgo Getting a reservation at Gordon Ramsay is a bit tricky. I had to telephone them from France as they don't accept reservations on the 'net. Then they emailed me a form to fill out (!), with my credit card number so they could charge me an ...Read more Getting a reservation at Gordon Ramsay is a bit tricky. I had to telephone them from France as they don't accept reservations on the 'net. Then they emailed me a form to fill out (!), with my credit card number so they could charge me an exhorbitant amount if we didn't show up. I also had to give them a phone number where they could confirm the day before that we were coming. You would think that all this rigamarole would be off-putting and it is, a bit. But it is more than worth the trouble!

I'm pretty sure we were the only patrons who arrived on foot, after taking the tube to the nearest station in Chelsea. We still had to walk about a kilometer! Everyone else arrived in a cab. The restaurant itself is a bit understated and we actually walked right by it at first!

When we finally got there, we were greeted in a friendly manner and shown to our table. They asked if this was our first visit, and were excited to learn that it was. "There'll be some surprises!" we were told. We settled in at our good-sized table with white linens and fresh flowers and started looking at the menu. We knew there was a 44 pound daily lunch menu, which we opted for. The other menus (there is no a la carte) were considerably more expensive - 89 and 119 pounds, I think.

We placed our order with our quite friendly and not at all intimidating waiter who, we found, was from Dijon. He was delighted to hear that we were from Nice, so that got us off on a good footing.

First to arrive was an amuse bouche of pumpkin soup. The plates were set before us, with a tiny ravioli of pumpkin and cream cheese; then the waiter poured the pumpkin soup into the plates. It was dreamy.

My entree (first course) was, again, soup, this time ox cheek broth. The plate again was set before me: there were three canelloni filled with sweatbreads on a bright green leaf, surrounded by tiny baby vegetables. The waiter poured in the broth, which was so fragrant I nearly moaned. David's entree was chicken livers on a toasted round of bread, topped with apple pieces and tiny artichokes. Both were outstanding and we sopped up any sauce with the wonderful homemade bread. There were at least five choices of bread and both sweet and salted butter.

We had ordered a 1/2 bottle of Chablis, which the waiter somehow made seem like a full bottle. It lasted the whole meal with ease.

For the main course, David had ordered partridge with game chips. These chips were amazing, with a tiny leaf placed inside them; I don't know how they did this but they were intriguing and delicious. I ordered daurade, a fish we have often in Nice, with an artichoke butter sauce. Both dishes were served with, again, baby vegetables that were perfectly done. We spent quite a bit of time enjoying both these dishes, and again, sopping up the last bits of sauce.

For dessert we ordered chocolate lavander tarts which were served with frozen milk, drizzled with chocolate. These too were outstanding and we thought we were done. But NO! There was more. AFter the dessert, they brought out a silver tree, standing about 6 inches high, with little balls of silver-covered chocolates on the branches. But that wasn't all. Next came a smoking silver box (filled with dry ice - I thought a genie would jump out and grant us three wishes!) with strawberry ice cream balls covered with white chocolate inside. This was way over the top. We couldn't let this just go by; we had to order a glass of sauterne to accompany such a fanciful dessert.

Service every minute was impeccable, with up to five young men serving us at various times. No snootiness - just welcoming, friendly, knowledgable service. And in the ladies room there were 2 dozen, yes 2 dozen fresh white roses. We felt like royalty. A wonderful splurge. Close

Gordon Ramsay

by bugg23

Atlanta, Georgia

August 28, 2006

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Best of IgoUgo Booking a table here can be a full-contact sport. They only take reservations two months out, and due to the small size, popularity, and limited availability (only open Monday to Friday) of the restaurant, you must call at 0900 GMT on the dot for ...Read more Booking a table here can be a full-contact sport. They only take reservations two months out, and due to the small size, popularity, and limited availability (only open Monday to Friday) of the restaurant, you must call at 0900 GMT on the dot for the hope of getting that reservation exactly 2 months away. If you're visiting London from abroad, this can be a pain. However, I found a way around making an international call in the middle of the night: Toptable.co.uk!

When I was planning my trip, I decided to have lunch here rather than dinner: the 40 GBP set lunch menu is a relative bargain, and I wanted my evenings free anyway. After doing some searching online, I found that Toptable.co.uk takes bookings for lunch only at Gordon Ramsay. While your reservation won't be approved until the requisite 2 months out, you can request it at anytime. I don't know if this got me to the front of the queue or not, but my reservation was approved via email early on the morning of 2 months out.

From start to finish, our experience at Gordon Ramsay was a delight. The service is absolutely top-notch, the decor is somehow minimal and sumptuous at the same time, and the food exceeds the hype. Once we were seated, we were asked who in our party was hosting. That person got a copy of the menu with prices on it. The 40 GBP set lunch has 3 choices each for starter, main, and dessert. Yes, it's more limited than the pricier set menu options, but you will not be sacrificing quality or quantity if you decide to take this less expensive route.

I picked the foie gras starter and the lamb main course. After we had placed our order, our waiter said that he was going to bring us something from the kitchen before the starters, and he asked if we had any food allergies that he should be aware of. He brought us a plate of a few yummy nibbles each--so nice!

Between the 4 of us, we exhausted the small menu's offerings. It was all fantastic. Everything was so fresh and flavorful, and the sauces were out of the this world. The "potato fondant" that came with my lamb was possibly the best potato anything that I have ever eaten. As each course came out, they went over everything that was on our plate with each of us and made sure that we didn't need anything before we ate.

For dessert, I had a luxurious panna cotta with berries. If the dessert hadn't been included in the price, we probably would have skipped it since we were so full by that point! In between dessert and the bill, they brought us out bite-sized ice cream balls that had been dipped in chocolate and served in little plastic containers with dry ice. Very cool touch! All in all, lunch ended up being an almost 3-hour experience--it was definitely worth the time and money. Close

From journal April in London

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay

by artslover

Calgary, Alberta

April 8, 2006

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Best of IgoUgo The first trick to dining at this Gordon Ramsay restaurant is getting a reservation. They only take reservations by telephone no more than 30 days in advance. The tables are usually booked within half an hour after the reservation line opens at 9am. ...Read more The first trick to dining at this Gordon Ramsay restaurant is getting a reservation. They only take reservations by telephone no more than 30 days in advance. The tables are usually booked within half an hour after the reservation line opens at 9am. Being on Mountain Standard Time, this meant getting up at 2am to book a table. But the sleep interruption was worth it.

When you first approach the restaurant, it is very unassuming. Located in Chelsea, there is not a lot of commercial activity around the restaurant. The large window and single door covered by an aubergine awning do not indicate the wonders within. And wonders are to be found inside this small restaurant.

Less than 20 tables are inside. Dress is smart casual, which they explain means jackets for men and no trainers, jeans, or athletic wear. Most of the diners are considerably better dressed than casual wear, giving this intimate feeling restaurant an upscale atmosphere.

From the moment you sit down, you are cosseted by the best service I have ever experienced in a restaurant. Not only are the staff attentive yet discreet, their attentions contribute enormously to make the experience memorable. Attention is personal, informative, and warm without being overly friendly. Most of the staff has French accents, which reflects the French-based menu.

The menu consists of either a seven-course tasting menu or a three-course menu. We opted for three courses, thinking we could not eat seven. But three courses is deceptive because of all the additional servings. Before we ordered, we received tiny amuse bouches of canneloni filled with avocado and smoked salmon, along with potato crisps filled with a garlicky cream cheese. This was followed by the most flavourful pumpkin soup. Our starters, which we ordered, frogs legs, scallops, ravioli, tuna, and swordfish carpaccio, were equally delicious. Our main courses of Cornish lamb, pork, and Angus beef were inventive, filled with numerous layers of flavour and presented like works of art. The dishes are served all at once and then a team of servers add sauces and explain the dish. A pre-dessert followed, then the desserts we ordered, then post-desserts. Despite the mind boggling amount of food, we had to eat it to experience the incredible tastes.

This experience is not cheap, 70 pounds for the three-course dinner, but I would return here without question. Close

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