Restaurant Gordon Ramsay
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, much like the man himself, is an institution. The only Three-Michelin Star restaurant in the incredibly moneyed Chelsea part of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, RGR has maintained its Three-Star rating for twenty years. No small feat, given the number of chefs that have passed through the kitchen in that time, as well as the evolving global culinary landscape. With Matt Abe now at the helm following the departure of Clare Smyth for the setting up of her own Notting Hill restaurant CORE, RGR still maintains its place as a fixture on the London fine dining map. Knowing Ramsay's exacting standards, a visit to the restaurant fills me with anticipation.
The exterior of the restaurant is very discreet, with only a small sign of the signature scrawl to mark the way. No adornments necessary - all that book know what they're here for. We arrive as the first to be seated for this evening's service, and are shown through immediately to the dining room. Twelve tables with plush seating and exquisite cutlery greet us (Christofle - a 24-piece set would set you back £2,300), and the wait staff quickly proffer menus.
We elect for the vegetarian prestige menu (the tasting menu), although the appetisers we start with are pescatarian; potato tuile with an egg and onion relish are quite delightful, but the winner is a melt-in-the-mouth morsel of kingfish from Australian waters. Stunning.
For an amuse-bouche, we are offered a broth distilled from onion, madeira and thyme, to go alongside sliced and warmed sourdough. Broth is my favourite way to start a meal, and this is the best I've had. Rich and soothing, I will definitely be making this weekly throughout the winter months.
For our first course, we had an Autumn salad of Beetroot, Pickled Blackberry and Hazelnut. The refreshing aroma from the plate heightened the delicacy with which the elements were plated, and the textures and flavours all worked harmoniously. A simple, perfect dish.
Next we had grilled Brassicas with Ajo Blanco (with a twist; it was made with macadamia nuts, not the traditional almonds), olive oil and lemon. Again, a perfect marriage of flavours and textures. The Ajo Blanco with the Pickled turnip was a match made in heaven.
To follow was BBQ Pumpkin, Celeriac, Clementine and Shisho. This dish was the only dish that really didn't work for me. I struggle to see what the chefs were attempting, as nothing really worked. The BBQ Pumpkin with the Shisho gave notes of decay, and the clementine addition was jarring. If the clementine had been omitted then the dish would have been better, but only marginally. Although it smelt lovely, the dish was really a bit of a mess.
Fortunately, the next dish was superb. Organic British Spelt with Artichokes, Olives, Maitake Mushrooms and Black Garlic was a resounding success. Rich, weighty and sumptuous, this had the makings of a more toothsome risotto, with a delightful bitterness added by the olives.
Next, a pre-dessert in the form of a palate cleanser: Granita with a pear sorbet. Pleasant and refreshing, this would have been perfect on a hot Summer's day.
For dessert, Pecan Praline with Pedro Ximenez and Cocoa Nib Ice Cream. While I truly detest gold leaf and see absolutely no reason for it to be included on a plate, the dessert was nonetheless a delight - everything one could want from a chocolate-focused dessert. What was surprising was how mild it was, given the inclusion of the notoriously bitter Cocoa nib. Clearly, this had been a dish much iterated on until the blend was perfect. And perfect it was.
Finally, we were offered some Petit-fours (as well as a birthday sponge for myself) to round off the meal: Sea Buckthorn jellies (the best, soft fruit pastilles I have ever tasted), a chocolate and caramel Tartlet, and sea salt dark chocolate (quite astonishing, given that most restaurants simply don't make their own chocolate. This chocolate could go toe-to-toe with any professional producers).
The coup de grace of the meal was a hand-signed Birthday card from the executive team at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay - a lovely souvenir from our visit.
We left the restaurant feeling satisfied, both with the food (albeit the one pumpkin course) and the exemplary service. Clearly, RGR under Matt Abe's watchful eye is still going strong.
Value for Money? £410 for two Prestige menus, three bottles of still water and service charge. I would err on the side of No, because of what else is out there. Is it the best Three Star in London? No - CORE, for one, is better. Similarly, I would say The Clove Club offers a more exciting menu. So it is worth a visit, definitely, but both of these restaurants are cheaper.
Would I return? No. I am very glad I went, but I would rather return to another fantastic restaurant, such as the two aforementioned.
