Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's

I hosted a party of ten for dinner, albeit some time ago. Expectations were high.

Given I'm a wine buff, I'd ordered specific wines in advance from the wine list provided. Surprisingly, I was also asked to pay for the wines in full before dining, something I've never been asked to do before.

My guests arrived and, after being sent to the wrong end of the hotel, were then shown to the wrong private dining room. The Champagne that I had pre-ordered (and paid for) was absent, replaced by something altogether different and of lower quality.

After some quiet words, we were shown to the correct room and seated for dinner. To my surprise, a waitress (not the sommelier) arrived to tell me that NONE of the wines I had pre-ordered were available and, literally, thrust a carte des vin into my hand. The first three of my four selections weren't available either. I was then given a 'lesson' in Sauternes vintages which I can only describe as complete fiction. By all means try to push the very poor vintage/Chateau selection, but please don't try to convince me they're something that they're not. Quite pathetic for a restaurant whose proprietor is so singularly arrogant and scathing of others.

The evening went on in this vein; I won't bore you with the specifics. The food was acceptable, but in no way remarkable or even noteworthy.

The one redeeming feature of this restaurant is that they do not add a service charge to the bill. A 'tip' wasn't warranted, so I didn't leave one. The maitre d' looked surprised, God only knows why. My £2,200 had not been wisely spent.

I shall never return to this restaurant and recommend that you avoid it. There are far, far better restaurants in London, with more emphasis on food and service and less ego driven.

Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s is a beautiful restaurant. The decor is inviting, with gorgeous chandeliers glowing a soothing light all around. The tables are far enough apart that others would have to be very loud to intrude on your space. It is an extremely relaxing and beautiful environment.

Upon arrival, a colleague and I were quickly whisked to our table and asked for drink orders. Very smartly done. I ordered my normal sparkling water and my colleague a bottle of wine. Unfortunately, the bottle he ordered was out of stock (understand the logic, but still not a 5-star way to start) and the sommelier was quick to recommend an alternative. I was told the alternate bottle was very good.

The menu is a 3-course, fixed at £65 ($135 at today’s exchange rate) per person. The waiter arrived and explained the specials. When he explained the Chateaubriand he mentioned that it could only be prepared for two people. Now this may be my quirk, but at these prices I do not want to find a partner at the table to share the special. Gordon, please make sure that each dish can be prepared individually. Likewise the Pear Tarte Tartin is a big favorite, and I was excited when I saw it on the dessert menu, but again it concluded “(for two people)”. This may be a minor annoyance but it is still an annoyance.

Pre-Appetizer - As soon as the meal was ordered, the service brought a small cup of Trumpet Mushroom Bisque. This was fantastic. Nicely seasoned and an elegant way to start the meal. Nice touch Gordon. If this was foreshadowing for the rest of the meal, this was going to be a fantastic experience.

Appetizer - I ordered the Persillade of Rabbit with Autumn Vegetables 'a la Grecque', grain mustard dressing. Without commenting on how Persillade fit into this dish, it was different than any other I've eaten. The rabbit was cooked off the bone in circular form (like an individual terrine) and presented amongst a melange of autumn vegetables (carrots, shallots, sprouts). The rabbit itself tasted as though it was poached versus baked and it lost some of its earthiness in the process. It was also lacking seasoning. I was very impressed with the flavors of the vegetables, as the chef showed how carrots could be vinegary, shallots could be sweet and clover could be bitter. Overall, the dish was good but not great (I liked the vegetables better than the rabbit). The chef changed the traditional complexion of the dish and it lost some of its richness. But it was very inventive.

Entree - I decided to continue the earthy-flavored dinner with the Roast Rump of Cumbrian Lamb, pomme mousseline, confit garlic, thyme jus. The waiter stated, "The chef cooks that medium-rare”, and I thought that was fine. Once again the presentation was beautiful. A small boneless rump, sliced, set amid some pomme mousseline and a few vegetables layered on top. I tasted the pomme first and was disappointed. The consistency can only be described as thick and gummy and not seasoned at all. Very disappointing. The next stop was the lamb. The ends were cooked to medium and the center slice was rare, at best. Not exactly medium-rare, but I did not mind all that much - different flavors/different textures. The meat was nice but not great. Unfortunately, there was a fairly large piece of sinew running through the meat which made it both difficult to cut and more difficult to chew. But the true downside was the taste - there was none. The outside had little seasoning and the meat itself had no depth. So overall this dish was a huge disappointment. I tried a combo of the pomme, meat and garlic and the garlic overpowered everything. Roasted garlic would have tamed the flavors better. And the day after I looked up exactly what Cumbrian Lamb was and what did I find? It is the subject of a national health scare in the UK as reported last week. So I would recommend being a little more news-centric in serving meat under investigation at this time.

Intermezzo - My colleague and I were presented with a large shot glass of wild berry puree topped with creme. Totally disappointing and neither of us finished the whole dish. The berries lacked any depth of flavor and the creme did nothing to support the dish.

Dessert - For dessert I ordered the Cinnamon Creme Brulee, hazelnut sable, spiced plum and red wine sorbet but substituted a different creme for the sable for allergy reasons. To be honest, I had no idea what a sable was and when I asked I was told it was a type of cream (still not sure if that was correct). The creme brulee was perfectly prepared, creamy, rich and full of flavor. Oh, if they could have made this entree-sized. But this time the flavors that accompanied the dish were suspect. The creme was bitter and the spiced plum and red wine sorbet did nothing for the dish. They could have served the brulee alone and I would have enjoyed it more.

Truffles - With the check, the service brought four truffles for the two of us - two covered in ganache and the other two covered in nuts. After I reminded him yet again of my food allergy, the tray was removed and four ganache-covered were returned. Upon their return I took a bite and was severely disappointed. They must have been taken directly from the fridge to the table. Truffles should be served at room temperature not at 40 degrees. So I waited until they came closer to the correct temperature and tried again. They were very good but again not great.

Service - Let me give you the good news first. The FOH and support staff were fantastic. They were there promptly, yet not too early, they allowed me to linger through the appetizer, and they removed the plates simultaneously as I like. Now onto the bad news. The server/waiter was horrible. He was rude, unhelpful, bumped into my chair constantly (the tables are fairly far apart) and fired the entree way too early. There was only a 7-minute gap between me finishing the appetizer and receiving the entree. This should have been longer, in my opinion. His lack of professionalism took away from the experience. I mentioned to him several times about my nut allergy and the server did not seem to care. When the dessert menus arrived (6 of 8 desserts were nut based) I mentioned this and instead of helping he merely asked, “What do you want?” and not in that helpful tone. Then he brought truffles covered in nuts. I finally needed to say something to the MOD, who was extremely apologetic. I should have mentioned something earlier, but at a restaurant of this quality there should not have been a need.

So to those of you that mentioned that the Ramsay restaurants are going downhill, I would hope that this experience was not my best. All I could think of as I ate some of the dishes and experienced some of the service was My Ramsay-ship standing over them screaming “Are you out of your f&%#ing mind?” Please Gordon, return to the homeship and fix your empire.

My Ratings:
Trumpet Mushroom Bisque – 10
Rabbit Appetizer – 7
Lamb Entree – 4 (before reading the article) 0 (after reading the article)
Wild Berry Intermezzo – 2
Creme Brulee – 9
Service (Server) – 2
Service (Support) – 10
Truffles - 4

Not impressed. Having arrived early, I was placed at a table in the centre of the dining room - not a sensitive move for a lady waiting on her own. The worst 'old fashioned' I have ever drunk (I didn't finish it). Service could be described as 'obsequious insolence' - they might consider paying a visit to Le Manoir, or even Rules, to see how it should be done. When presented with the cheese trolley I asked for a selection with the inclusion of goat cheese and was given 3 cheeses that were all very similar, no description of what they were, or where they were from, just slapped on a plate. The request for celery was granted, but treated with incredulity (is it such an unusual request, especially as I don't care for crackers).

Sadly, I fear this service overshadowed the food, which one month later I'm struggling to remember. I will not return.

I was taken by my girlfriend for my 36th birthday, because I love food. I loved this place and can't wait to go again. We chose the menu that allowed us to enjoy a variety of tastes and textures, along with a rather expensive bottle of wine. Both were of exceptional value. As was the quality of clientele... apart from us! Which didn't faze the waiters. In fact, I think they appreciated our ability to converse on a normal level. A truly wonderful evening.

Fabulous food, wonderful room and friendly service. Only one criticism - the first two wine choices, including a well-priced 2000 Bordeaux, were not available last time. But nonetheless a superb restaurant.

Gordon Ramsay provided me with the most expensive meal I have ever had in my life, but it was a long way from being the best. The food was good, but not terribly creative or flavourful. You can do better in Paris for about 40 euros-a major disappointment.

Very very nice but wouldn't expect anything less for the price.

As they say, you only get what you pay for. And despite being £280 for a meal for two with only half a bottle of wine, this isn't a meal out - this is an experience, and one I will treasure.

My husband's work hired the restaurant out for the evening and it turned out to be a wonderful evening with Mr Ramsay putting in a personal appearance! Food was great and service impeccable. Highly recommend a visit.

Gordon Ramsay is not there enough. Everything is left to Mark. After a few days at the Ritz in Paris and living in France this was just OK - rather disappointed in many ways. Wine excellent though.

Fantastic lunch with 3 friends. The Saturday lunch menu

is great value for money. The food was outstanding - quite

simply the best meal I've ever eaten. The service was impeccable, discreet and effortless, as it should be.

I will certainly return. Don't delay, book now.

Wonderful leisurely 4 hour lunch with a friend, prestige menu - great. Will be back.

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