Address: 68 Royal Hospital Road
Website: http://www.gordonramsay.com/royalhospitalroad/
Type of Meal: Lunch
Since Hell’s Kitchen aired in 2005, I’ve wanted to eat at one of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants. The show portrays a chef that’s committed to excellence with kitchens churning out traditional but delicious looking dishes. Hence, during our visit to London, I knew I had to visit his namesake restaurant – Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. It’s no easy feat to earn a Michelin star accolade, let alone receive three of them and hold the standing for over ten years (started in 2001). If there was ever a place to experience Mr. Ramsay, his Royal Hospital Road establishment would be it. Of course, with his busy celebrity life, he doesn’t actually cook there anymore; rather, he’s left Chef Clare Smyth in charge. But, he must have some hand in designing the menu and this would be my chance to try his brilliance.
So, as
quickly as I could, I signed up online for a reservation at this 45 seat
restaurant months in advance. Although I wouldn’t have dreamt of missing the
sitting, you’re required to provide them with a credit card to secure the spot
and be charged a hefty fine if you don’t show up.
On the day of
the meal, we show up 15 minutes early and found the door locked with several
other patrons waiting outside. For a
restaurant that specifies we must be ready to be seated at the time of our reservation,
it’s a bit strange that they wouldn’t open up a little earlier to let people
in. About five minutes from our
reservation time, the door finally unlocks and we’re greeted warmly and whisked
in the intimate dining room.
The dining
area is small with all the tables situated in a square room and fairly close
together - to the point that the staff need to move tables for some guests to
get in and out which is unexpected for fine dining. The chairs were plush and cozy but I could
only imagine if a heavier set person were to sit in them they may find it
fairly snug.
Not long
after being seated, the manager arrives asking our table who is hosting. Finding this to be a strange question, we
offered up my husband’s father nonetheless.
It wasn’t until reading other blogger experiences that I realized they
only print prices in the host’s menu, with the thought of allowing the other
guests to order without apprehension.
The manager also came by later to speak to us and brief us on a bit
about the restaurant’s history and answer any questions we may have, a great
personal touch.
Gordon Ramsay’s
lunch menu offers two three-course options – a set lunch (£55) or an a la carte
(£95). The set lunch’s choices are more
limited, but our waiter advised that we could mix and match as we wanted with a
slight supplement if we ordered the set lunch and wanted to substitute with
something off the a la carte. This freedom is certainly appreciated with one
guest substituting his dessert (no extra charge) and another substituting the
main for the truffle pasta special of the day (supplement of £35). The extra charge for pasta may seem steep,
but Gordon Ramsay did provide a generous portion of the white truffle, which
arrived in a box and freshly shaved on top of the creamy linguine with
mushrooms. Although I didn’t try the
dish, my mother-in-law noted that the pasta was great with the truffle blending
deliciously into the decadent creamy sauce.
We were first
offered a selection of breads so I selected the sourdough and bacon brioche which
other reviewers seem to rave about. Honestly, it was pretty run-of-the-mill
bread, for a delicious bread basket Scarpetta is by far still my favourite.
Our amuse for
the day was a cold refreshing tomato consommé laced with delicate pieces of
tomatoes, frozen nitrogen cream and little dots of dill oil. It was a simple
but invigorating way to wake up the taste buds.
My husband
and I ordered off of the different menus with me getting the lunch (£55) and
him the a la carte (£95) to allow us the ability to compare. Mine began with the tartlet of confit salmon.
Upon its arrival, the dish looked anything but a tartlet with it being so
big. The crust was wonderfully delicate
and crispy made from phyllo dough rather than pastry. Cool shavings of fennel
lined the base adding a fresh salad to the dish. Numerous pieces of perfectly poached salmon
sat on top along with sweet grilled peppers, thinly slice radishes and a soft
boiled quail egg. Dots of basil dressing decorated the dish and added further
flavour to the lightly seasoned tart. This was my favourite dish from my menu
and this easily can be offered as a standalone main at any of Gordon Ramsay’s
other restaurants.
After such a
flawless start the miso glazed cod was a bit of a let-down. Don’t get me wrong,
all the individual ingredients were cooked perfectly – the fish flakey, squid
tender, shitake mushrooms meaty and Shanghai bok choy crispy. Rather, the black
quinoa and lapsang souchong broth were throwing me off. I didn’t realize that black quinoa isn’t
fluffy but rather harder, more granular and has a nutty flavour; in the end,
resembling sesame seeds. Somehow, I just
didn’t like the grainy texture with the cod. Lapsang souchong is essentially a
Chinese smoked black tea which in itself doesn’t have much flavour – in Chinese
cooking it’s often mixed with soy sauce or other ingredients rather than being
by itself. The dish did have some miso
with it, but I didn’t find it pronounce enough so the fish just seemed like it
was sitting in a strong tea broth which was slightly bland.
On the other
hand, my husband’s experience with his menu was the complete opposite. His
appetizer of seafood ravioli certainly looked promising when it was presented -
a single oversized plump ravioli sitting in a sorrel velouté and bisque sauce
with a dollop of expensive oscietra caviar on top. The ravioli was wonderful
with its thin pasta dough barely containing a hefty mixture of lobster,
langoustine (aka prawns/shrimp) and salmon. But the sorrel sauce, a leafy herb,
has an acquired taste and personally we found the acidic tang slightly off
putting. I know Michelin star chefs need
to be inventive and use little known ingredients, but really, I would have much
rather the ravioli just be paired with a simple cream sauce, maybe laced with
some truffle oil.
But, his main
of pig done five ways more than made up for the lackluster starter. Distinct portions of each are laid out on a
white plate with a simple jus connecting everything. Starting from left to right was a roasted
loin/chop? very tender and went well with the smooth, thick and caramel like apple
sauce. The cute cabbage roll was another
traditional but tasty portion to the offerings.
Where the dish shone was suckling pig, so crispy yet light it can certainly
stand up to the Chinese and Catalonian versions I’ve had in my life. Unfortunately, I’ve forgotten much about the
next style other than it having a squashed potato underneath it. Lastly, was a
sausage which was plump and juicy having just a hint of spice (this also went
well with the smashed potato).
Before
dessert was brought out, we were treated to slim glasses of passion fruit milk
shake to cleanse the palate. I especially enjoyed the glass straws sitting
within the thick liquid.
My dessert, a
take on the classic banana, peanut butter and chocolate mixture, was
delicious. Each part of the dish was
unassuming but went well together and allowed you to mix and match the
sweetness of the caramelized bananas with the paper thin dark chocolate
sheets. The middle log appeared to be a
banana and vanilla ice cream rolled into a nutty toffee mixture. Lastly, a scoop of rich peanut butter mousse
rounds out everything having a slight saltiness to it.
The apple
tarte tatin my husband and father-in-law shared was much more impressive
arriving table side still warm in the pan.
It’s cut in half and then placed onto a caramel drizzle decorated plate
with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.
The flakey pastry was soaked with butter and sweet thin caramel with a generous
portion of soft apples in the middle. This was my first taste of the dessert
and I love this indulgent take on the apple tart / upside down cake.
Before we
moved onto coffee, a silver dish was brought out and when the dome lifted
truffles of white chocolate strawberry ice cream sat amongst billowing dry ice.
The sweet in itself really isn’t anything spectacular – cold strawberry ice
cream encased in a crisp white chocolate crust – but the presentation is
certainly exhilarating. Gordon Ramsay
was nice enough to bring another dome just so the one guest who away from the
table when the first was brought out could experience it for themselves.
Rosewater
Turkish delights and chocolate truffle squares were the petit fours
accompanying our coffee and tea. Since I was stuffed by this point, I only
tried the Turkish delight which was delicate yet had such a powerful rosewater
taste… it’s an acquired taste that I liked. Thankfully, they weren’t too sugary and were a
great last bite.
Visiting Restaurant Gordon Ramsay was one of the most anticipated parts of my trip. So much so that I planned this restaurant last so that its magnificence wouldn’t overshadow everything else we tried. Regrettably, I really didn’t need to worry about this happening; overall, Gordon Ramsay was good but really not as magical as I had built it up to be in my mind. But, at least a foodie dream has been satisfied! Although, if anyone can tell me how to get a reservation for the one of Hell’s Kitchen’s final episodes, I can be enticed to try Mr. Ramsay’s creations again.
Overall mark - 7 out of 10
Like the blog? You can now follow me on twitter for notifications - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
