My first dinner in London was at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Royal Hospital Road. This is the 3-star Michelin signature restaurant of the renowned chef and infamous television star Gordon Ramsay. Chef Ramsay trained in the London kitchens of Marco Pierre White and Albert Roux before working in France under Guy Savoy and Joël Robuchon, perfecting his expertise in classic French cooking. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay is one of only three 3-star Michelin restaurants in the UK, and it is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year.
We were seated in a small and busy dining room featuring classic white linen and décor. An amuse bouche arrived at our table almost immediately. This tasty morsel was an "ice-cream cone" with avocado mousse and smoked salmon, alongside a crispy potato chip "sandwich" with cream cheese and herbs. Both were scrumptious little treats and a perfect start to our Menu Prestige. A second amuse bouche was a pure delight as well, consisting of a ravioli filled with cream cheese, topped with a black truffle slice, and served with a sweet and light pumpkin bisque. These “surprises” set a high standard for the rest of the meal, and had our taste buds primed nicely for the dishes to come.
We chose a fine Burgundy from Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes, which was bright in fruit but balanced with earthy notes as well, soft and yet intense, well suited for the variety of courses to come. The breads served were wonderful as well, including memorable potato rosemary bread and olive bread selections, accompanied by salted and unsalted butters.
Our first course was sautéed foie gras with Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar and almond velouté. On the side we also found a delicate carrot purée and a crispy potato cracker. The foie gras was perfectly cooked, light and airy and tasted heavenly in combination with the sweet foamy almond velouté, with slightly tangy vinegar. Having sampled some spectacular foie gras preparations recently we thought that this may have been the best we have tried.
The next course was outstanding as well, featuring delicate ravioli filled with sweet flavored chunks of fresh lobster, langoustine and salmon. A smoky and tangy tomato chutney was a perfect compliment to this dish. In combination, the sweet and smoky flavors accentuated the themes from the opening dishes and set up the following fish course.
Next, our fillet of turbot was perfectly flaky and delicate, accompanied by rich and decadent sauce of leeks and cep mushrooms. Balanced exceptionally well, the dish was flavorful but not overly rich. A surprise for us was the braised baby gem lettuce that accompanied the fish. We had not tried this before, and the flavor was simply exceptional.
Our main courses, however, were a little disappointing. The Cornish Lamb with confit shoulder, ratatouille, and thyme juice was nice but it lacked a depth of flavor and innovation we were looking for here. The Roasted pigeon with grilled polenta, smoked pork belly and date sauce was similarly prepared well, but unfortunately the different components on the plate, delicious on their own, did not come together as a uniform dish. In another restaurant, these dishes would have been satisfactory. After the courses we had just enjoyed, however, both of these were a notch below our expectations.
In a 3-star Michelin restaurant, one also expects a top quality cheese plate, and unfortunately we were slightly disappointed here as well. On the night we dined, the cheeses available were only average, with the lack of good English cheeses most disappointing considering our venue. We opted for a firm goat cheese, a decent semi-soft French cheese, the lone English cheddar available, and an apple Camembert that was the best cheese by far. However, we enjoyed a better cheese course from other London restaurants and had hoped for a little more overall.
Despite these minor let downs, the meal finished in fine fashion. Our first dessert was a mango and passion fruit soup with foamy lychee and coconut. This was a delightful drink that we really enjoyed. A bitter chocolate and hazelnut cylinder with ginger mousse and blackcurrant granite was very decadent and delicious.
Alongside these, the star dessert of the evening was a perfectly cooked chocolate soufflé with milk ice cream, chosen by my daughter as an a la carte menu selection.
Just as we thought we were finished with our dinner, we were presented with one more surprise - Turkish delights, dark chocolate truffles with silver dust on a "silver tree", and strawberry ice cream truffles coated in white chocolate and served in a bowl of steaming liquid nitrogen. This was a very playful end to a great meal!
While we thought more could have been done with the main courses and the use of local ingredients throughout, Gordon Ramsay delighted us overall with his delivery of classical French cuisine. All-in-all, this visit was essential to our London experience.
