Gordon Ramsay at 68 Royal Hospital Road

Having been looking forward to this for the two month lead up, I have never been more disappointed by a restaurant and it's 'reputation'.

We turned up and decided the only way to go was with the tating menu. First the bread was dropped on the floor (we weren't served that though!) and then the first course: foie gras. This was a delicious, rich and well executed dish. Plates celared and new cutlery - which was laid back to front!

The waiter just stood starting at my boyfriend's cultery wondering what looked wrong with it, with the fork on the right and the knives on the left and then after about two minutes of staring removed the whole lot. The table was finally cleared of the breadcrumbs and the waiter, afer having a whisper in his ear re-laid the table correctly. This is the standard of a 3 star restaurant?!

Next was scallops which (growing up on the small island of Jersey) were the worst scallops I have ever tasted. They were tough and the only flavour came from the parmasan cheese that had been fried/ glued onto them. Even the table beside us left most of this dish.

Next I had monkish wrapped in duck, which was odd. The duck was the only flavour so no need for the fish and the combination of all the flavours was really odd and greasy. My boyfriend had the fish option and the citrus sauce that was poured over was so acidic he didn't finish the dish.

Then I had lamb, which was good - nothing to write home about and my boyfriend had the duck. Again he only ate one slice of breast and left the rest. As a really foodie this was very unusual for him. I am a great food lover and have visted many many great restaurants and we both couldn't wait for this meal to end.

The desserts were the saving graces. Fresh, inventive and a joy to eat it was nice to finish this overall terrible meal with a great taste.

The bill of £400 (for two) left a sour taste - bread dropped on the floor, cutlery laid the wrong way round and poor food - left us feeling robbed of any experience or enjoyment. You don't expect to pay that price and leave nearly every dish (same goes for the table beside us).
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JCW
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 1
Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Does it ever fail to amaze you how many whiney, miserable, sad & bitter people there are out there?

Take it from one who knows (6 visits) - This Restaurant is nothing less than a phenomenon.

Cooking - faultless, decor - simple but affective, Service - It is not possible to improve on this. The best service in London.

I mean you are never going to please some people - just take a look at the other reviews, im sure one of them will be moaning.

This place is grade A 1st class.

Gordon may not be cooking on the night but as he says - before you buy an Armani Suite do you clarify if Georgio stitched it?

Do yourself a favour and go and have the experience of a lifetime.
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Steve
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, February 28, 2008

I have been to Ramsays quite a few times, I am known in my circle of friends as someone not too interested in food. This experience, as you come away feeeligthat you have not just had dinner or lunch, is something not to be missed. The staff are wonderful, the food is amazing, even I managed the menu presteige.It is my absolute favourite restaurant in the world. It is expensive but so it should be as it sets a high standard. Going back on April 7th with a large group, cant wait.
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susan barry - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, February 28, 2008

My wife took me to Gordon Ramsay for my 30th birthday. What a wonderful treat.

The restaurant is very smart but understated - only 40 covers or so. The staff are wonderful, providing an excellent level of care without ever being intrusive.

The food was lovely. We started with an amuse bouche of pumpkin soup with a pancetta froth served with toasted brioche with a mushroom pate. Starter: Foie gras with a camomile jelly and pickled vegetables Main: Pork cooked 3 ways - pork cheeks, fillet and black pudding. Pudding: cheese.

We asked them to select a wine for each course and they were all delicious.

Overall, a really wonderful experience.
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Glassman - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, February 11, 2008

We went to this restaurant yesterday evening with some friends (table of four) and I am still daydreaming about the food we were served. I would defintely go back. English is not my mother tongue and I am afraid my vocabulary will not do the place justice.

The food was just exquisite, everything was so tasty. The dish will be composed of several ingredients yet you can tell what each one is, it's so "clean".

The staff was mostly French, really approachable, friendly and knowledgeable about each dish, ingredient even. They looked on top of it, really organised. We never ran out of anything.

We went for the 7 course "Prestige Menu", were shown the box of truffles as it is in season, we also had the pumpkin soup served on the slate and it was the tastiest soup ever. The rest was just unbelieable (and the menu was quite flexible we were all able to swap certain things.)

They have somehting called "pre-dessert" which is just brilliant, isn't it, the best part is that you have that "pre-dessert", followed by dessert, followed by a fruity surprise, followed by another dessert and then some chocolate :D

We trusted the sommelier to choose a decent wine for us within our budget and were brought fantastic white and red for £30 per bottle

As someone else said before, the atmosphere is not stuffy but rather attentive, "cool" in a "Roger Moore" way.

The decor was really well thought out, simple with attention to detail.

Gordon Ramsay himself was there which was a bonus!!

This restaurant is definitely very special and they make it look so natural, the way food should be really. I will always remember it.
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Sylvaine
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, February 01, 2008

My wife & I had lunch at Gordon Ramsays flagship restaurant today 28/01/08.

After the recommended 2 calender month wait we anticipated an amazing dining experience and although the food was not terrible in any sense we were also not "blown away" by it.

We arrived about 15 minutes early and were seated straight away, the staff were extremely courteous and efficient and to some extent over helpful. I could not say they were intrusive but I felt it was unneccessary to top up my water glass everytime I took a sip. I appreciate that the staff are trying to be attentive but in my opinion this was overkill.

We ordered a starter and main course and were served a complimentary pumpkin soup with small bread bun and a dab of pate on an oval shaped slate platter with silver infills for the food to be placed on. This was very tasty, particularly with the wild mushrooms adding body and texture to the soup.

For the starter we both had the Fois gras which arrived looking like a piece of art rather than food with small seasonal vegetables lined up around it and drizzled in a creamy sauce, also this came with a slice of grilled foccacia.

I was expecting to be amazed by the flavours on the plate but I have to be honest it was not the so called king of pate's I expected. The vegetables were tenderly cooked and complimented the fois gras.

For the main course we both chose the pork three ways and although the portions were small the taste was very good in a combination of different textures and served on a bed of spinach.

Finally we came to dessert. I had the caramelised pear tarte Tatin with banana and walnut ice cream and found the pears to be overcooked and soggy and the tarte base was very tough and burnt underneath to a point that even the rich but slightly sickly chocolate sauce poured around the tarte could not disguise the burnt taste. The staff were shocked when they saw that we had left the majority of our desserts but as we are not comfortable with complaining we just said we were full.

In all our lunch came to £115 with a bottle of water and a glass of wine, I didnt mind paying this for lunch but sadly I could not say that the food was world class. I will not be returning.
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7
Monday, January 28, 2008

Our visit, on my wife's Birthday, surpassed our wildest expectations. From beginning to end we thouroughly enjoyed ourselves.

The staff are the friendliest people you will meet, from the young lady who greeted us to Jean-Claude, the Maitre'D, they made it a special day.

The attention to detail is remarkable. The tables, the service ,the friendly but not too familiar conversation every time a course is delivered. Nothing is too much trouble.

But the food! Ah the food. It takes food to a different level. The depth of flavour, the combinations and presentation make it a sublime experience.

We choose the £40 three course menu and could have eaten every starter and main course!

We enjoyed a comlimentary "pre starter" of pumpkin soup with truffle and parmesan froth. Served with brioche and mushroom butter. I hve never tasted anything like it.

It just got better and better and when a very friendly English waiter brought my wife a sorbet with a candle in it, we were hooked for the future.

But there was more!! Four small strawberry balls of ice cream encased in vanilla chocolate served on dry ice had us floating on air. We will return!
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Paul Reid
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, January 26, 2008

What can I add to the previous reviews? It is more than you think it will be, the food is outstanding and, for those doubters, you really can taste the difference. The service is perfection, the staff, and there's a lot of them, are ever vigilent to your needs, pre-empting you like mind readers! The thing is that the team are not pompous in the slightest - they are even slightly humble, very proud of what they do and very enthusiastic about sharing the wonders of beautiful food with the rest of us!

We celebrated my 40th birthday here and every penny was worth it. My husband had arranged for my gifts (2 of them!! I was agog) to be served by the waiters - a diamond eternity ring with the starter and then diamond earings with the desert! Can you imagine!!! The staff were genuninely thrilled to be part of this and we too were invited into the kitchen and met Mark Askew, the top man! An amazing experience all round.

A note about reservations - its just persistance and a bit of luck - start ringing at 8.50 am and don't hang up the moment you hear a recorded voice - the one that gets you through is recorded but sounds a little different so listen up!!
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amanda pyper
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, December 29, 2007

Went to Ramsays at Royal Hospital Road for my wifes birthday and it was awesome. We had the set-lunch and every course impressed. The service was top-notch and the attention to detail was very professional. We even had a kitchen tour to finish off and met the Head Chef. Not overly expensive at £150 for the two of us incl wine, water and coffees, and as it was so good, we saw it as value for money ! The best restaurant we have been to including other Michelin starred places.
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Johnners - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, December 12, 2007

In a word: unbelievable.

Every single piece of food was the best example I have ever tasted. I won't go into detail, but more than one dish was so good I was grinning like a child before I even tasted it.

The service was immaculate, and thankfully not in the least condescending. They found the perfect blend between being there when needed, yet not getting the way (if only some more waiters would realise we don't want to be asked how the food is just as we take the first bite!).

The place was much smaller than I expected but unlike some who felt crowded, I found this made it more warm and friendly. The only annoyance was a late table of Americans who arrived and were clearly making the most of the company credit card.

Yes the place is expensive, but it is absolutely worth the money. I've paid nearly the same amount for the standard 3 courses just because the name was in vogue - in terms of quality, Ramsay's is so far ahead it almost seems absurd to call it a restaurant.
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Mike
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Friday, December 07, 2007