Gordon Ramsay at 68 Royal Hospital Road

What we did like: We went for the “menu degustation”. Some of the dishes were very good (eg. Beef Wellington, Panna Cotta).

What we didn’t like: Globally, we were completely dumbfounded that the Michelin awards 3 stars to this restaurant.

At the time of booking, the restaurant asked for payment by credit card of around £500 as an “advanced booking fee” since we were 5 people. I suspect this is to build up the feeling of booking with a “low-cost airline” that one would expect from Michelin starred establishments.

We were literally rubbing elbows with the people on the table next door. I can understand that Mr. Ramsay likes to maximise the profits on his investment, but is that really what we should expect from a 3 star restaurant?

The service was incredibly slow. The staff were clearly too concerned about those who had come for the lunch menu and had forgotten about others like us who had foolishly opted for the “menu degustation”. This meant that the poor waiters felt they had to fill up our glasses literally after each sip - which as a result was incredibly annoying.

The sommelier was completely disinterested and either didn’t feel like informing us about the wines, or perhaps didn’t know. In any case he was useless. The “maitre d’hôtel” was not at all genuine, he should take smiling lessons. Furthermore, he told us that the chef could prepare for us a Beef Wellington with truffles as an alternative to the main dish in the menu. Either they forgot the truffles, or the chap was telling tales. That said, the Beef Wellington was very good even without the truffles.

As they had forgotten about us, we were the last to finish our meal at around 4-5pm. It is often the case that when we treat ourselves to 3 star restaurants, meals wind up around 4-5pm so this is usually not a problem. Here, however, it was made very clear that they wanted us to leave – they brought us the bill before we asked for it and they informed us that they needed to prepare the table for the evening. This I have never experienced before in a Michelin 3 star restaurant. Astonishing!

We are big fans of the Michelin Guide, and continue to use it as a reference for other countries. However, the fact that Michelin UK has felt it appropriate to award this Gordon Ramsey restaurant 3 stars for so many years completely discredits their reputation and very much calls into question the rating by the Michelin of other establishments in the capital, if not also elsewhere in the UK.
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 4
Saturday, April 04, 2009

Everything we thought it would be and more! After a couple of bad restaurant experiences recently, we were looking forward to this with some trepidation, but we were not to be disappointed.

The service was impeccable, just the right level of helpfulness. They knew when they were needed and when to stand back. The waiter who we had for the meal was friendly and gave excellent descriptions of the food.

The food was out of this world, from the amuse bouche of pumpkin ravioli through to the mango and passionfruit fizzing 'cocktail' before the dessert to the chocolates which had a Willy Wonka feel about them!

The three courses were all a delight to eat, with each mouthful being something to savour. We were originallly going to go on the set lunch menu but were swayed (by ourselves!) to go on the main a la carte menu.

I would definitely recommend this restaurant, for a special occasion if you need the excuse! As another reviewer wrote on here though, it will make every other restaurant pale in comparison!!
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Cathy Chaplin - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Thursday, February 19, 2009

Trust me, (I'm not a doctor!) but the GR's Hospital Road restaurant is the medicine that all fine food addicts should be having a regular dose of. I'll dispense with the medical connections now (there I go again!) and simply insist that you take this prescription to SW3 and indulge yourself in a gastronomic delight. This restaurant exceeds all expectations, delivering quality fine dining, superbly attentive but not intrusive service in a relaxed and wonderfully freindly atmosphere.

My wife and I are still recovering.... from a fantastic evening.

Thankyou Jean-Claude and the team.
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Keith Lewis
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, February 11, 2009

this is the restaurant to which all others should be compared

everything from the food to the decor to the service is perfection and you will honestly not feel at all resentful about the price that comes with it

if you havent tried this place you havent lived
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kay and james - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, December 16, 2008

I went with five family members last Friday night as a sequel to a dinner at the Fat Duck in 2005. That was going to take some beating. This did it. What an experience.

If you are going to (at the time of writing) London's only 3 Michelin starred restaurant, then be prepared to spend some serious money. This is a one off experience, a place to impress and be impressed, not the type of place that even if I could afford it that I would want to dine at with any regularity.

There is a serene and sophistictated atmoshpere, definitely not for those that like a more Zuma/The Ivy type buzz.

We all had the menu prestige which was superb, most notably the seared foie gras and sweetbreads and the scallops with parmesan gnocchi and octopus carpaccio. The latter was supplemented at our discretion by white Alba grated truffle but beware - that this in itself is an extra £45 per person. Worth it for the sheer decadence though.

The service was immaculate; Jean Claude Breton providing an warm and charming Gallic welcome which immediately put us at ease in what can otherwise be perceived as a very formal restaurant.

I cannot think which restaurant will be able to beat RHR but I will do my best to find it.
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Rick Brown
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, December 08, 2008

Over the years we've been coming here (and thats a few, since we much enjoyed Pierre Koffman's Tante Claire when it occupied these premises before) this is quite simply my favourite restaurant. I. my wife and family have tried pretty much all the restaurants that some guide books say are better, or have now surpassed this place. But they just don't. Not in our view anyway. And certainly not over a few visits.

In what must be fifteen to twenty visits I can't think ofone occasion on which I have become even momentarily anxious about the service- polite, timed pretty perfectly, and unobtrusive. Certainly not snobby. The restaurant is nicely decorated though I find the current incarnation after its refurbishment a couple of years or so ago to be a little bland. That seems to be todays trend and though this style wouldn't necessarily be my choice, I could not quibble with the execution. There are no bad tables.

I can't remember any single dish that was cooked less than very well, or presented badly. Whilst obviously one enjoys certain dishes more than others ( the ox-cheek has been a standout for me) I've never had a dish I didn't finish or didn't appreciate, even when I've been looking across at my wife's choice and feeling envious. The thing that marks this restaurant for me is the combination of the intensity of flavours and the fact that you get this without overpowering the other items on the plate. Everything really tastes. Its how food should be. I might have seen this combination elswhere from time to time, at Petrus maybe, or Tom Aikens. But there its a pinnacle. Here its the norm.
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David Henderson - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Sunday, November 23, 2008

I had lunch at the restaurant on 30th October 2008. as a birthday treat and the experience was sublime from the service to the food. The staff could not have been more attentive and what a wonderful attitide they all had. It really came over that they were there to ensure you had the best dining experience that they couild possibly give you. Such a difference from some overpriced patronising establishments that it has been my misfortune to eat in prior to my visit here.

The food was a revelation and words cannot easily describe the sensory experience that the a la carte menu provided, The amuse bouche were delightful and the two signature dishes that we chose were a revelation.

The only drawback that I can find about the whole experience is the fact that it has killed any desire to eat anywhere else. After all where would one be able to find another restaurant of this standard.
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Pamela Kendall
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Saturday, November 01, 2008

We have been lucky enough to eat at Michelin star restaurants in both London and Paris and we were wondering what restaurant Gordon Ramsay would be able to offer to justify its three stars, well when we left the restaurant we were in no doubt. We had experienced the pinnacle in haute cuisine. The food was amazing. We selected the Menu Prestige and were not disappointed. Each of the seven course were an absolute delight and the amuse bouche was what started to reveal to us the difference between a three star restaurant and the rest. The Sommelier's pairings were perfect and adding to an already perfect menu. And then there was the service of the wait staff. I have never seen anything like it. If the French or the English were to recruit Ramsay's staff to their national synchronized swimming teams, they would be assured an Olympic gold.

Claire Smyth is everything she is reputed to be and some.

Thank you to all the staff and Claire for the ultimate dining experience.
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Richard Katter
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Thursday, October 09, 2008

Food: the food was spectacular, from the amuse-bouches to the petits fours. When I had the first pre-starter, in fact, I commented that that one alone was worth the first £50 of the bill. My girlfriend agreed. I had the cold foie gras as a starter, which was probably the best foie gras-based dish I have ever had in my life: sophisticated and constructed sublimely, the outcome was a dream. Had pigeon as a main, which was not just an amazing piece of meat: it was again a dish that had been engineered to perfection, like a symphony of tastes. Every other course was grand as well. My girlfiend did point out that her dinner, which was fish-centric, was excellent but not life-changing. She said GR reaches the highest pinnacles with meat rather than fish, which I think is slightly unfair, but to be respected.

Service: service was perhaps the only element of the experience that beats even the food. The staff are etremely attentive and always anticipating every request; they are in sufficient numbers to guarantee different styles of attention for different needs. The restaurant manager is brilliant, a fantastic professional. But the nicest thing about the experience was the complete absence of stuck-up-ness in everyone there. Everyone is friendly just to the right point: not too much, not too little: they seem to really care about you having a brilliant night out, they do not take themselves too seriously, but nevertheless they are pretty perfect in everything they do.

Ambience: the white little room is lovely, and pretty much in line with some of the world's top dining rooms in terms of size and number of tables (12). The noise level at the beginning was way too high, which was quite disappointing, but it was mainly generated by a table of rude Americans who obviously thought they were very important because they were dining there, and felt the urge of being noticed by everyone else. In this sense, we were unlucky to be there the same night as they were: the blame can not go on the restaurant.

Value: £475 for two people, but we did have very expensive wines, and lots of them. We could have easily got away with £350, which, given the level of the food and service, the prestige of the restaurant, and the fact it is in central London, would have been excellent value, considering how easily you can shell out the same amount for uninspiring food.
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Edoardo Tealdi
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, October 01, 2008

the restaurant's three michelin stars and current no.1 Zagat food ranking prompted our choice for my birthday dinner for two... hoping for a special meal in a nice and relaxing ambience, we were rather disappointed.... the food could be outstanding, but I felt unable to enjoy or judge it independently of how the place made me feel.

The small space with low ceiling is crampted with 16 tables, was filled with up to 50 diners even on a monday night and had about 8 staff buzzing around... with various conversations at surrounding tables forced upon us and an overall noise level comparable to (and acceptable in) a popular budget canteen-style chain restaurant, I could not get through my courses quickly enough, in order to get out of there... I would like to give the food the benefit of the doubt and consider the service appropriate, but there was none of the advertised intimate ambience in contemporary elegance... overall this will remain an expensive "been-there-done-that" visit. try gordon ramsay at claridge's instead for a nicer ambience and better value for money.
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 4
Tuesday, September 23, 2008