Gordon Ramsay At 68 Royal Hospital Road

Had a high expectation of the restaurant as we have been to more than 30 Michelin 3-star around the world in the last two years. Gordon was in the kitchen that night, but I have to say it was just an average meal. We expected a bit more and for ₤110 per head, there are definitely many other places where you would get a better experience of a lifetime! Having said so, their lunch menu is good value for money.
Comment on this reader review

FineDiningExplorer - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Sunday, April 13, 2008

Dined here last night with 3 friends.

I have to say that it is the best meal I have ever had at a resturant -

Starter - Pan-fried Scottish scallops with a millefeuille of potato, parmesan veloute and truffle 8/10.

Main - Barbary duck, cooked pink and with lovely flavour, served with creamed savoy cabbage, chestnuts, beetroot, turnips, black trumpet mushrooms and Madeira jus 10/10

Desert - Granny Smith parfait with honeycomb, bitter chocolate and champagne foam. Amazing - 10/10

Plenty of extras and great wine

£167 per head, but worth the treat.
Comment on this reader review

nakedlunch - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Saturday, April 12, 2008

Mhmmmm. Dinner was amazing !

The restaurant faces the street, with white flowers outside flanking the windows. A top hatted doorman opens the outside door, and then you pass through the second door, down a short hallway and into a small bar/reception area.

Immediately, the charm and stellar service begin. The entire Gordon Ramsay experience starts out with polish and panache, a precursor of a truly lovely dinner and evening.

The maitre d' greets me and ushers me into an intimate, carpeted room that appears to seat perhaps up to 50 guests.

Cream walls with a discreet edging of gilt, offset by equally tasteful mirrors subtly done.

Elaborate crown molding, silk and sheer shades on the windows, cunning small prism lamps on the walls, everything is soft, warm, intimate.

Double tablecloths on each table, 3 white rose buds in a silver vase, a glass oil lamp throws gentle light on the flowers.

There is a silver/gilt 'charger' plate on the table, the color of which harmonizes with the interior of the room. White bone china with rippling edges, and silverware heavy enough to feel real.

A refrigerated holder to keep your bottle of flat or sparkling water chilled. Lemon slices brought on a plate on the side. Already I am spoiled, and it just continues.

I think there were 4 different waiters just for my table alone. At least it felt that way - service is an art form here.

Plus a different waiter brought a selection of freshly baked sourdough, olive or wheat bread to the table. With stamped rounds of both salted and unsalted butter brought, each on a small silver plate with a butter knife.

The sommelier asked about my wine preferences. Not a flicker of dismay crossed his well trained face as I told him I'd just be drinking water :)

Everyone was so polite, helpful, solicitous. You can order a la carte, or they have different 8 course tasting menus.

I was in the mood for vegetables, so chef happily obliged... It is NOT Gordon Ramsay himself anymore.

An amuse bouche was brought, melt in your mouth avocado something in a tiny tuile. It was FABULOUS.

They kept replacing the silverware for each course. Quiet, pampering, this is an experience with a capital E.

Another amuse bouche - an individual, melt in your mouth ravioli in consomme with tiny diced vegetables, garnished with a nickel sized slice of black truffle.

Then a frisee of baby lettuce salad with artichoke heart, carrot, apple, and a truffle vinaigrette made me moan (quietly) with pleasure.

Asparagus risotto followed.

Every detail is perfect at this restaurant. It just doesn't get better.

Stuffed baby red peppers with ratatouille followed, with the thinnest of Pecorino shavings, basil puree and red pepper vinaigrette.

Dime sized potatoes that melted in my mouth. (I keep saying that, and it is true :)

Six tiny individual coils of onion rings as delicate as fishing wire garnish baby vegetables.

Broccolini, baby carrots, artichoke hearts, spinach, celery root and button mushrooms, each so fresh it tastes as though they were picked from a garden not an hour ago.

Exquisite jasmine tea was brewed for me at the table in a glass pot, where the tea was a flower bud that expanded in the water as it steeped.

And then, ohhhhhh yes, dessert. Or desserts, to be more accurate.

A small glass jar of creme brulee. But not just any ordinary creme brulee. The kind of creme brulee you'll remember for a long, long, long time.

So sinfully good, not too sweet, just a perfect blend of apple and pear, dusted with bittersweet chocolate on the top.

Then another dessert. An edible piece of art on a plate - a bitter chocolate and hazelnut cylinder, with ginger ice cream and blackberry granite.

Incredibly, more followed.

Pineapple and coconut 'soup' with chili syrup they had me drink through a glass straw. Silver dusted chocolate balls. White chocolate covered strawberry ice cream balls. Raspberry sorbet garnished with microfine chocolate stripes. Turkish delight lemon-flavored squares.

Somehow, I managed to try a bite of each :)

The attention to detail, the freshness of the ingredients, the presentation, the service, the atmosphere, all of it combine to make for an experience to last for a lifetime.
Comment on this reader review

Loving Annie - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Thursday, April 03, 2008

I have been to Royal Hospital Road probably around 8 times over the past six years and am sad to report a gradual deterioration in the quality of food served there. Ramsay (and his proteges) cook to a formula which is now growing a little tired.

Expect a good meal but not one that will stun you - a shame at the sort of money being charged.
Comment on this reader review

Arun Velusami
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Wednesday, April 02, 2008

The best example of fine dining I have come across. Along with The Fat Duck, the best restaurant I have been to. From start to finish, this place exudes class. I have been twice and this was before it has been refurbished so I cannot speak for the new interior decor, but the service is outstanding. I would not normally notice the service as being good, more efficient, but the way these people do their job is a joy to watch, certainly adding to the enjoyment. The food on both occasions was from the Menu Prestige and was exceptional, all however many courses it was. So much intensity of flavour, so exciting visually, great attention to detail and the cheeseboard to end all cheeseboards.

This all happened at least two years ago, but has never been bettered, only rivalled by The Fat Duck as a dining experience.
Comment on this reader review

Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, April 01, 2008

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).
View/Add comments (1)

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.
View/Add comments (1)

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.
Comment on this reader review

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.
Comment on this reader review

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.
Comment on this reader review

Sylvaine
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, February 01, 2008