Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester

We had the taster menu on Wednesday 16th of January at Alain Ducasse the Dorchester and the only thing that is memorable about it is the bill.

I must admit that the service was attentive – but the food did not have the ‘wow’ factor that I would expect from a 3 star Michelin restaurant and a £380 bill.

The only time I thought any of the food was ‘divine’ was the last dish which was a fruity sorbet, the rest was either okay, very salty or just quite nice.

Honestly, one of the courses was brussels sprouts leaves and cabbage on a damp duxelle of mushrooms covered in melted cheese!

I am truly disappointed and thinking what a waste of money it was – especially since my husband and I had saved up to come as a Christmas present to each other.

It is a classic case of Alain Ducasse, 3 star Michelin restaurant at the Dorchester being ‘product oriented’ rather than ‘marketing oriented’. They will not be able to rely on this reputation unless they satisfy customers needs and wants, which they are currently not doing.

What a waste of money - but at least we will remember it for that !
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D Moore
5 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 0
Sunday, January 20, 2013

I had high expectations going to this restaurant.

To make it short - every star is fully deserved.

Creative and amazing food ***

Service is attentive, but not invasive. ***

Value for money ***

Would I go back? Oh yes. Actually I can't wait to go again.
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jensk
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, October 12, 2012

Went here for lunch and choose the 4 course a la carte for £100. I sat at the window in the corner which was nice as i was dining solo. However there was a wedding party behind me in a private room so it was a bit noisy with screaming kids.

My dishes were:

Amuse bouche of sea urchin

Starter of lobster, truffled chicken quenelles and homemade pasta

Fish of simmered halibut, celeriac, shellfish and squid

Rib and saddle of venison Grand-Veneur, pumpkin, beetroot and quince

Pre-dessert of chocolates, macaroons and fudge pieces

Chocolate souffle, vanilla ice cream

Each one was delicious. The stand out dish was the starter (it's one of Mr Ducasse's signature dishes). The lobster went amazingly with the jaw-dropping delicious pasta.

The service was excellent, efficient and friendly. The manager came round to introduce herself and welcome me back to the restaurant. Still no kitchen tour though!
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Mr CM
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Friday, April 13, 2012

I booked at the Alain Ducasse for my 40 birthday, as I wanted to treat myself an my companion to a great Ducasse's culinary experience.

I have to admit that, although the service was impeccable, I left the place very disappointed by the food!

Mixing too many flavours in a dish seemed to be the common denominator, unfortunately not with the aim to provide the customer with the ultimate gastronomic experience. In fact, the result of putting together the most luxurious ingredients such as lobster and Alba truffle was simple wrong!

This is definitely not a 3 Michelin star restaurant - in fact, even one could be a robbery. And an average dinner with 2 starters, 2 mains, a small birthday cake and 2 glasses of Champagne at the price of £350 was indeed a robbery!
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PP
6 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 4
Saturday, March 03, 2012

Exquisite service and an amazingly plush decor.

Having eaten at most of the michelin starred restaurants in London, including the pair of 3 michelin starred restaurants in Bray I must agree with a previous comment left here - namely that one should manage their expectations carefully before venturing to this restaurant. The food was distinctly mediocre.

The Michelin stars on this occassion have clearly been awarded to Mr Ducasse and not to the restaurants food.

Go for the experience and to say that you have been if you are that way inclined otherwise worth giving this one a wide berth.
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KB - View all reviews by this user
6 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 3
Friday, July 08, 2011

I wish I had the typing skills and / or time to write a proper review but I don't so all I will say is that we had a wonderful lunch at Alain Ducasse today, me, my wife and my daughter.

It more than lived up to our expectations in every respect. I would wholeheartedly recommend it for a special experience. The whole experience from the moment you arrive at the Dorchester is special. We will go back for sure!
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David Moed
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Thursday, May 26, 2011

The best advice I can give to anyone considering dining at Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester is decide in advance what exactly you're looking for in the experience. This might sound odd but a trip to a very expensive French restaurant, awarded with 3 Michelin Stars, means the diner is likely to arrive with a certain amount of expectations and the only way to get the most out of this is to decide why you're really going there.

Service - it's faultless. It is amazing and the best we've ever experienced. The staff will do ANYTHING to ensure your experience is wonderful. Examples of this include... seating us an hour after our booking, to let us enjoy a drink at the Dorchester Bar first... complimentary champagne... letting us change tables according to our preference (despite it being a busy Friday night)... giving us a second amuse bouche simply because really enjoy the first one... the list goes on.

Food - it's undeniably very good, but not the very best we've had. The cooking at Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley, or the Ledbury in Notting Hill, and even Claridges with only 1 Michelin Star seemed to be better. That's not to say it's NOT good but it's hard to see why it deserves the third Michelin star when others do not. Perhaps it's the service. The biggest frustration is the steep £10 supplement that is applied to a dish like beef for the main courses - you can understand it perhaps with something like lobster, but beef? Additionally, Ducasse's meat and fish signature main courses are only available at the supplemented cost. It gives the sense of "yes - you can try his best cooking, but you'll pay for it". Not quite right when you're already paying £78 for a 3 course meal. The biggest frustration before is the limitation of the meat options, of which there were only 4; one option was pigeon, another was pork with pig's ear, black pudding and tongue; another was veal (which you probably wouldn't opt for if you knew how it was produced...); and finally, the beef - which you must pay £10 more for. No poultry, no lamb, no game - it seemed surprising.

Value - whilst the service includes amuse bouches, delightful cheese puffs, home baked macaroons and so on, the price is expensive versus the ingredients used. £78 for 3 courses is in iself understandable at this type of restaurant, but not with additional £10 supplements. The wine list is ludicrous. 1 bottle of red wine at £25, a few at £35 or £45 - and then the rest is generally over £80, £90 or even £100. Bottles at £450 or perhaps £3,500 are commonplace on the menu. It really defies belief.

Ambience - it's very pleasant, but perhaps an odd location within the Dorchester itself. On the Park Lane side, the blue flashing lights are frequent on a Friday night, as is the sight of traffic if you're dining during the daytime. I would've thought the Grill at the Dorchester should occupy this space and Alain Ducasse's restaurant should occupy the Grill's area.

So to sum up, it's a mixed bag. If you're looking for service above anything else - you won't be disappointed it. If you're looking for the best cooking in London, the 3 Michelin stars sadly doesn't guarantee that. If you're looking for diversity with the pricing of the wine line - that just doesn't existp; similarly, if you're looking for a restaurant with innovative and creative decor, you might be disappointed. Therefore, it's best to be fully informed and aware of the shortcomings... and if you don't mind the downsides, you'll have a wonderful and truly memorable experience.
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Dom
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Monday, May 23, 2011

This was my third visit to this restaurant and my birthday. I was so pleased to find the food improved from my last visit.. On my first visit the restaruant had only just opened and the food was exquisite and nothing I have tasted since has been a good.

I am difficult to please in that I cannot eat eggs, milk and cheese. They made a chocolate and cream cake that I could eat - and the overall meal was extremely delicious, all four of us on the table having chosen the menu "degustation" rather than the a la carte. The service was attentive (except for the seving of water, which ran out early in the meal) and our table was not in an ideal location - up on the platform in the corner and I was facing the wall as only two of us were able to see the restaurant and naturally these chairs went to our guests. A table more central would have been preferable on my birthday. The restaurant, however, was full, but whoever aranges the seating needs to give the allocation of tables more thought.

My only serious complaint was that the red wine list was ridiculously ovepriced and the quality, for the most part, mediocre, so we changed back to pink champagne, which was infinitely preferable through lack of sensible choice.

I shall visit again this year - we were regular clients when it was The Terrace, although the overall atmospher was better then than now.
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Chrissie090
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, March 09, 2011

I was unsure about going here, but it seemed the right place for a celebratory lunch. In short, it was. Food was incredible. Possibly the best example of classic cooking I've eaten. Service was perfect. The table settings more than made up for the beige-ness of the room. And £50 for 3 courses of brilliant food with interesting wines is an absolute steal. I don't normally give 10/10, but it is well deserved here.
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Dan - View all reviews by this user
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, February 16, 2011

We had the set lunch for two that is really super value for money. The food is obviously good, nice selection of different flavours. Staff very attentive and nice and some nice wines. But the big question is how it competes with Hospital Road...... and it doesn't, Ramsay is just more stylish, tastier and the food superior, but this is a good second option.
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dnw
8 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, January 05, 2011