Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's

im very sorry but i strongly disagree with that review. me and my girlfriend have been in there just today and could not fault one single thing in the way of food or service, everything woz completely spot on and as i left i didnt feel my bill woz enough for what i experienced. some people are just to hard to please and im sorry but there is no need for it with this restaurant. One more thing!!!!! it was gordon ramsay that gave me the inspiration to be a chef so i had high hopes for my visit and i was not let down, ive been doin in 9 years now and ave neva looked back. if i ever have a chance to work in one of his restaurants i would do it with the snap of a finger. he is my hero, and he has done really well for himself.
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Mr C P Mellon
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, October 12, 2010

This was our second time at Gordon Ramsays at Claridges. The first time we went a couple of years ago the food was exquisite, this time the food was very good but not nearly so memorable , maybe a change of Chef?

We were staying the weekend at the Hotel for a birthday celebration and had booked this and our Gordon Ramsay reservation several months previously.

Our biggest problem was that we were squeezed onto a table that quite obviously did not have the required space around it and should not have been there. We were nearer to the couple on the table beside us than we were to each other. In order to try and rememdy this we shuffled our chairs closer together around the table so that we could hold a conversation without having to lean three feet each way to do so. We were continallly jostled and bumped by staff trying to reach other tables and the highlight was when the waiter serving our meal bumped the trolly into our chairs and said, "can you move!" No please, thank you or excuse me at all! Understandably I said quite vociferously ,"no I cant move, this table shouldnt have been squeezed in like this" The waiter left and we were very quickly approached by an assistant manager, Tania. To be fair to her she was very sympathetic and on finding out it was my wifes birthday gave us a tour of the kitchen (done it before), an old signed Gordon Ramsay cookbook and a chocolate fondant with a candle on it. Hurrah! She then offered to move us to another table but as we had already eaten the main course and the evening had been spoiled for us we declined .

That was it two hundred and fifty pounds for a memorably spoiled evening by a resteraunt penny pinching and squeezing an extra table in where there should not have been one. We have seen restaurateurs on Gordon Ramsays TV programs refund entire bills for less than we went through.

Not good enough at all. Gordon Ramsay needs to practice what he preaches.
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A Couple - View all reviews by this user
7 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 5
Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Massive emphasis on the Gordon Ramsay 'experience', including the 'have you been to Gordon Ramsay at Claridges before' shtick, an opening suitable for a Harvester, but not really for Claridges, 'was it good' about every 10 minutes, patronising statements about what you just ordered and are about to eat, and although there are lots of staff around (probably too many), relatively few were at the level of quiet slickness and competence you would expect at a restaurant costing £100 a head. I successfully identified one of the cheeses, so about a 5% mark there, but this led to a nauseatingly oleaginous grovel that I was clearly a major cheese expert, which I'm certainly not. The wine list on an iPad will appeal to Blackberry-wielding city slickers and the oriental tourists who formed about 40% of the clientele on this particular Sunday evening, but as another reviewer mentioned -- what's the point? (Actually, it looks as if one of the points is that you are supposed to be so overwhelmed with the technology that you forget it is their job to help you out with choosing your wine -- the only comment our waiter made was that using this stunning technology I could scroll through the whole wine-list; presumably I wouldn't be able to turn the pages of a conventional wine-list.) Presumably because we said this was our first time (and, I can assure readers, our last) we were given a perfunctory 3-minute tour of the kitchen, which seemed to contain a lot of rather miserable staff, including the chef (but it was Sunday evening).

The food is satisfactory for this kind of restaurant, but really nothing special, and you certainly don't leave feeling satisfactorily full. My 5 cm square of duck confit wouldn't pass muster in a routine brasserie in France, and all the dishes seemed to be only about 50% bigger than the microscopic portions of nouvelle cuisine some of us remember from 30 years ago. There is also an ancient penchant for silly square platters, including a slate square for my salmon starter (which was pretty good, though the horsradish ice-cream had melted quite a bit). The two nice but routine amuses-bouche were almost as filling as the courses.

We were jostled out in a very pleasant way for coffee in the piano bar while the next sitting of thrilled tourists were hustled in. One American guy was very proud that he had dropped sufficient names to get himself a table around 8-00 pm without a booking. I assume that achievement will have been on his Facebook/blog page within minutes.

Not good enough; at this price everything should be exquisite. Too much flash, and too many loud, over-attentive waiting staff. About a third of the clientele were dressed appropriately for a great London hotel, another third looked as if it was their foreplay for clubbing, and the remainder didn't seem to be able to hold up their jeans.
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David Levy
5 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 2
Monday, October 04, 2010

Don't waste your time and money... far better on offer in London.

Only time we saw our server was to be given a caution 3 times that we only had the table for 2 hours. After that we had to fend for ourselves.

Great venue, good food, bad service.
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Mr Unsatisfied Customer
5 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 2
Thursday, September 23, 2010

I've been here a couple of times now and to be fair, you mainly pay for the experience. Unlike some other reviews I wouldn't go as far as to say the food wasn't good, but it doesn't blow you away. It is very nice! Especially the lobster and salmon ravioli! Oh yes!!

Service is excellent and staff are friendly. Wine list is on an iPad! Which even at an age of 25, I didn't like. What's the point!! Plus no description of the wine!

Now I've been twice I'm reluctant to go again. The only reason for this is that I will go to other fine dining London restaurants. If you love Ramsay and haven't been. Definately go!!

Service= Amazing

Atmosphere/Setting = Amazing

Food = Great!

Value for Money = It's Gordon Ramsay at Claridges! What do you expect! You're looking at £100 per head easily.
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David C
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Saturday, September 04, 2010

My wife and my first visit on Wednesday evening mid August. Very attentive and friendly staff - but not condescending or over-fussy. Excellent food - especially the various freebie courses ! - well presented and complimentary flavours.

Really enjoyed the experience, thank you.
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9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Monday, August 30, 2010

What has happened to Claridges?

Lovely room, received by happy attentive staff and then the food arrives and it all goes wrong.

I had probably the best meal I've ever had here in 2002. The restaurant now doesn't come close.

Not once were we asked how the meal was - I'm guessing the staff do this so as to avoid complaints. Unheard of in a restaurant with these prices.

The menu states 'Rack of Cumbrian Lamb'. Rack. Everyone knows what a rack is. What arrives is 1 cutlet and a small rolled tube of foul tasting pulled meat. Dreadful. That's 1 cutlet for £40 (it's £70 per head, so I'm gessing starter £20, main £40, dessert £10). The Seabass fillet had bones in it. The foie gras tasted of nothing - certainly not foie gras. Everything else was tasteless and boring.

They took the fish off the bill, but only after I complained and just ignored my concerns with the lamb. The maitre d lied to me, saying it's the same head chef as they had in 2002 so the food should be the same quality. Steve Allen is not Mark Sargeant.

The desserts were nice thankfully - otherwise we would have left feeling hungry.

Come on Gordon - if he ate here he would go balistic if his culinary standards are still what they were. It's clear to see now why they lost the Michelin star. Avoid.
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Paul
4 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 2
Sunday, August 15, 2010

Nice restaurant.

Extremely well trained staff.

When you have a special occasion to celebrate the staff will give you that extra bit of attention that makes it more special.
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Véronique Stokx - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Thursday, August 05, 2010

My partner and I dined at Claridges last week for our anniversary and had a wonderful meal. The service was excellent, not too fussy.

Had a drink at the fumoir first which was lovely, art deco bar with amazing cocktails and not too expensive at around 14.50 each.

The only disappointment was the bread was not completely fresh, but the main meals (3 courses for £70.00) was cooked perfectly. I had fish with caviar sauce whilst my partner had lamb, which also looked excellent.

Recommended
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9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, August 03, 2010

Ambience very nice, staff very pleasant. We had the six course evening meal. I can honestly say that I did not enjoy any of it. It was 80.00 per head. I would have paid 15.00 per head. How can Gordon Ramsay preach to restaurants about the food they serve when his own restaurant is serving such rubbish. I will never go back there, it was a rip off. This was a treat for my birthday and I was so very disappointed.
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Elaine Marcham
4 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 0
Saturday, July 17, 2010