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Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's
Rating Details »
Category: Restaurants [Edit]
Neighbourhood: MayfairClaridge's Hotel
49 Brook St
London W1K 4HR
020 7499 0099
- Nearest Transit:
-
Bond Street (Central, Jubilee)
Oxford Circus (Bakerloo, Central, Victoria)
- Attire:
- Formal (Jacket Required)
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Valet
- Price Range:
-
££££
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Children:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
12 reviews for Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's
I never eat at restaurants of this caliber (or rather, I can't afford to), but being a big fan of Gordon Ramsay's TV shows, I knew I had to eat at one of his London restaurants while I was in the city to make the most out of my trip. My girlfriend called about a month in advance and all we could get was a 2:45 lunch reservation, which goes to show you how popular this place is.
In fine dining, service is what seperates the best from the rest and Claridge's exceeds every expectation I could ever have from servers at a restaurant. To say that they are punctual would be an understatement; I can recall several instance where I looked up to scan the room for our waiter, only to find him already approaching with whatever it was that I wanted. They obviously take pride in their work and they treat you as respected guests at their establishment, which really sets apart the typical dining experience where the customers are just streams of revenue flowing in and out.
Of course a restaurant like this can't float on service alone; the quality of the food has to be outstanding as well, considering the stratospheric prices on the menu. Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's will not disappoint here either, but I will be honest and confess that the seabass my girlfriend ordered was much better than the lamb that I had picked. The menu is everchanging and to get the most out of your dining experience, I would suggest asking the waiter for his recommendations. I was slightly disappointed that they didn't serve crabcakes during lunch as that is the de facto Gordon Ramsay appetizer, but at least I was able to order some very delicious and rich risotto.
Overall, the 3-hour lunch was more of an experience than just a meal. The excellent service and top-quality food in a beautiful location makes it worth every penny (although it's not something I can induldge daily). And to top it off, I have admit that I felt a bit elite being the youngest people there by at least a decade. If you are a traveler bound for London and you have the means, I'd highly recommend trying this place just to see what the fuss is about.
Nearly had the opportunity to go to his main restaurant, but GR @ Claridge's seemed a pretty good backup to get a taste of what the whole Ramsay experience is like. Claridge's is the most famous of his offshoot places in London, and proudly bears his name.
The interior looked a bit too high-class for my taste, although service wise, they did a great job at keeping tabs on everything. Perhaps a bit too much, though. It felt like there were eyes on us at all times from the wait staff, which makes actual relaxation a bit more difficult.
For a shot of the dining room - http://www.flickr.com/...
Decided to go with multi-courses instead of the tasting menu, due to the heaviness of seafood items in the tasting menu.
First course, butternut squash soup w/ truffles. Good, but pretty laughably small portion size, and wasn't amazing, either from a taste or texture side. Good, but reliant on the truffles for hits of flavour.
For a shot of this course - http://www.flickr.com/...
Second course, pork belly and scallop. Nicely done scallop, but the pork belly was too well done on the outside, leading to a dry, tough crust. Due to this, was difficult. Dish did have a flat, counted piece of pork as a side, which looked like a little bacon rainbow. +1 style points.
Intermission. Hey, they make a pretty good Old Fashioned. I indulged x2.
Dessert. Basil flavored custard and ice cream with blackberries. BASIL flavored. Surprisingly, not too bad, even with the heavy basil influence. Nice, but not a "wow" dessert. Solid, tasty, but not extremely satisfying. Hey, did did throw in some madelines and pate de fruit and various other sweet things, so overall worked out fine. Decent espresso, too.
The bill through. Dang. Sadly, not worth it in the end, although it is a good experience to have under one's belt.
One of the first things that was done in preparation for my trip to London, was to make a reservation to eat at one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants. It sounds like a very touristy thing to do, I know, but after watching Hell's Kitchen a couple of times on Fox (or Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares on BBC America) I had to see what all the hype was about.
My friend Stephanie and I read the set menu probably a dozen times before we went to Claridge's for lunch and they had apparently changed the menu before we got there so now there was a whole new selection to pick from.
The first thing that got my attention was the service. The place ran like clockwork. Everyone was dressed immaculately and there seemed to be at least 4 or 5 people who came by our table to provide us with different things and take different orders, yet we still knew who our actual waiter was since he checked on us quite frequently. I couldn't have possibly wanted anything for more than half a second and someone was there to take care of it. Spectacular service.
I fully admit, I expected spectacular food and I'm happy to report that I wasn't disappointed. I ordered a chicken dish for my main course and it was the most amazing thing I have ever put in my mouth. Well it was the most amazing thing I had ever put in my mouth... until dessert came.
For dessert, I ordered the honey creme brulee on a hazelnut cookie with a scoop of raspberry sorbet on top. Never in my life could I have imagined that anything could taste so delicious. It seemed like an odd combination but I figured that after the appetizer and main (and a salad that was "compliments of the chef") that the guy knew his stuff. He does. I have dreams about that dessert -- surely that's not healthy.
Everyone says that Gordon Ramsay is kind of... well, kind of a jerk. What I've seen of him on TV doesn't really dispute that but if the food I made tasted that delicious, I wouldn't accept anything less either.
This place was not more than OK. I can say with certainty that I have had much, much better. An addition to my disappointment is that anyone that has watched TV would know and expect a lot from a chef of such calibre as Gordon Ramsay.
The service, though friendly and helpful, was slow. The ambiance was elegant and tasteful, but that is not what a restaurant is all about (I could say I enjoyed myself more at the Hiramatsu in Paris or a saimin joint in Hawaii). So we get to the food: it was fine. I remember a pork belly, which was actually good if you don't mind the fatty texture. The side was good, too, but aside from this I cannot remember anything too memorable (oh, and there was an excellent appetizer). The dessert was actually very good and innovative, but the overall experience was little more than mediocre. Again, especially for the status of this chef and the price.
If Ramsay had been there, I would most likely have heard him throwing a fit.
I was so disappointed! The food definitely did not live up to my expectations. Though the restaurant is beautiful, the tables are set too close to each other for my taste and the restaurant was too loud for a fine dining, 1-Michelin-star restaurant.
Food-- The dishes were consistently too salty for my taste. The scallop with corn, langoustine risotto, and the rabbit lasagne were all just OK -- not the best things I have eaten. The entrees, lamb and veal dishes were the worst lamb/veal dishes I have ever tried. The dishes just didnt work-- lacked balance and most importantly soul. My food tasted like it was just thrown together and the chef just didn't care how he prepared the dish.
Though, it's Gordon Ramsay's restaurant and despite the beautiful decor of the restaurant, I will not recommend this place.
1 star for the decor, 1 star for the 1/2 friendly wait staff.
I was so fortunate to get a reservation at a Gordon Ramsay restaurant. I originally wanted the one on Royal Hospital Rd, but it was completely booked. I didn't know that I needed to make a reservation TWO months in advance. However, I was extremely delighted in their communication with me via email (Valeria was her name) and accomodating us at the Claridge's location. They even called me in California from London to confirm my reservation! And let me tell you, I wouldn't have traded my experience for any other.
My husband and I were the first guests to arrive that evening. At first, it was awkward because all eyes were on us. I thought to myself, we're just gonna eat and run and this place won't even get packed 'til later at night when we're already gone... boy was I wrong! Apparently, it was a good thing we got an early reservation (6pm) cuz it was a 4hr dining experience. At one point, I even joked with my husband, "wouldn't it be great if we could see the kitchen?! "
We decided to go with the Prix Fixe Menu. I can't remember anything I ate, but it was DELISH! The staff was extremely attentive and courteous. The brits are such welcoming people. Almost every person that stopped by our table chatted with us, from the busboy to the restaurant manager. And you can tell they were genuine, not like LA/OC people who just want a fat tip later.
When we were finished with our meal, we were about to ask for our bill. The manager actually came over to us and asked if we were in a hurry to leave. I thought that was strange and of course we had no where to go, besides back to our hotel. The manager then asked if we would like to TOUR the kitchen! OMG! I was like, YA! Are you kidding?!
He lead us to the back. It was such a clean kitchen too! No one yelling or screaming or throwing stuff across the room. Well, Gordon wasn't actually there (he was busy filming in LA, of course). We also saw the little alcove (Chef's Table) where a group of four were. The manager took a picture for us and it's one of my favorite from our whole trip. All in all, it was probably the best dining experience I've ever had.
The decor was very relaxing, maybe too relaxing as I wanted a nap afterward. We had the tasting menu which was excellent except for the salmon and lobster ravioli. It was more of a Chinese dumpling than a ravioli and all I could taste was the "dumpling-y" flavor and the lemony sauce used. But besides that it was worth the trip and I'm still craving the truffle butter served with the bread.
I had the good fortune to have a friend who was staying at Claridges and invited us to dinner. And it was QUITE the dinner!.. A 4.5 hour long dinner that was leisurely and filled with delicious courses and good booze, of course.
Be warned, men are required to wear a suit jacket to dine here... luckily for us poor people of the world, H&M exists everywhere in London so we ran over, picked up a shirt and tie to go with the Hot Topic blazer M had brought on the trip... and he looked snazzy!!
We started off the evening in the Fumoir Bar in Claridges - this is a MUST. Apparently this was Winston Churchill's fave place to get liquored up ... can't say I blamed him, really quite a stunning art deco vibe and classy all-around..
After cocktails, the 3 of us ventured into GR and were seated at a table large enough for 6 people... a little odd but most of the seating setup were large round tables... no booths that i remember.
We started off with the chefs menu, i believe it was 6 or 7 courses.. I have to say i enjoyed every course. there was a tiny little soup of watercress as one of the starters and it was really really good... you wouldn't think so but it was....
The standouts to me were the quail and the scallops. I also enjoyed the fish course.. so good.. the sauce was amazing...
Our sommelier was AMAZING... funnily enough we only drank champagne but this guy, he knew his champagne!
Great guy, i wanted to take him on the rest of our trip with us!!!
The main annoying thing i have to remark about is that my gracious host wanted to order a side dish of potatoes dauphinoise to go along with the diner. Our waiter said NO you cannot have that. We thought he was kidding and said Haha, no really can you please put in an order?
His reply was you have to order a $40 main course to get a side dish.. Okay, we obviously had already ordered very expensive meals and were pouring champagne down our throats at rapid speed AND our host was staying in the freaken hotel! Cant you give him a damn small side of potatoes and not charge him $40???
The waiter huffed away and i caught they eye of a girl refilling drinks and explained our dilemma. She must've have recognized our host as she said NO PROBLEM and then went to tell the maitre'd to bring us the side... hehe... although by the end of our very filling meal we then realized they never brought it!
After many delicious desserts and the cart of cheese which our host picked the cream of the crop from, friends joined us for coffee and to eat the scraps of our dessert.. Around midnight our waiter came to offer a tour of the kitchen.. we politely declined as we thought it could be a setup to get hit over the head with a blackjack or something!
Anyways, the desserts were awesome and overall, the meal a huge hit. Would i go back there? Well, I don't know.. It was a perfect evening, the food great, drinks great and company was spot on... I'm glad to have been there but I think I'd try somewhere different before returning to the scene of the crime... next on my review list... NOBU in Berkeley Square, stayed tuned!
Wow! What a dining experience this place was. I made reservations about a month ago, and the best seating I could get for two during my stay in London was a Sunday at 9:45pm. My party grew to three people and they were able to seat us 15 minutes earlier.
Gordon Ramsay is located off to the right of the Claridge's lobby. Without a doubt, this is a formal restaurant based on the quality of food, the level of service, and the Art Deco-esque setting inside a grand London hotel.
One minor quibble. The restaurant itself doesn't really serve cocktails although they can get you one from the Claridge's Bar. The wine list is huge (and heavy physically), but there is a sommelier at your disposal. My dining companions and I ordered by the glass instead of a bottle. A glass of champagne at the lowest end is £11 and the glass of Pinot Noir I had was £12, if I remember correctly.
You have a choice between a three course menu for £70 and a Menu Prestige with a few more courses (the number which escapes me now). The amuse bouche was a turnip and mushroom soup. I normally don't care for turnips, but this soup was fantastic! For my starter, I had the quail. This was my first time eating quail outside of a Chinese restaurant. What a difference the preparation makes. There was no gamey taste at all. For my main, I had the pork belly served with langoustines. The pork belly was incredible and I just knew, slicing into the perfectly crisp layer of fat, that it would be. This meal was also my first time having langoustines. The best way to describe them are mini-lobster tails.
After the main came the palate cleanser, a blackberry cheescake. This could easily have been a dessert by itself. Speaking of dessert, I had the Valrhona chocolate fondant. The sweetness of the chocolate was perfectly balanced with the tartness of the accompanying passion fruit sorbet.
Just when I felt I had had enough, the runner brought out a plate with some truffles and a mini lemon meringue pie. A great ending to a wonderful meal!
While the website indicates that a jacket is preferred for men, I noticed a table with some diners dressed somewhat casually in sweaters and jeans. With that said, I recommend that you get dressed up and make a night of it, especially if you're a tourist. Afterall, you're in London and dining inside Claridge's!
A culinary experience unlike many others. This is dining at its finest, so prepare yourselves. Expect the meal to be well paced with fresh and creative ingredients, and believe me you will be taken care of. GR will bring a well presented, gourmet meal that is worth every pound-literally and figuratively. You simply prepare yourself for a special occasion, and please do dress and act the part. If you are not celebrating some special occasion, someone sitting right next to you sure is. Every single person on the staff was dressed in suits, so please don't let them outdo you. I do not think there are jacket requirements, but please be a gentleman and again dress the part.
After making our way through the gorgeous lobby of Claridges, we arrived at the host who welcome us and led us to our table with seats right next to each other. It was easily large enough for four people and we took in our beautiful surroundings and settled back for the meal we had looked forward to. Dinner is Prix Fixe, with selection of three courses, or a six course degustation. There were also several amuse bouche between courses and our selection of three courses was more than enough for us. This is gourmet dining at its finest and I had vowed to eat everything that graced our table and that's just what I did. Our first amuse was a potato salad, topped with a poached Quail egg and Parmesan foam, which could not have been more flavorful. We had selected a nice sauvignon blanc from the bible sized wine book which paired nicely with our entire meal. A sommelier will appear if you simply raise your head from the list for questions and you are in capable hands. Our first courses were a lobster and shrimp ravioli in lobster bisque and sea scallops with poached pheasant eggs. The enormous ravioli had more seafood in it than many entrees I've had and absolutely no filler. It swam in a tasty lobster bisque that was pure heaven. My wife enjoyed the scallops, which were also great.
The entrees we selected were the Scottish salmon on lobster mashed and the John Dory filet served with prawns and beets. These again were very large portions that could not have been better prepared or presented. We enjoyed both of them very much. Our dessert amuse was a pineapple cheesecake parfait. We concluded with the apple tartan for two which was served tableside in a nice display. This was delicious as well.
This leads me to the service. Which, as expected, was top notch. Tableside serving of the Wellington and desserts held every guest's attention. Everyone was well dressed, personable, and knowledgeable. More than a few times I called staff over to inquire about what was gracing my plate and I think even the poor guys that seemed to do little more than hold the serving trays knew the answer to my query. That is a nice change from several other nice restaurants that we've been to where simple questions were met with dismissive and clueless shrugs. Clearly GR is on top of every facet of his operation. For this it pains me to have even a minor gripe. Coffee was not included with the meal, which is ridiculous at that price. We also waited a good 30 minutes after finishing our dessert with nothing more than water in front of us before I finally asked one of about the three dozen people on staff if they would like to bring me a check so that I could pay for our meal. I don't know if it is considered rude to ask for the bill or rude to deliver it. I could have done without this standoff, as I expect to pay for my meal. By the time we had finally wrapped up and departed it was close to a three hour experience. They ask that people enjoying coffee and cordials adjourn to their lounge and I don't think that it is too much to expect equal respect of our time as well.
An unrivaled experience. Make reservations as far out as possible (two months for a weekend) and enjoy the evening with someone special. Your meal certainly will be!
At around 200 quid/person, I had high expectations for this dinner. Unfortunately, I was really underwhelmed with the dinner. We got the tasting menu. Everything was as advertised, and the service was decent but not good, but I was really disappointed that the food was just not good. Maybe I am spoiled after sampling many of the fancy dining in New York, but there was just not anything interesting or delicious and some of the meat actually seemed overcooked. It was overall a nice experience, but not worth the pricetag. If I am gonna put on a suit to go to a restaurant, I expect more.
Had the tasting menu at Claridge's this summer and loved every dish - starting with consomme and ending with the chocolate desert. I have to take a different position with another reviewer who stated that he might have been spoiled by fine dining in NYC - as someone who have dined at many of new york's top restaurants - I find that Claridges can easily hold its own. We had a late reservation and we were the last ones out of the place - but we felt comfortable there - just enjoying the ambiance and relaxing. It is a restaurant well worth trying.
