We all know Gordon Ramsay for several things; his television programmes, his constantly foul mouth and his incredible cooking talents. So with three Michelin stars, our expectations for Restaurant Gordon Ramsay were extremely high. The restaurant is just a ten-minute walk from Sloane Square tube station. The exterior of the restaurant is rather unremarkable except for the little black sign, which bore Gordon Ramsay’s signature. Once inside, we were slightly surprised by the size of the restaurant, as it was much smaller than we had first expected. We were promptly offered drinks and given menus. Already service looked very good. The waiters were cheery and helpful and generally efficient. A very impressive start, although we had not yet tried the food.
We were given an amuse bouche of a ball of confit duck, Parmesan cheese and wild mushrooms on a bed of ricotta cheese with a chestnut veloute. It was beautifully presented and tasted gorgeous. The duck was so tender and soft that it fell apart at the slightest touch. I am usually repulsed by cheese but the chestnut veloute blended the salty flavour of the cheese with a slightly sweet, nutty flavour. Incredible.
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| Amuse bouche |
Our starters came and they looked absolutely stunning. My brother had chosen the sautéed foie gras with veal sweetbreads. My dad had chosen braised pied de cochon (pig trotters), which was then fried with ham knuckle and served with quail eggs. I had chosen the Scottish lobster with chicken, black truffles and chestnut lasagne. My brother said that his foie gras was incredible in texture and flavour. I had a try of my dad’s wonderfully presented pig's trotter, which reminded him slightly of Chinese style pork. The flavour was similar, but the texture was different, with a beautiful contrast of tender meat, silky fat and the slight coarseness of the ham knuckle. My lobster was perfectly cooked and went well with the chicken and pasta. Much to my surprise, the truffle did add something to the dish. Its slight crunch made the dish feel fresher and added another dimension to the starter. Fabulous.
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| Braised pied de cochon with ham knuckle and quails egg |
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| Foie gras |
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| Scottish lobster with chicken, black truffles and chestnut lasagne |
Not too long after we finished our starters, our main courses arrived. My brother had chosen roasted pigeon with grilled polenta and date sauce. Impressed by the pigeon at The Ledbury, my brother had high hopes for this dish. As he took his first bite, it was apparent that he was not disappointed. The pidgeon was beautifully tender and just melted in the mouth. This pigeon dish also came with tiny confit legs, similar to The Ledbury. My dad had turbot with linguine and wild mushrooms, which was apparently outstanding. My venison with truffle braised celery, roasted pears and smoked pork belly was gorgeous. The venison was a dark pink colour and went extremely well with the smoky flavour of the thin sheet of pork belly. The truffle once again added texture to the dish but this time also added taste, since the celery had absorbed its nutty flavour. The pear was sweet, soft and sharp while still retaining the slight crunch of the skin. The pear augmented the flavour of the venison extremely well.
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| Pidgeon (apologies - photo slightly out of focus) |
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| Wild Highland Venison |
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| Roast line caught turbot with linguine |
We were offered a pre dessert immediately after our main courses. This was a mango and passion fruit soup with a yogurt foam. The soup was cool and refreshing with the tang of the viscous liquid going well with the frothy yogurt. It was a delicious concoction and an excellent palate cleanser.
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| Pre-dessert |
For dessert we ordered the Assiete de l’Aubergine. This was a plate of every single dessert on the menu and was to be shared between the three of us. First we ate the prune and vanilla crème brulee. The crystalline sheet at the top was perfect and the inside was silky smooth, with the prune giving a sweet and faintly sharp flavour. Next was the caramelized tarte Tatin of apple. The sweetness and sharpness of the apple contrasted and freshened the buttery flavour and texture of the pastry. Next was the Granny Smith parfait, blackberry foam, honeycomb and cider sorbet. The sorbet was stunning and had the faintest trace of alcoholic flavour. The foam was delicious and the honeycomb was a fabulous addition, making the entire dessert look and taste divine. The bitter chocolate cylinder with coffee granite and ginger mousse bombarded the mouth with wonderful flavours and textures. Then our banoffee pie soufflé arrived. The soufflé was rimmed with coffee dusting and the flavours and textures were gorgeous especially once the centre was revealed. Here, at the heart of the dessert lay a mass of salted caramel crumble, sticky toffee and soft banana. It was delightful. Then we got to the marinated pineapple ravioli with mango and kiwi. We were all slightly surprised to find that the ravioli was not pineapple flavoured pasta, but in fact a thin piece of pineapple shaped like ravioli and carrying in it mango and kiwi. Interesting and extremely enjoyable.
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| Pineapple ravioli with mango and kiwi |
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| From left to right, Granny Smith parfait, chocolate cylinder and tarte tartin |
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| Banoffee pie souffle |
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| Creme brulee |
Just after our desserts, we were offered a tiny silver plate. Protruding out of this plate were several silver tendrils. On the end of each of these was what appeared to be a large, misty pearl. These were in fact white chocolate truffles and were simply delicious. After finishing the truffles, a waiter placed bowl with a lid on it onto our table. A strange mist seemed to be leaking out of the bowl. Once the lid was taken off by one of the waiters, there was an eruption of mist. It crept onto the table, speeding and sliding off it. At last the flow calmed down and six white orbs were revealed. As I went to take one, I realized they were freezing cold and the mist had in fact been dry ice. Biting into the thin, white chocolate carapace revealed strawberry ice cream inside. Ingenius and delicious. We were then offered coffee, which rounded up a fantastic meal.
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| White chocolate truffles |
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| Strawberry ice cream in a white chocolate shell (presented with dry ice) |
RATINGS:
Food quality 10/10
Presentation 10/10
Service 10/10
Ambience 9/10
Value for money 9/10
Overall 48/50
Outstanding
Author - CT (aged 12)
Photography - LT (aged 14) and DT (a youthful 39)
I had not felt that fussed about going here but after reading your review, I'm rethinking!
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