The Ritz Restaurant

The Ritz, with all its pomp and glamour and elaborately ornate interiors… not always my first choice for a nice comfortable dinner. From the moment you walk in you are pampered and made to feel incredibly welcome; not at all the snooty service that some people fear in establishments such as this. We had dinner in a private room on this occasion, the menu having been pre-selected for us. 4 exquisite courses commenced with Cornish Crab Salad with Ginger Jelly, Lovage and Celery Vichysoisse followed by Filet of Sole with Morels, Leeks and Jura Wine Sauce. The crab salad was sweet and meaty in a delicate cream sauce and the Filet of Sole was beyond delicious, it was an absolute sensation with a perfectly cooked piece of sole in a silky smooth reduction of wine with leeks, dotted with Morel mushrooms. Heaven.

A delicious Lemon sorbet dowsed in Champagne cleansed the palate beautifully making way for an enormous Roast Rack of Veal Forestiere with Madeira and Truffle Jus and an abundance of seasonal turned vegetables equating to one of the most mouth-watering dishes I have ever had in my life. The cutlet or Venison was perfectly cooked and nicely rare in the centre and the sauce was an absolute revelation of meaty flavours combined with Madeira wine and Truffles. I'm not sure how any course could possibly follow this standard of cooking and on this occasion, I was right. The final course was a Raspberry Souffle with a Verbena ice cream, which in my opinion was quite dissapointing. The souffle was overly sweet and not to my taste at all and the Verbena ice cream was a bizarre flavour that did not best accompany the main component of the dessert. However this aside, service was impeccable with staff appearing out of nowhere anytime you even thought that you may need something. The interiors were beautiful and the whole experience was thoroughly enjoyable and on this occasion, I was invited as a guest and escaped the bill which would probably exceed £150.00 just for the food, not including any wine. How very lucky I was.

We dined at the Ritz on Thursday 16th April. The greeting and being shown to the table were excellent and very welcoming. The smoked salmon was sliced and presented near the the table and was very professionally done. The flavour and the accompaniments certainly did not let it down.

As always, at this restaurant, I chose the Rack of Lamb. It was beautifully pink and carved and presented at the table. The vegetables were excellently cooked and presented, particularly the celeriac. My partner had a beautiful piece of sea bream. A superb bottle of Gigondas, which was very sensibly priced, bearing in mind the restaurant in which it was served. Despite the comments in Ian Fleming's ‘From Russia With Love’ we have no problem with drinking red wine with fish.

The meal was finished off with a very well prepared and served Cheese Souffle. Well, one cannot waste a good red wine.

Throughout the meal the service was attentive but not intrusive. Although a smallish cheeseboard was presented the waiter knew his product really well and was passionate about some of the cheeses on offer.

All in all a very good evening and once certainly to be repeated sooner than later.

I was quite nervous on my first trip to the Ritz. It is after all an institution and a benchmark for the best of British (although it's French food). While it is still ultra-formal and very old school I have to applaud the entire team for the dining experience they provide. The service is the finest I have ever seen – the waiters have an almost ESP-like ability and seem to know what you want before you do! As for the food it was presented with perfection the warm salad of native Lobster with duck egg & caviar was divine and the main of Sea bass with artichoke one of the best fish dishes I've ever had. Atmosphere wise I did find it a little too stuffy but that's purely a reflection on my tastes and not the restaurant itself. Prices are relatively high but reflect the standard of the food and service. One for a special occasion – perhaps with the olds.