Maze

This used to be such a great restaurant. What a shame to have seen it declining into what is now just another decent (but no more special or outstanding) place. Bearing this in mind it however still keeps its price tag from better days (and when you would have tolerated it given the quality back then)

went with a group for dinner on Thursday, compared to last year it was a massive dissapointment. I can understand the tasting concept, however when u have to wait 30-40 mins between each course, it takes the edge off!! we arrived 7.30 , we had 4 courses each nearly 3 hours, i complained a couple of times to waiting staff, asking the kitchen to speed up. we declined deserts, could not endure another 40 mins wait. The chefs and guys at the pass need to get there S**t together. Not good when its costing nearyly £100 a person.

as for the food it was good, nothing special and most dishes were very underseasoned. I will not be going agagin. The dinning room has zero atmosphere, probably why i could get a table pretty easily.

I was surprised when my beloved’s birthday destination of choice was Maze. I thought the Ramsay empire’s bubble had burst some time ago, but a glowing review from a foodie friend convinced him otherwise.

We sailed up the grand stairway to the entrance, basking in Mayfair’s glory in the way that only wid-eyed out-of-towners can. The restaurant’s décor has suitably swanky leanings and it’s littered with objets d’art that verge on the flashy side, but the crowd (albeit unanimously loaded) isn’t exclusively beautiful.

Lengthy introductions from not one, not two, but three waiters seemed to over-egg the service pudding somewhat, but each was well meaning and – oddly – the flurry imbued a sense of occasion. The over-zealous approach was certainly forgiven when my other half was presented with a birthday cake, complete with candle and flamboyantly iced greeting. (I’d craftily alluded to the occasion when booking in order to bag a decent table. It came as a surprise when the Maitre d’ very amiably clarified whose birthday it was upon our arrival, but it’s indicative of the attention to detail here).

The foodie concept is simple – pick around four small plates including one sweet (if you like), remembering that noone will judge you if you opt for a shameless parade of puds. Two can eat for £50 if you plump for the set lunch but we strayed to the a la carte menu, therefore inviting the inevitable credit card assault.

Ever the troublemaker, Gordon Ramsay shows no signs of shunning foie gras. It crops up all over the menu and – when incarnated as game terrine with hazelnuts and blood orange – I am reliably informed it’s a winner. My courgette flowers were next to arrive and looked punier than the wideloads served by Dehesa and the like, but it seems I was wrong to judge; crisp tempura batter was a tactile foil for silken Iberico ham, a keenly-seasoned quennel of ricotta and super-sweet petit pois. Presentation’s pretty, considered and precise too.

Having been embroiled in a love affair with Bar Shu, I was in rapture having spotted sichuan peppercorn taking centre stage alongside pork belly and caramelised pear on the menu. So too was my other half, who ordered a salad of crab, mango and wasabi for his own hit of spice. While the pork was butter-soft and beautifully cooked (with the exception of tantalising shards of toffee-like crackling), I spotted a solitary sichuan peppercorn and experienced none of the tongue-numbing sensation that makes the curious little buds so addictive. The wasabi was also a no-show, which was disappointing.

Next were lobster dumplings bobbing about in an aromatic broth laced with zingy kaffir lime, which offered a welcome break from the belt-loosening. Featherblade of beef was outrageously tender, although it takes cahunas to charge £12.50 for a forgotten cut that’s cheap as chips; at £12.50, it’s bang in the middle of the price range per dish at Maze. Suffice to say, you can hear the till positively singing as you dine.

With such a muddle of flavours to contend with, wine could so easily be a puzzle. We were conscious that it’d be a bold move to plump for a single bottle that could jar with the succession of dishes, but equally that we’d be sozzled from matching each course glass for glass. We’d highly recommend ordering the flight containing the sommelier’s pick of three glasses; it’s an economical and tactical triumph. In our case, the trio included a plummy Medoc and a fragrant, floral white that were served on the elegant equivalent of a Lazy Susan. Having each glass on hand (bar the stickie, which arrived in a frosted glass along with our pud) meant we could dabble at will, which worked surprisingly well with such a rowdy mob of ingredients. And at £20 per head, it’s a rare chance to be frugal – or at least canny – with your ordering, and keep the damage in check.

Ah yes, the bill. There’s no doubting it was huge, but I didn’t begrudge it. We’d had a special meal to celebrate an occasion, were stuffed to the point of contentment rather than nausea, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The service and surroundings are slick and stylish, each striving to deliver and dropping few bum notes. I see no reason to bash this branch of Ramsay Enterprises: it is what is, that being a destination restaurant for high flyers and those who gaze at the stars.

Overrated. That was all I could say, leaving Gordon Ramsay's Maze. Being honest I left terribly unsatisfied. I have visited the restaurant for my birthday. We first, spent 30 minutes at the bar (I must admit that the interior does not look bad at all) before being seated. The wine list is overpriced, and be prepared for quite a shock if visiting the restaurant is in your plans.
We had the tasting menu with matching wines for the meal. The apetizers were indeed, bland and left quite a space for improvment. On the other hand, the wines were what was shining through the experience. They did go well with the dishes as well as on their own. There is a good selection of them with some, shining through as you can find some very bright, unexpected flavours in them.
The entrees were not much of an improvment, however, some of the garnish was truly perfect. A beautiful, colourful bouqet of flavours awaits you in some parts of every dish. However, you do need to be prepared to taste a vast desert of emptiness in a pieces of almost every dish.
As for dessert, it was suprisingly short of perfect. Great combinations of sweetness and some unexpected flavours do speak for themselves on the plate.
I must say that the complimentary house-made chocolates accompanying your tea/coffee have a texture so bizarre I still cannot decide what to think of them. The crispy chocolate cover, jelly inside with a dark chocolate centre is very suprising coming from a simple truffle-like looking chocolate The taste was still very dissapointingly bland, though.
Overall, the experience is not too bad at all. The food is good, although dissapointing if you take into consideration the name it bears. The value for money is dissapointing, I cannot disagree.

Lots of undeserved hype and very over-rated! I'm not a GR fan, but a friend really wanted to go to Maze for her birthday. We were a large group of 12 on a Monday night and had a pre-arranged set menu that was agreed (and paid for) weeks before. We arrived for our 20:30 booking and were told to wait in the bar area as our table wasn't available. Bar service was slow and surly (bar waiter refused to bring a drink to our table as we were being sat) though drinks were good. We weren't shown to our table from the bar area, merely told our table was ready and directed towards it. Server gave us the wrong menu and tried to explain it ten minutes later. The set menu was finally brought and it was then explained to the waiter that this had all been agree weeks ago and to please bring the food (we were starving at this point). First course finally got to the table at 21:45! Overall the food was decent (halibut and duck were great!) but the bread (which we kept getting served due to the extremely long waits (20+ minutes) between courses) wasn't fresh. Service from servers to manager (complained about service twice to the manager) was substandard at best. Luckily the sommelier did a good job and kept us in wine otherwise the night would have been a complete bust. We were finally able to leave at 00:15 and after issues with the bill. This is not an experience I will be repeating.

A certain air of excitement presided over this visit. It’s all about context. More than just my birthday it was lunch with my parents at Maze in London’s exclusive Mayfair district. I prayed that the food and experience wouldn’t disappoint, that my train journey there would be smooth and speedy, that I was about to be educated in the fine ways of dining and echo the zillions of glowing reviews Maze and its head chef, Jason Atherton, had received.

Atherton became the Executive Chef at Maze in 2005 after setting up the French restaurant L’Anis in London. Notable also and perhaps his greatest bragging right, Atherton was the first British chef to work at Spain’s famous elBulli restaurant under the eye of Ferran Adrià.

I entered cautiously, up the steps and through the double doors, beaming with excitement.

The first thing you notice is the expansion of light and chic minimalist architecture by designer David Rockwell (Grand Central Station). There is a luxury to the design, the choreographed mise-en-scene, paralleled equally by the menu and Volume I of the bounded wine list, with as many varieties as the worlds greatest Sommelier could digest.

Voted 2005’s Best New Restaurant by Time Out, the delightful tasting menu works with the picking of 4-6 dishes, all slightly smaller than the three-course A La Carte or Set Menu, with the kitchen selecting the appropriate order of your choices.

Cornish crab mayonnaise with avocado, sweetcorn sorbet and oscietra caviar tasted smooth and refreshing, presented in a tall chilled martini glass, followed by two texture white asparagus, ‘two hour egg’, smoked mussels and brown bread velouté. The second dish was thicker and more filling than the first, while remaining light, and although a clear starter dish I could see why it had been picked to follow the crab.

My mother had a minor criticism of the crab course, “too much avocado” she said, “slightly too much for my acidic taste.” I understood the observation but behind could see the kitchen at work, busy with gastronomy marvels, and her words dissolved on their way over to me.

With fish and meat on the menu I picked a wine that would not overpower the selection of flavours but that would still give me a fruity glow and that mid-afternoon kick. In the French chapter of the wine list and from the Beaujolais variety, a 2006 vintage Fleurie of vibrant red colour and petal characters, smelling to me of strawberry laces. Despite this childish sense, Fleurie remains one of the most elegant of all Beaujolais wines.

Our Sommelier and waiting staff were all prompt and polite, one in particular (I should have asked her name) was top draw, speaking to us about our selections and charismatically adding something else to the overall experience.

Next for me was braised shin of veal, new season garlic risotto and veal kidney powder, that, although tasty, did not take up a great deal of the plate with very little risotto to enjoy. This however was all merely preparing me for my final dish, the cherry on the cake, the meaty and wholesome, hugely flavoursome beef ‘tongue ‘n’ cheek’ with caper raisin and ginger carrots. It was near perfection, one of the finest dishes I have ever experienced. With a small amount of beef, caper and carrot on the folk for each mouthful; I was dazzled by the sources and flavours. My only complaint was that there wasn’t a second dish immediately to follow.

Memorable it was, if not for just reminding me that I’m another year older. The name above the door is “Ramsey” but where it really matters, deep in the heat of the kitchen, the food is stamped with fine authority and the name “Atherton” is what people should remember from their visit.

This is, as elaborate Londoner’s say in their lavish circles, “the hot ticket in town.”

Overrated and over priced – went for dinner with 7 people here – its a complicated and hard menu to order for a large table – it seems over worked and isn't one of ramseys finer establishments. Wine list is far too expensive, food is good but its just not an overall pleasant experience when spending £75 per person on average – better places across the street – the atmosphere is poor and this is more inkeeping with a traditional hotel restaurant for those who don;t know the area

Me and my friends (both a bit of a foodie) were quite excited to visit Gordon Ramsay's Maze. We all tried the set menu. I got the vegetarian degustation, where as my friends got the normal version of it.
The first 4 courses were small portion, somewhat tasteless and bland and nothing special. The main for me was slightly better with the pumpkin risotto with mushrooms… but nothing outstanding about it. The desert was slightly better with the peanut butter and jam sandwich (which is actually peanut butter icecream with peanut butter carmalised crunch on top). The service was average… sometimes the waiter will tell us about the food, something they will forget or seems a little unorganised. Also, they gave me the wrong dish for my first course. I was having vegetarian set menu, and I got a salmon dish. It was slightly off putting. Besides asking us to order more water, and serving us the food, not much service really. I would definitely not go back, and I wouldn't suggest it to anyone either.
How disappointing.

One of the main reasons we visited London was to eat at Maze and it was the most disappointing aspect of our trip. I ordered a steak that was so bland and chewy, I stopped at McDonalds afterword and found that meat more satisifying! The overseasoning on the lobster of our other entree was not enough to overcome its bland taste and tough texture. Extremely disappointing!

We went for a 6 course lunch taster at 1pm. It is now 2.30 and we are only half way there. First course (salmon) arrived at 2 and it didn't even need cooking. Second course arrived at 2.20 (john dorey) and was nice apart from the piece of clam shell that I crunched on. I told the waiter and he nodded but no further comment from him! At 2.30 we asked the waiter how long a lunch meal should normally take as at this rate the sixth course would arrive about 5ish. Reason for delay apparantly a ‘new menu’ and the kitchen is ‘really busy’ and ‘other people have been waiting longer than us’!!! Let's just say I haven't had third course yet but would rather write a review on my iPhone than ask again where the food is. I wouldn't recommend unless you book a half day for lunch.