Peter's Reviews

My wife and I went to Restaurant Gordon Ramsay for lunch and were pleasantly surprised to be offered the full tasting menu. I was skeptical about how good the food could be – and if it could be worth all the hype. The answer, we soon discovered, is yes. I have eaten in michelin starred restaurants around the world and this is the best menu I have ever enjoyed. Aside from the wonderful tasting food the menu itself was so beautifully balanced. Big flavours were followed by subtle flavours and we never felt like we had been stuffed full of too much rich food (as some michelin star restaurants are guilty of). Everything – from portions of food, to amounts of each ingredient and sauce on the plate, to flavour combinations – was perfectly balanced. If you are a regular and somehwat cynical diner at michelin restaurants then you may argue that the menu wasn't majorly risky (although that does not mean that it is not an innovative menu – because it is). However, as much as I enjoy challenging food, it has to be delicious as well. Ramsay's restaurant uses a beautifully restrained (and in many ways very British) approach. It was – for me -pure class.

The staff were friendly, attentive and made me feel more relaxed and free to ask questions than in any michelin restaurant I have been in before. We asked if we could see the kitchen and our request was granted (if Clare hadn't been on the phone then we would also have been introduced to her), we asked for a copy of the menu to take home and we were immediately presented with our own copies of all their menus, we asked for a box to take away the truffles we couldn't finish and were given a beautiful little box and bag to take them home in. I would describe it as the best service I have ever experienced (including all other michelin restaurants I have been to before).

To contrast – we went to Hibiscus a day or two later. The food at Hibiscus was also great but it felt like the chef was trying too hard. Some combinations worked well but… More