Harden's survey result
Summary
Fans do rave over the “beautiful cuisine from wonderful Matt Abé”, “exceptional” service and “memorable” all-round experience created by the f-word chef’s original HQ. And there’s little question that the classical-ish cuisine here is highly “technically accomplished”, service “friendly and well-informed” (“too much of it, if anything”) and the overall impression “classy”. But it continues to struggle against diners’ sky-high expectations, often inspired by Michelin’s somewhat unfathomable continuation of its three-star rating promoting it as being at the very pinnacle of UK dining. A relatively small venue in deepest Chelsea, “the dining room has the air of an art deco cruise ship, with its neutral tones and carpet”, all of which creates a setting that’s “tranquil”, but too “cold” or “bland” to some tastes. And when it comes to gastronomy, a typical critical report of the cuisine would be that it’s “not bad, some of it very good, but… frankly I was expecting outstanding… and it was a far cry from that… to the extent it was my biggest disappointment of the year”. It doesn’t help that it’s “hugely expensive, which always puts on the dampers”. (Footnote – a number of reporters wish ex-maître d’ Jean-Claude Breton well: “thank you JC, enjoy your very well-deserved retirement!”)
Summary
For the umpteenth year, Gordon Ramsay’s original Chelsea launchpad for TV stardom inspires starkly differing verdicts. To its advocates, “it’s obvious why they’ve retained three Michelin Stars all these years”, given modern French cuisine from Matt Abé that’s “mind-blowing”, service that’s “gold star” and an atmosphere – in this intimately sized dining room – that really makes it “a place to savour”. (Fans likewise find eating at the 4-seater ‘Inspiration Table’ – minimum spend £1,000 – as “truly memorable” as one would hope). Its detractors remain very numerous, though! That the experience is “exquisite but too expensive compared with its peers” is, perhaps predictably, the prime accusation: “Nothing made me stop and think ‘wow’, and at over £600 for two, I expected much more. We had the chef’s choice and the kitchen seemed to have gone out of its way to make sure that the food served was sufficiently middle-of-the-road that no-one would dislike it!”.
Summary
“Are people just deducting points because it has Gordon’s name?” – that’s the suspicion raised by fans of the world-famous TV-chef, who – like Michelin – consider his modern French cuisine “simply unbeatable”, and extol his “early-noughties-time-warp-style” Chelsea HQ (currently presided over by head chef Matt Abé) as “the best in London”. The answer is no! – the problem is the equally sizeable number of diners who feel “safety first is the word here”, and that by the standards of top, world-class culinary genius it “doesn’t really hit the mark”: “OK-ish, but too often run-of-the-mill” or “merely average (except for the price… which is outrageous!)”.
Summary
“Are people just deducting points because it has Gordon’s name?” – that’s the suspicion raised by fans of the world-famous TV-chef, who – like Michelin – consider his modern French cuisine “simply unbeatable”, and extol his “early-noughties-time-warp-style” Chelsea HQ (currently presided over by head chef Matt Abé) as “the best in London”. The answer is no! – the problem is the equally sizeable number of diners who feel “safety first is the word here”, and that by the standards of top, world-class culinary genius it “doesn’t really hit the mark”: “OK-ish, but too often run-of-the-mill” or “merely average (except for the price… which is outrageous!)”.
For 32 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
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Restaurant details
Gordon Ramsay Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Everything about this restaurant is good. Good food, good service. The expectation however, was for exceptional and it just isn’t. Having been to a few other 3 stars, unfortunately this was probably 1 star - with a 3 start price point! "
"Restaurant Gordon Ramsey Over the last eighteen years we’ve had the pleasure of dining at Restaurant Gordon Ramsey on many occasions but I have to say that our latest visit tops the lot. The food was simply outstanding , the wine was excellent and the service was impeccable. So yes this visit which was to celebrate our anniversary will live long in our memory. Our lunch began with a fabulous warm welcome before being escorted to our table. Here there was a lovely touch from the team in the form of an happy anniversary card and flowers. This was nicely followed by a complimentary glass of champagne to welcome us back to the restaurant. It was then nice to have a catch up with James to see how things have been and to chat about the new members of the team who we can now say seemed to have settled in perfectly. We were then presented with the menu which was a choice between the Prestige or the surprise Carte Blanche. We both decided to opt for the latter. Next was the wine where we went with jJames recommendation of a bottle of La Cabane Domaine Leon Boesch 2020 Pinot Blanc from Alsace to pair with the first three courses. Now onto the food itself and please forgive with the description of each dish because the Carte Blanche menu is a surprise so will try and describe them as best I can. We started with a delightful selection of snacks which was followed by a refreshing Tomato Dashi with basil , celery and lemon verbena. This led us to the first course and Wow it was absolutely incredible. A Heirloom Tomato Tart with peach , vanilla and smoked stracciatella that was just sublime and easily one of the best dishes I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. We were then presented with the Herb Parker Loaf with shallots , onion and rosemary before moving to the next course of Lobster with macadamia , elderflower beurre blanc and caviar. This was a dish that looks simple but was amazing and like the first course the flavours were immense. Next to arrive was the fish course. This was a John Dory with peppers , tomato , herbs and a rich and heavenly bouillabaisse that elevated the dish to the highest level. Now to the main dish of the day of Pigeon with carrot and fennel with a pigeon leg on the side. A dish worthy of being a main course anywhere. Our pigeon was accompanied by a glass of Marina Cvetic Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. Next to arrive was a fabulous Cheese Course of Tete de Moine with apicot , sobacha , macadamia and elderflower honey. This led us to a Saffron and Passion Fruit palate cleanser which cleared the way to our dessert and oh boy were we in for a treat. The Strawberry Mille Feuille was simply heaven on a plate and I think that’s all that needs saying on this stunning dessert. We finished with coffee and petit fours to bring to an end a fantastic dining experience. As I said at the beginning the food created by Chef Matt Abe and his team was absolutely incredible , the service was first class , the new team have settled in to the standard of service required with ease and the wine recommendations from James were fabulous. It’s not hard to see why this restaurant has had Three Michelin Stars for so many years which I’m sure will continue for the years to come. Thank You Matt , Kim , James , Freya , Will and all the team for making this the perfect way to celebrate our anniversary and look forward to seeing you all again soon."
"Clearly top end but the pricing is the top end of top end. The Service is fantastic, whereas the food offerings are never less than excellent they do not push themselves into the higher atmosphere. The room is a little ‘beige’ and despite the audio dampeners around the walls there is a constant ‘echo’. The real problem is the wine list: that does start high and then goes stratospheric. Good - very good but at such a price?"
"Excellent , among the best"
"Great fine dining restaurant"
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch | £155.00 |  |
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| Dinner | £175.00 | |
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Traditional European menu
| Pudding |
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| £0.00 |
| Drinks |
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|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £40.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £6.00 |
| Extras |
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|---|---|
| Bread | £0.00 |
| Service | 15.00% |
68-69 Royal Hospital Rd, London, SW3 4HP
| Number of Diners: | |
| Required Time: | |
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑2:15 pm, 6 pm‑11 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑2:15 pm, 6 pm‑11 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑2:15 pm, 6 pm‑11 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑2:15 pm, 6 pm‑11 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑2:15 pm, 6 pm‑11 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
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