Grodon Ramsay at Claridges

[paul bell]

I would be grateful for any help/persuasion on the above topic. I have a table booked at GR@ Claridges for Saturday night, and I am hideously undecided as to whether I want to eat there. The reviews when it opened were excellent, the menu looks good (not surprisingly similar to RHR), have had to wait three months for a table!. On the other side I get the impression from the message-board that a number of you are deeply unconvinced, is the food not as good as RHR or not even close? (Also noticed that the price has just gone up again).

In terms of other options The Square is full, and have eaten at The Capital recently. What about Pied a Terre? or Orrery (although I cannot imagine myself paying that much in a Conran restaurant, possibly harsh?).

Any help/comments welcome.

Paul

[cabrales]

I would recommend against the Orrery, when the alternatives are as you have them. I no longer go to Conran restaurants, but have taken lunch (more reasonably priced) at Orrery before.

[Simon Majumdar]

I can only speak from my experience of GR @ C's and there are posts to the contrary

My experience was almost entirely negative ( There is a thread below called " The Biggest flop since Ishtar" which sums up the horrible experience I had there )

On the other hand Steve Plotniki went for lunch and thouroughly enjoyed it.  It may well have bedded in by now

I think for the money, there are better places and would suggest you keep thinking

You may also want to consider Rhodes in The Square where I had an excellent meal in December

S

[tony h]

have had to wait three months for a table!.

I can't think of many restaurants that will meet your expectations after having waited so long.  GR@C isn't one of them.

I was there in February & had a decent meal - portions were a bit small but it was enjoyable rather than fantastic.  I've booked to go back to try the tasting menu in May (my birthday) but I am also thinking of cancelling & doing it elsewhere.

[circeplum]

i didn't like my gr@c experience one bit - it was completely overblown and over the top.  i found the atmosphere opressive, like i'd imagine barbara cartland's boudoir might've been - dusty fur, velvet drapes, all pale plums and aubergines.  the food was undeniably good but the whole process was treated with just too much hushed reverence; i didn't like the batallion of staff hovering at my every blink.  i think it's very old-fashioned - and not in a good way.

[cabrales]

On the other hand Steve Plotniki went for lunch and thouroughly enjoyed it.  

Simon -- I'm not sure from reading the below linked thread whether Steve P went to Claridge's or RHR. I know your response to his initial post mentioned his experience was unrecognisable from yours at Claridge's. Perhaps Steve can clarify.

http://forums.egullet.org/ikonboa....;t=4836

I acknowledge that Claridge's has not approached the culinary standards at RHR (nor the service standards); The Square would be preferable to Claridge's for me. Petrus, which is also open on Saturday nights and for which I secured a reservation for this Friday only yesterday, would be a closer call relative to Claridge's.

[Andy Lynes]

I enjoyed an excellent meal at The Orrery a few weeks ago. £45.00 for their tasting menu which included a stunning assiette of duck (roasted breast, braised leg in a herb crumb, onion tatin and foie gras and a banyuls sauce) and some great cheese. Service was exceptional, but the tables are very close together, unless you get the nice ones by the window. Pied a Terre was very good but the earth didn't move for me. It is such a small place, you begin to feel a bit claustrophobic after a while. It was also very, very hot on the January night I went, everyone was in shirtsleeves and the poor waiters were visibly sweating.

[cabrales]

Have members had the Pounds 25 lunch at Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's? I secured a last-minute reservation for the 3:00 pm lunch seating.  Below is a sample menu from the hotel's website:

http://www.savoy-group.co.uk/claridges/din...msay_lunch.html

[cabrales]

I consider lunch at Claridge's to be a better value-for-money than that at The Capital, and that's saying something. The background against which to consider my write-up is that I like Gordan Ramsay's style of cuisine (at RHR, that is) and the price at Claridge's was Pounds 25 (although it became more than triple that by the time my 4 different champagne and wine selections by the glass and the extra cheese course I ordered had been factored in).  A good lunch, with respect to the cuisine.  

Tagliatelle with mushrooms, rocket and parmesan, veloute of morels

Roasted rib-eye of beef, truffled potato puree and Hermitage sauce

Cheese course -- selected Roquefort (not Societe), Forme d'Ambert, Stilton, served with red grapes (a service miscue) (not included in set lunch)

Baileys bread and butter pudding, Baileys ice cream

      Glass of R of Ruinart, Rose, champagne (Pounds 12.50)

      Glass of Feiler-Artinger (7.00)

      Glass of Gevrey-Chambertin, Mortet (12.50)

      Glass of Verdots '97 Dessert Wine (10.50)

      Coffe (5.00 supplement)

[Above dish names based on recollection]

The room is more beautiful during the day than I remember. The luminous blush pink color of the fabric portion of the elongated lamppieces hanging from the ceiling -- their fabric imbued with small, small pleats. Also, the same pleating effect on certain lighting fixtures adorning the walls. The large mirrors with the etchings of trees and other scenic landscape (likely vestiges from the prior dining room).  I was comfortable in this environment.

Unfortunately, the "normal" lead person was not there, and the older default lead seemed to be an individual with no French serving skills (note this is not French language skills) and who, I was told, hailed from the Dorchester and not from another GR establishment. The younger default lead was much more professional and kind.  For example, the older default lead asked whether I knew what cut rib eye was in a steak.  Pl---ease; if I did, I was insulted by his question. If I did not, I would not care about what cut of steak I received. He could not speak French, and seemed to be dodging about in a not-so-attractive way.  This was the only material negative aspect of the lunch. Note the sommeliers were attentive and knowledgeable, as was my waiter, who spoke French fluently.

The amuse was misguided, not in conception, but in execution. It was a cauliflower veloute, served not in the usual pumpkin soup vessel with a lid, but in a medium-sized cup. The veloute did ring of cauliflower tastes, but, sadly, those were overpowered by truffle oil which drenched the dish. There was a bit of olive oil near the top of the veloute, and also some diced chives. Not an auspicious beginning.

The tagliatelle with mushrooms (wood mushrooms, with an almost entirely black top, and not of a prized variety I recognized) was quite good. It was a good size for an appetizer, and the morel veloute was sufficiently flavorful to amply coat the tagliatelle noodles, which were not al dente, but also not overcooked (I do not like my pasta al dente, as background).  Nice, limited utilization of rocket and of parmesan, which were mixed in with the noodles like the sliced mushrooms.  Not bad, and a good recommendation by the sommelier with respect to a wine-by-the-glass pairing.

The roast rib-eye was also good, although I had ordered rare and receive medium-rare (normally a significant negative, if I were not in the process of switching from medium rare requests to rare indications with respect to beef and venison).  The beef was sizable, although not particularly thick. The meat was nice -- being sufficiently fatty and well-prepared. Perhaps there were also a few tendons in the cut I received, but overall it was satisfying. The Hermitage sauce was, of course, a wine reduction, and here, it was executed nicely as a relativley thin sauce, but with a bit of character. And what can I say about Gevrey-Chambertin with beef?  Not only is Gevrey-Chambertin one of my favorite reds, but here, despite the acidity of the 1999, it was an appropriate pairing.

The cheese selection was good, but weaker than that at Fat Duck and, interestingly, slightly weaker than that at Petrus. The desser wine chosen was appropriate, although I would have preferred certain ones that were not available by the glass. The dessert of bread pudding was fair, being not warm enough for my tastes and not anything special. However, the Baileys ice cream accompanying the dessert was good, with the alcohol effects becoming pronounced in the aftertaste.

Overall, a very good value-for-money and good cuisine, although clearly not approaching Gordon Ramsay RHR. I would recommend GR Claridge's over The Capital for lunch. If wine ordering is done carefully, a lunch at Claridge's could be an enjoyable way to spend part of a Saturday. Note the clientele is fairly well-dressed, with many (but, of course, not all) men wearing a jacket.

The 3:00 pm reservation did not prove to be a hindrance. I arrived at 2:30, being ready to potentially take champagne in the lounge or at the bar. However, my table was ready and I proceeded to ordering reasonably quickly therafter.

Note there were 6 appetizers and the same number of main courses from which to choose as part of the Pounds 25 lunch menu. The mains included a lamb rump and a fish like sea brill.  The appetizers included rilettes of salmon. The range from which to select was better than most prix fixe lunches I have encountered in London.    I may attempt to revisit Foliage for lunch this coming week.

[Gavin Convery]

Was the Verdots wine from Clos du Verdots near Bergerac - I would be interested to hear your opinion as I was there last year and their '97 was absolutely stunning

[cabrales]

Was the Verdots wine from Clos du Verdots near Bergerac - I would be interested to hear your opinion as I was there last year and their '97 was absolutely stunning

Gavin -- I can't remember the details, but that dessert wine was a good pairing with the bread and butter pudding. A bit like a Sauternes on the nose, but without the thickness/weight in the mouth of a Sauterne like d'Yquem (one of my pet peeves with respect to dessert wines -- the "feel" in the mouth).   I liked the Verdots '97, and it was the first time, to my knowledge at least, that I had had a Verdots.

[tony h]

GR@C - the rematch

Went to GR@C for the second time.  And a very impressive return visit it turned out to be.  Three menu’s were offered - pre-theatre (25 pounds), standard (50 pounds) and tasting (60 pounds).  We chose the tasting menu and had, in fact, booked for that purpose having had the 3 course dinner in February.

2 glasses of champagne were presented - courtesy for the house (result of an earlier complaint).  The pre-starters were a plate of mini-toasts with a foie gras pate and another with some puree & truffled vegetables.  Both delicious.

First course - bullion with ceps - small cup of broth.  Interesting but hardly worth the bother – it had no focus or body - definitely a disappointment.  It also set alarm bells wringing in our heads as our first visit - the  food was good rather than great.

The second course effortlessly lifted our spirits - a mosaic of foie gras and carpaccio of goose breast - served on a pentangle of spinach leaves with a spiral of mango puree encompassing it.  Bloody amazing.  (Note - the foie gras wasn't as good as I’ve had in St Johns - but it was good close second).

This followed quickly with what is fast becoming GR's signature dish - lobster raviolo.  Its a good dish but I always expect more from lobster than it delivers - it usually a bit rubbery for my liking and it can be a bit tastless.  Although that was semi-true of this dish - it was quite lovely - served with a pungent basil puree & bitter tomato sauce.  

Next, a split - my guest had the lamb - I had the roasted pork belly.  The lamb - 4 large pieces of loin served on a bed of pulses & pureed something or other - with deep fried delicate onion rings and a fine jus. This should have been outstanding except that the lamb was tough & stringy.  A major oversight. (We divided our plates equally before eating  - much to the waiter's horror - otherwise we'd have sent it back).  The roast pork, however, was a revelation on cooking - a succulent round of pork with sweetness, depth & juiciness provided by the hands of a truly master craftsperson.  This was only to be out done but the accompanying Madeira reduction.  A stunning dish perfectly executed.

We had a little break as they seemed to wanted us to eat the 6 courses in record speed. We knew we had to get out by 9pm - but it was only 7.45 & we'd eaten 2/3 of the meal.  So they gave a respectful distance for a while.

The next course was either pineapple dessert or cheese (8 pound supplement).  We almost made the biggest mistake of the evening by going for the cheese.  The carpaccio of pineapple one of the most sumptuous & beautifully presented desserts I can remember having.  A tall thin glass with compote of pineapple at the bottom with a creamy granita of pineapple on top.  Frozen sugared mint flake topping it.  Resting on the rim pf the glass was a painfully thin slice of caramelised pineapple.  A marvellous sight to behold and eat.

The final dish was an almond brulee resting on a perfectly crumbly shortbread dish topped with a poached pear and pear sorbet.  Delicious & definitely not sickly sweet.

Wines - St Joseph (42 pounds) and a desert wine (38 pounds) - can't for the life of me remember what the desert wine was but it had lots of orange scents and a respectful deep colour.

Petit fours - little jellies (ok), salted caramel (horrible) and ice cream covered in white chocolate (astonishing).

This was definite improvement on our first visit - the service was slicker.  There were a few minor disappointments - the first course & the lamb - but overall it was a seriously good meal.

[porkpa]

GR@C - the rematch

Went to GR@C for the second time.  And a very impressive return visit it turned out to be.  Three menu’s were offered - pre-theatre (25 pounds), standard (50 pounds) and tasting (60 pounds).  We chose the tasting menu and had, in fact, booked for that purpose having had the 3 course dinner in February.

2 glasses of champagne were presented - courtesy for the house (result of an earlier complaint).  The pre-starters were a plate of mini-toasts with a foie gras pate and another with some puree & truffled vegetables.  Both delicious.

First course - bullion with ceps - small cup of broth.  Interesting but hardly worth the bother – it had no focus or body - definitely a disappointment.  It also set alarm bells wringing in our heads as our first visit - the  food was good rather than great.

The second course effortlessly lifted our spirits - a mosaic of foie gras and carpaccio of goose breast - served on a pentangle of spinach leaves with a spiral of mango puree encompassing it.  Bloody amazing.  (Note - the foie gras wasn't as good as I’ve had in St Johns - but it was good close second).

This followed quickly with what is fast becoming GR's signature dish - lobster raviolo.  Its a good dish but I always expect more from lobster than it delivers - it usually a bit rubbery for my liking and it can be a bit tastless.  Although that was semi-true of this dish - it was quite lovely - served with a pungent basil puree & bitter tomato sauce.  

Next, a split - my guest had the lamb - I had the roasted pork belly.  The lamb - 4 large pieces of loin served on a bed of pulses & pureed something or other - with deep fried delicate onion rings and a fine jus. This should have been outstanding except that the lamb was tough & stringy.  A major oversight. (We divided our plates equally before eating  - much to the waiter's horror - otherwise we'd have sent it back).  The roast pork, however, was a revelation on cooking - a succulent round of pork with sweetness, depth & juiciness provided by the hands of a truly master craftsperson.  This was only to be out done but the accompanying Madeira reduction.  A stunning dish perfectly executed.

We had a little break as they seemed to wanted us to eat the 6 courses in record speed. We knew we had to get out by 9pm - but it was only 7.45 & we'd eaten 2/3 of the meal.  So they gave a respectful distance for a while.

The next course was either pineapple dessert or cheese (8 pound supplement).  We almost made the biggest mistake of the evening by going for the cheese.  The carpaccio of pineapple one of the most sumptuous & beautifully presented desserts I can remember having.  A tall thin glass with compote of pineapple at the bottom with a creamy granita of pineapple on top.  Frozen sugared mint flake topping it.  Resting on the rim pf the glass was a painfully thin slice of caramelised pineapple.  A marvellous sight to behold and eat.

The final dish was an almond brulee resting on a perfectly crumbly shortbread dish topped with a poached pear and pear sorbet.  Delicious & definitely not sickly sweet.

Wines - St Joseph (42 pounds) and a desert wine (38 pounds) - can't for the life of me remember what the desert wine was but it had lots of orange scents and a respectful deep colour.

Petit fours - little jellies (ok), salted caramel (horrible) and ice cream covered in white chocolate (astonishing).

This was definite improvement on our first visit - the service was slicker.  There were a few minor disappointments - the first course & the lamb - but overall it was a seriously good meal.

Warning-Very Long

After lurking on this list for a few months, I decided that it was time to finally register and post.

A friend of mine was taking his daughter and her college room mate to London and then Paris as a graduation gift. He and the girls would sightsee, shop and enjoy the food and theatre.  He suggested that I join them for all or part of the trip - all meals on him! Since I had to be in Stockholm, I decided that it would be great to make a detour for part of the London portion of the trip.  

They were staying at Claridges and the concierge had secured dinner or lunch reservations at Gordon Ramseys(Claridges), le Manoir au Quat'Saisons, Nobu, The Square, The Ivy and J Sheekeys.

I had dinner at Ramseys and the Manoir and lunch at Nobu before I had to leave.

I would rate the overall experience at Ramseys to be extremely disappointing; that at le Manoir to be excellent, if not extraordinary and Nobu to be excellent - comparable to those of the Nobu's in New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles(Matsuhisa) where I had previously eaten.

I will try to compare the details of the Ramsey vs Quat'Saisons dinners.

The Ramsey experience started off on a bad note(IMO) when my buddy received a call in his room asking him if he would mind having dessert at 9.30 in the bar area(our dinner reservation was for 7.30). His response was that he did not expect to be finished dinner at that time. He intended to explore the repertory of Mr Ramsey; to enjoy the restaurant's bounty of food and wine. He would most definitely mind!

Traffic caused us to be late at the Manoir, when we called the response was "Not to worry, the table is yours for the evening. We'll be ready for you when you get here".

We arrived promptly at 7.30 at Ramsey's. We decided to have the tasting menu(virtually the same as that had by Blind Lemon Higgins).

My friend asked that in addition to the dishes on the tasting menu, we would like to sample two or three more of the chef's dishes per his choice. The response was to the effect: "This is an extraordinary request, something we have never done before. Its impossible." My friend asked that the request be made to the kitchen. We would abide by their decision. This was the last we heard of it. My guess is that they were still trying to get us out of there by 9.30 and they never even advised the kitchen of his request.

At the Manoir the reception was most cordial. Time was never an issue, even though we were almost an hour late for our reservation. We also had the tasting menu. The girls had fois gras the evening before and asked if the kitchen would substitute for it on the menu. The maitre D asked if they had a preference or wished to be surprised. They chose to be surprised. When asked if we could add some specialty dishes to the tasting menu, the response was "Certainly'.  

Now on to the food. Unfortunately I didn't take notes and my memory is nowhere near as good as it once was.  

Les Amuses:

GR@C-A fois gras pate with mini toasts. Very good, but probably a poor choice since all four of us were having the tasting menu which included a fois gras dish. Shockingly the soiled dishes from the pate were never removed during the course of our dinner. Definitely not a three star experience.

Manoir-Dishes containing four amuse were presented to each of us in the beautiful reception area. I can't remember what exactly they were, only that they were delicious. I think two were seafood and the others were vegetables. Once in the dining room, we were given two other amuse, neither of which I remember, but both delicious.

First Course:

GR@C-Bullion with cepes. Very ordinary and VERY salty as were all the three first dishes we had.

Manoir-A fantastic asparagus soup. Remarkable for me since I am not a great fan of vegetables - especially asparagus! The vegetable dishes and vegetable sides were exceptional. The Manoir grows all its own. They were either a feature or part of  each dish we had.

Second Course:

GR@C-Foie gras and carpaccio of goose breast. Very good but quite and unnecessarily salty. After the foie gras pate amuse this was definitely overkill.

Manoir-Fois Gras for the men. Very good, but after the evening previous, we had perhaps been fois gras'd out. The girls "surprise" was a mini cheese souffle. Beautiful to look at, even better to eat(we tasted). We wished we had followed them.

Third Course:

GR@C-Lobster Raviolo. Just allright. Again very salty and the ravioli was quite tough and rubbery.

Manoir-A melange of fresh roasted vegetables in an incredible sauce. Absolutely terrific. Remember this comes from somebody who never learned to love his vegetables.

Fourth Course:

GR@C-A choice between lamb and roasted pork belly. Everybody else had the lamb. I had the pork belly. IMO it was by far the best dish of the evening. Absolutely delicious. It melted in your mouth. The sauce, a madiera reduction suited it perfectly. This dish rescued the evening. One of the better dishes I have ever had. The others said their lamb was very good.

Manoir-We had a roast duck dish. I can't describe it other to say that it was excellent. The vegetables which accompanied it were even better. The extra dishes were turbot in an excellent white sauce and a small piece of scottish beef. Both succulent.

Cheese Coarse-

GR@C-The cheeses were good but the presentation and description were lacking. They were described as "a blue cheese", "a goat cheese", "a stilton", "a French cheese from Normandy", etc. No knowledgable descriptions were given. The portions were quite small, if not tiny.

Manoir-A much broader choice of English cheeses than GR@C;

less so of French; also some good Spanish and Italian choices.

The cheeses were well explained and the portions were large -too large!

Desserts-

GR@C-As Higgins describes it the almond creme brule was outstanding. The assortment of sorbets was very good. The girls had the pineapple dessert. They loved it! The petit fours and after dinner chocolates were fine. We weren't even asked if we wished an after dinner drink. I guess they were still trying to get us out of there even though it was almost 10.30.

Manoir-We had a kaleidoscope(?sp) of mini portions of numerous desserts including a wonderful assortment of chocolate pastries. I settled on the sorbets. Very, very good. Even though we were the last table there, we were offered after dinner drinks courtesy of the house, which we refused, bloat was beginning to set in :-))).

Wine-

In both restaurants, we left the choice of wines up to the sommeliers. They chose a mid priced white and red at each place. I can't for the life of me remember what we had. Only that all wines were good and suitable for the food we were having. The sommeliers were polite, efficient and did not take advantage of a situation where to some degree they were given carte blanche.

Overall-

It was a slam dunk for Manoir. They clearly won on service, hospitality, quality of food, graciousness, professionalism and overall proficiency, even though the single best dish was probably GR@C's roast pork belly.

Ironically if not noteworthy, GR@C has an English chef with an almost all French staff, while the Manoir is adminstered by a French family and has an almost all English staff.

The next day we had lunch at Nobu. What can I say? Nobu is Nobu. The food is excellent. Service is good. Everything else is okay. The best value you can get is ordering the Bento Box for lunch. It goes for around 25 pounds and includes most of the specials that Nobu is famous for. A great bargain and more than any of us could finish.

Porkpa.

[Andy Lynes]

Very interesting post, very glad you decided to register!

[Tonyfinch]

I've banged on about it before but since its been raised again......I am at a total loss as to why customers accept it when being told at which time they are going to be allowed to eat and at which time they must vacate their table. Eating in a restaurant when you know you're wanted out has got to be one of the most dismal restaurant going experiences.

It depresses me that people are prepared to kowtow like obedient sheep to this practice. Why do people put up with it?

[cabrales]

I had dinner at Gordon Ramsay -- Claridge's recently with another eGulleteer. While the discussion during the meal was much appreciated, the cuisine offered was at best average. I would say my assessment might have been affected by my prior meals at Claridge's, which were better (although clearly at most at the one-star level and a marked step down from RHR). However, if this meal at Claridge's is indicative, Claridge's may have experienced a decline in cuisine even relative to its prior levels. Of course, one meal is not much information to go on. I welcome other members' input.

Dinner began at 9:45, although there were a number of tables at roughly the same pace as ours and we did not feel pressed with respect to any course. We ordered the regular £50 prix fixe instead of the £60 tasting menu. Below were the items taken in (items ordered by the other eGulleteer placed in square brackets):

(1) Amuse of pea soup with mint. Well, this was more appropriate for the season than pumpkin soup or Bresse chicken bouillon. The pea soup was an appropriately medium consistency, and was nice. Perhaps there was slightly too much mint for my taste, but the little bit of goat cheese atop the soup was appropriate. Ruinart Rose champagne (perhaps £12.50/glass?) was taken in with the amuse. It appears that Ruinart, whether R de Ruinart, rose or blanc de blancs, is more frequently available by the glass in the UK than in New York. The other champagnes available by the glass at Claridge's were Dom Perignon (the last time I dined it was 1993) and Roederer (non-Kristal; spelling).

(2) Not official name: Terrine of ham hock with Bresse poulet and gelee; accompaniment of orange-colored pickled non-hot-pepper item that I was not familiar with. [Panache of sauteed sea scallops on a bed of cauliflower puree and sherry caramel]. The ham hock/chicken white meat/relatively bland gelee terrine was appropriate, although it would have been less than that had the gentle pickles not been included in the dish. It was served with a little salad that was as dull as could be. Overall, average. With this dish was ordered a reasonably priced, less known white Bordeaux (£5/glass). The by-the-glass selection of whites was average-minus for a restaurant at this level, although I have seen better included wines at the restaurant.

(3) Pot-roasted belly of pork with aubergine caviar, baby spinach and lightly creamed onions and bacon. [braised ox cheek, infused with spices, served with its own consomme and horseradish pomme puree]. My pork belly was at best average. My dining companion and I both thought the flesh was a bit dry, and I found the five spice powder sensations too pronounced and the saucing unduly stark. The bacon-based saucing lacked the fatty and pork connotations I would have liked from bacon, and contained no bacon bits or sentiments of bacon fattiness. Furthermore, the temperature of the dish was slightly colder than I would have subjectively preferred. The aubergine caviar was appropriate, and an average match with the pork belly. The table shared a 1/2 bottle of 1997 Chateauneuf du Pape, Beaucastel (£32-37?).

(4) Pre-dessert of white peach veloute with yoghurt; piece of dyed dried star fruit. This was my first encounter at any GR establishment with this pre-dessert. Like the pineapple granite and some other pre-dessert I have had at GR RHR, this was served in a shotglass. Its texture was a bit heavier (in a good way, in my mind), given the gentleness of the white peach flavors and that fruit's fragrance. Also nice was the dried cross-section of star-fruit, dyed a burgundy/pink -- possibly from raspberry jus (?), as my dining companion and I both detected a hint of berry tastes in the aftertaste to the appropriately thin dried star fruit.

(5) Assorted ice creams and sorbets (in my case, two mini scoops of milk ice cream and some banana-passion fruit sorbet). The pastry chef decided to ignore my request for white chocolate ice cream, because the kitchen had apparently run out. The milk ice cream that I had sampled for the first time at RHR was not as well-executed here (could it be -- even ice cream?!). The banana-passion fruit sorbet might have had aftertastes bringing to mind guava or pear, but my dining companion accurately pointed out that sometimes certain bananas could provoke that. There was nice thin pieces of dried fruit adorning each of the six scoops of sorbet. The dried fruit included two types of apples, the dyed star fruit, pineapple and something else. However, no effort had been made to match the dried fruit to the particular sorbet. For example, milk sorbet should not have had a dried pineapple bit placed onto it. Overall, the dessert was not poor, arguably.

Coffee and petit fours are £5/person. I do not know whether one would receive petit fours if coffee were not ordered at all at a table; I wonder whether this is a newly instituted practice (?). Only the white chocolate ball with strawberry ice cream inside and dark chocolates were included. No macarons, and no cone with passion fruit piped in.

The sommelier service was professional. The dining room team was weaker on this night than for prior meals at Claridge's. For example, one of the appetizers available is "Veloute of new season white onions with sauteed cepes, baby artichokes and grated fresh truffles". I asked an individual who seemed to be at least a chef de rang (and likely more than that) what types of truffles were utilized, and he answered confidently (!) black truffles from the Perigord. I asked him if he was sure, mentioning to him that it seemed rather early for black truffles from the Perigord to be available. After several assurances, I adhered to my original question and the individual went to check with the kitchen. I had to tell him I had had certain truffle questions at Petrus that provided founded before he began to show receptiveness to checking. Of course, these were not Perigord black truffles, but the response was that there were summer truffles. A lack of professionalism on the part of this dining room team member, I have to say. If he wasn't sure, he shouldn't have sounded so confident. If he was so confident without full information, he was not particularly responsible. Another dining room team member who may have been junior to the above-described individual provided good service; hence, perhaps some service inconsistency issues (not including with respect to sommelier assistance).

[macrosan]

Super report as always, Cabrales.

I read a press report about Ramsay which inter alia suggested that GR Claridge's was below standard. Gordon Ramsay was asked to comment on this and accused the writer of not knowing what he was talking about. Ramsay might do better to read the specific, relevant and highly detailed reviews at eGullet, and then to go look for himself at what he has at Clardige's, rathet than just bristle with indignation at any criticism.

[peterpumkino]

Simple Tony, because they have to.