Ducasse to open at the Dorchester

[Fat Guy]

Boy I am just not seeing the slop-on-plate point at all. Those plates look very professional.

[Magnus Lindgren]

Boy I am just not seeing the slop-on-plate point at all. Those plates look very professional.

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im sorry but for that amount of money that looks sloppy end of story, atleast by london standards.

i wanted to go but ive definatly changed my mind now the only thing taht looks good is the rhum baba.

we need a fresh opening not this

mag

[naebody]

Perhaps this is all an elaborate practical joke.

Venison in brown sauce? Halibut Nicoise? Steak with Jenga-stacked chips and Iceberg garnish? The chef has to be aware that such dishes are already available in this country via our extensive network of Brewers Fares and Travel Taverns.

I can only assume he's making fun of Britain's lack of culinary distinction. "Regardez les rosbifs," Ducasse is chortling. "Paiement par le nez pour un menu cela embarrasserait un 1960s Little Chef."

Perhaps in a week or two, once the joke palls, he'll open the real restaurant. Hopefully.

Edited November 16, 2007 by naebody (log)

[ravelda]

Naebody, that was exactly my thoughts when I was there - either Ducasse has under estimated the British dining audience (and totally mis jusdged the dishes), or he has gone bonkers, or he is just having a bloody great laugh at our expense!

[Paul Reynard]

Have just cancelled two tables there for the coming weeks. Think I will go to Hibiscus instead (assuming I can get a table) as that should be firing on all cylinders soon after opening glitches have been sorted. Am very sad not to be going to AD though for these reasons, very sad indeed.

[Matthew Grant]

I hope this gets sorted out quickly.

With regard to the dishes such as "Nicoise" and "Grand veneur" I think this is in keeping with his current style in France. On the Louis XV menu at the moment is "Back of venison crushed with black pepper and juniper, fruit and vegetable, “poivrade” dressing" (Dos de chevreuil d’Alsace frotté de poivre noir et de genièvre, fruits et légumes à la forestière, sauce poivrade)

Mediterranean sea bass spiked with black olives and capers, green tomato juice, lemon, scallion, fennel and sweet pepper (Loup de Méditerranée piqué d’olives noires et petites câpres au jus de tomates vertes et de citron de Menton, cébette, fenouil et poivron fondants). Wood pigeon roasted rare and after cooked «salmis», cabbage stuffed with foie gras, Matignon vegetables (Palombe rôtie saignante puis mijotée en salmis, chou fourré de foie gras puis braisé sur une fine matignon)

Not so very far from the dishes on the London menu. I suspect the execution is the problem, not the actual dishes.

[Zoticus]

I suspect the execution is the problem, not the actual dishes.

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Quite. Although, the fact that Brits now associate expensive and prestigious meals with 'fun', toy food, makes it all the more difficult for anyone cooking grown up French cuisine in the UK.

The criticism regarding the plating is sad, and, frankly, worrying. Are we really mocking Ducasse for not serving things in Perspex polygons accompanied by some wireless gadget?

[nikkib]

No, we are not criticising for the lack of "wizardry" or gadgetry howver everything looks very dull and uninspired. I would say sloppy but be honest - did any of the photos make yor mouthwater and think "wow" i must eat that now.... For me personally a multiple michelin starred restaurant needs to have that "wow" factor, having never eaten in a french 3 michelin but i can't compare it but by Per Se, RHR, Fat Duck etc standards nothing looks taht interesting and i agree the steak and chips looks truly shocking, especially when compared with hibiscus' irreverent "sausage roll" which looked infinitely more appealing. Of course i will still want to eat there but there are plenty of other more excitng new openings i will go to first, hardly the "wow" ducasse might have hoped for.

[Zoticus]

If there is a 'wow' factor, I would have thought it would be present in the eating rather than in photos.

Edited November 16, 2007 by Zoticus (log)

[Andy Fenn]

The plating should be appropriate to the style of food that is served. The presentation at the Fat Duck, Mugaritz or el Bulli would look equally out of place at an Alain Ducasse restaurant.

Which expensive London restaurants do you associate with "toy" food and plating, by the way? The adolescent Square? Or that spotty teenager, Petrus?

It is churlish to ignore the importance of presentation with food at high end restaurants. Of course, one can often receive a gorgeous, intricate plate of food that tastes utterly forgetful. But at AD, you should get both.

And perhaps it would all be forgiven, were the wow factor "present in the eating", as you suggest. But the early reports suggest that the dishes look AND taste dull and uninspired. So, as Matt says, I'm going to leave it for a while. If he is serious about this venture, Alain should give it the care and attention it deserves.

[Matthew Grant]

The Steak and chips is, unfortunately, a must have item on most London menus. Sad to say it is still one of the most ordered things. I remember being in the kitchen at Putney Bridge and watching plate after plate of Fillet steak "well done" going out the kitchen. The number one seller of a Saturday evening. For those that don't want fillet steak and chips don't order it.

The plating look similar in style to Louis XV. I can't say my pigeon there was the most appealing thing visually (though it wasn't unattractive) but it blew most things I have eaten in this country over the last couple of years out the water. Simple and effective, Ducasse is not about cutting edge cuisine, I welcome the return of proper sauces!

Edited November 16, 2007 by Matthew Grant (log)

[chefmatt]

My meal in monaco this summer was completely uninspiring apart from a superb starter of stockfish tripe and confit cod. I had a veal main course that came out glazed to the nines in an overly reduced sticky jus (is that what you want in 35 degrees heat?) It came with a summer vegetable lasagne, an open lasagne with undercooked veg and sweaty pasta. my wife's starter, one of his signatures, a truffle broth with vegetables cooked in it was tasteless. her lobster was severely undercooked. Desserts were ok apart from a very strange peach dessert in a vinaigrette with what must have bean about three tastless raw peaches segmented up and a tastless foam sort of dolloped on the plate.

what was worse was when i went to meet Cerutti they couldn't find him, he wasn't even in the kitchen and when he did finally make an appearance he looked utterly bored to be meeting me.

The food looks sloppy, the last thing i want is test tubes and toothpaste tubes. what i want is for the food to look clean and appetising. The chicken is going on to the rim of the plate. what are those undressed leaves doing on the pigeon?

Raspberries????? November??????

[chefmatt]

raspberry dessert does look cool though.

[algy]

Ducasse has under estimated the British dining audience

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or perhaps he has estimated his British dining audience all too well - it's just that it isn't represented on this site.

[Jamsie]

Oh no no no no

Stop ruining my dream

Wifey and I have recently spawned and haven't been out in months, the one night we're going out is to Ducasse in a couple of weeks as a treat

The way you guys are talking about it sounds like we'd be better of spending the money on a cot for the little one and maybe some nappies

[Matthew Grant]

Think positive, everything will be running like clockwork by then, in fact it better be running like clockwork in time for next Friday

[Gary Marshall]

i have seen a review, very balanced, but not a happy experience for them, however if you're feeling in 'a glass half full mindset' the table next to them thought it was the 'best meal they'd ever had'

[Gary Marshall]

Oh no no no no

Stop ruining my dream

Wifey and I have recently spawned and haven't been out in months, the one night we're going out is to Ducasse in a couple of weeks as a treat

The way you guys are talking about it sounds like we'd be better of spending the money on a cot for the little one and maybe some nappies

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forget cots, book Hibiscus instead. The chef actually cooks there

Edited November 16, 2007 by Gary Marshall (log)

[muichoi]

The Steak and chips is, unfortunately, a must have item on most London menus. Sad to say it is still one of the most ordered things. I remember being in the kitchen at Putney Bridge and watching plate after plate of Fillet steak "well done" going out the kitchen. The number one seller of a Saturday evening. For those that don't want fillet steak and chips don't order it.

The plating look similar in style to Louis XV. I can't say my pigeon there was the most appealing thing visually (though it wasn't unattractive) but it blew most things I have eaten in this country over the last couple of years out the water. Simple and effective, Ducasse is not about cutting edge cuisine, I welcome the return of proper sauces!

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There's nothing wrong with steak and chips, though I agree it's not really what I would order at a grand restaurant. I'd be glad, however, if you could point me to a place in London that does it properly. I know one or two addresses for good meat, but it's many years since I had a genuinely first class chip/french fry.

[chrisp]

The Steak and chips is, unfortunately, a must have item on most London menus. Sad to say it is still one of the most ordered things. I remember being in the kitchen at Putney Bridge and watching plate after plate of Fillet steak "well done" going out the kitchen. The number one seller of a Saturday evening. For those that don't want fillet steak and chips don't order it.

The plating look similar in style to Louis XV. I can't say my pigeon there was the most appealing thing visually (though it wasn't unattractive) but it blew most things I have eaten in this country over the last couple of years out the water. Simple and effective, Ducasse is not about cutting edge cuisine, I welcome the return of proper sauces!

←

There's nothing wrong with steak and chips, though I agree it's not really what I would order at a grand restaurant. I'd be glad, however, if you could point me to a place in London that does it properly. I know one or two addresses for good meat, but it's many years since I had a genuinely first class chip/french fry.

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Easy - there's only one place to go for great steak & chips in London, and that's Hawksmoor. Bloody amazing steaks and triple-cooked chips in goose fat. Great stuff.

[chefmatt]

RASPBERRIES!!!!!! Is no one bothered?

[Shirley]

A visit to Ramsay at Claridges a few years ago we had strawberries in January, this was not long after he had released a chef for all seasons! Not at all shocked by the raspberries. Actually, I wish I had ordered that instead of the orange one.

[balex]

Has anyone here been yet?

Or is everyone bailing out on the basis of the reviews?

[Andy Lynes]

Had lunch here today - total disapointment, the menu faineld on pretty much every level.  I will write more later once I have my thoughts together.  The one upshot was that the Maitre d' was so embarassed that he insisted on comp'ing everything and commented that he agreed with pretty much all the negative comments we had.

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Has anyone here been yet?

Or is everyone bailing out on the basis of the reviews?

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[ravelda]

I'lltry and get my detailed review up later today. My stomach still shudders at the thought of it - it took me 4 rennie just to get through it and I usually have a stomach of cast iron!