Saturday, November 4, 2017

WHAT'S IT LIKE DINING SOLO AT A 3-MICHELIN STARRED RESTAURANT (RESTAURANT GORDON RAMSAY-LONDON, UK)

Gordon Ramsay
68 Royal Hospital Road
London, SW3 4HP
Gordon Ramsay
Tel: +44 02073524441
Cuisine: French
$$$$ ($50+)
Fri, 10/20/2017, 9:30pm reservation
     (5 Piglets)
The front door
Having previously lived in London back in 2005-2006, I've been wanting to go to this restaurant ever since but never had the chance. Now that it was within my grasp, I knew this was the time. I landed in London with every intention of dining at Gordon Ramsay's restaurant. I made reservations using the OpenTable app along with assistance from my American Express Platinum Concierge service (they're amazing!). It was for a table of one to dine at Gordon Ramsay's flagship restaurant that has consistently maintained a 3-Michelin star.  

Upon arriving, I was greeted by the maître d'hôtel and seated amongst one of the twelve tables in the restaurant. The hallway to the dining room was sleek and shiny. The dining room itself was fancy, superb, and sophisticated. It was simple, no paintings, just beige notes with white tablecloths.

The waiters and staff catered to me as expected from a 3-michelin starred restaurant. I was alone, dining alone, and complimented by the managers of how beautiful I looked (thank you for this).  It's an interesting feeling knowing you'll be sitting alone for the next 3+ hours eating, with no one but your phone as your date. It's a matter of feeling comfortable in your own skin and not feeling like you need someone. Luckily, the staff made me feel comfortable, even conversing with me and learning a little bit about each other. I felt like I was no longer by myself anymore. This is what tends to happen when I dine at these Michelin starred restaurants (the other place was Quince in SF). When you walk in thinking, "oh goodness, I'm gonna be solo for the next couple hours with no one to talk to" you actually find yourself not feeling lonely. You end up making friends with the managers or the chefs and you're comforted by the superior food that is presented right before you. That feeling is invigorating and makes you stronger, at least for me.

So, after ordering a glass of wine, I picked the Prestige menu for my dinner and this is what I received...
The long walkway

The menu
The dining room
COURSE ONE: PRESSED FOIE GRAS: Green Apples, Turnips, Watercress, Smoked Duck. This was absolutely delicious. The foie gras was smooth as silk and the smoked duck added smokiness to the dish. There was a bit of all textures and flavors as well as freshness. It came with the buttery brioche which I loved! 
COURSE TWO: RAVIOLI: Lobster, Langoustine, Salmon, Oxalis and Wood Sorrel. This was delicious as well. It is one of the dishes that Gordon Ramsay is famous for. It was delicate and the lobster was luscious and succulent. Everything about this dish was magnificent and I wanted more. It was my second favorite dish. 
COURSE THREE: POACHED ISLE OF GIGHA HALIBUT: Atlantic King Crab, Finger Lime, Ras El Hanout Infused Broth. Wow! The fish was perfectly cooked. The broth was light and delicious. Everything about the dish had a beautiful balance along with a gorgeous presentation. The fish was not at all dry, and just fell off with the touch of a fork. I loved every bite. 
MY FAVORITE DISH. COURSE FOUR: ROAST PIGEON: Beetroot, Quince, Buckwheat. This was the best dish of the night. The pigeon just fell off the bone. It basically tastes like duck without tasting gamey. The sauce was so rich and complemented the duck well. I finished every little bite. I feel like pigeon is hard to cook and they cooked it successfully. 
The cheese cart!!! You can pick as many as you want with a 10 pound supplement fee!

COURSE FIVE: SELECTION OF CHEESES FROM THE TROLLEY (10 POUND SUPPLEMENT FEE). This was so worth it. Every cheese I tried was delicious. I basically was greedy and asked for a little bit of everything. I was so full by then but I finished it all. SO GOOD! My favorite was the creamy one second from the right. 

The crackers that came with the cheese
COURSE SIX: SORBET: Blackcurrant, Champagne. There was champagne jelly that went along with this sorbet, which was good. It was a bit sour but that's what palate cleansers are for. Good, smooth, rich, and cold. Perfect. 
COURSE SEVEN: LEMONADE PARFAIT: Honey, Bergamot, Sheep's Milk Yogurt. This was freakin fantastic. It would be one of my favorite desserts. It was so smooth and luscious. It wasn't too sweet but sweet enough. It was beautifully presented and I wanted more of this!! I wish I could have this all the time! 


Additional dessert^
The kitchen

The kitchen after service. 

All cleaned up
Overall, my time at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay was amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and the service. Dining alone is something that not many people feel comfortable doing, especially doing it at a 3-Michelin starred restaurant. I didn't mind dining alone one bit. I felt at ease and felt they catered to me more than others to make me feel at home. The food was fantastic and I didn't have one single bad dish. They even noticed I loved the ice cream balls in liquid nitrogen and decided to give me a second batch. I was offered a tour of the kitchen as well. They don't however, allow actual cameras to take pictures of the food, which was disappointing. If you ever feel you want to eat at a really good restaurant but don't have a date/friend to join you, just do it. You won't regret eating there, but you'll always regret having never had the chance to try it because you didn't have anyone to go with. And a good place to start would be Restaurant Gordon Ramsay...

Notable Dishes: Pigeon, Lemonade Parfait, and Ravioli

9 comments:

  1. What a great post that you have shared here about Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. You do make information easy for us that we get good information. Thanks for this informative blog. tower bridge restaurants

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am happy to find this post very useful for me, as it contains a lot of information. I always prefer to read the quality content and this thing I found in your post. Thanks for sharing it. Breakfast Place in Londonx

    ReplyDelete
  3. Cheap kitchen tables can come in a variety of styles, materials and sizes. Here's a look at 3 great types to choose from. Read the full story... cooking tools

    ReplyDelete
  4. Cheap kitchen tables can come in a variety of styles, materials and sizes. Here's a look at 3 great types to choose from. Read the full story... Kitchen

    ReplyDelete
  5. Gather around your kitchen dinette set for some family fun or enjoy a light meal at a festive, you can do it all within your budget. With help of online services, buy cheap small kitchen furniture at affordable prices. Small kitchen furniture is a great to add style to your kitchen and to help you with your daily activities. Elly Kitchen Tips

    ReplyDelete
  6. Cheap kitchen tables can come in a variety of styles, materials and sizes. Here's a look at 3 great types to choose from. Read the full story... Non-stick cookware

    ReplyDelete
  7. If you are like many others, your kitchen and dining area may be in serious need of an update. Iron and wine is the answer, if the elegant look of french vineyard is what you're searching for! And since these accents are in high demand these days, you will easily find what you need to transform your kitchen and dining room from dull to breathtakingly gorgeous in no time. https://www.stluciekitchenremodeling.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Bugs and pests are some of the unwanted visitors that intrude into your home and ruin your healthy living. Bugs are mainly attracted into a home by the food residue at your home which has been left unclean. An effective way of controlling this is by limiting your dining to your kitchen and dining areas. non-stick cookware

    ReplyDelete
  9. puppies and dogs are very cute, i always love to play with them during my spare time. 토토사이트

    ReplyDelete