Stroll past a bright red telephone box and an impressive double of Big Ben, both unmistakable symbols of Britain, and you’ll find a pub. This isn’t just any pub; it’s the Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill, brought over to The Londoner Macao by one of the world’s most famous chefs, with a string of Michelin stars, TV shows and a global restaurant empire to his name. Gordon Ramsay, synonymous with intense kitchen showdowns and an unwavering commitment to culinary excellence, has landed in Macau—and he’s bringing more than just his f-words.
“These parties are always fun,” Ramsay remarks during a call between meetings. We caught up with him in January after a jampacked schedule of photo shoots, a media masterclass, an opening party and a Q&A session with students from the Macau Institute for Tourism Studies. “On the back of a crazy day, it’s actually quite nice to see the kind of support we’ve got here in Macau,” he adds, thankful for the warm welcome he’s received.
Despite the relentless ticktock of a demanding timetable, the Scottish-born chef, who was raised in Stratford-upon-Avon in England’s West Midlands, remains strikingly calm and fully in the moment, rendering this encounter more of an engaging conversation than an interview.
“Great Britain is synonymous with tremendous pubs,” notes Ramsay, who is no stranger to the pub scene, having run his own: The Narrow, which reopened as Bread Street Kitchen & Bar, on the River Thames, and The Warrington in north-west London, which was later sold. “I understood the comfort that pubs bring and they’re amazing places to meet,” says the savvy publican. “They have incredible ales, beers and whiskies, but the food needs to be highlighted. Pub food is some of the most sought-after food anywhere in the world”.
On his latest venture, Ramsay shares his excitement about replicating the success of the Pub & Grill at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, to offer a slice of “cool Britannia” and “quintessential Britishness”, in Macau. Upon entering, a nod to the architectural style of 1830s Industrial Revolution envelops you. A striking bar, the soul of any pub, takes centre stage, with various seating options in the patriotic hues of the British flag surrounding it. Exposed brick work, wood-panelled walls and reclaimed timber meet plush leather booths, glass detailing and a selection of contemporary London artwork and accessories, infusing modernity into the cherished traditions of the pub.
What sets this pub and grill apart is Ramsay’s incorporation of local flavours, with dishes that make use of dried cod and turmeric in the pipeline. “I’ve been a big fan of this part of the world for a long time,” says Ramsay. “I remember doing Great Escapes, a documentary on [British broadcaster] Channel 4, and studying Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam, Cambodia. It’s a melting pot here, with a very strong Portuguese influence, laced with all those beautiful spices.”
Ramsay’s commitment to the venue extends beyond plans and menu updates. “Absolutely,” he says, when asked if he will be visiting Macau more often in the future. “We’re, what, nine weeks open now. It’s still very early days, so I’m keen to continue training the team and getting them stronger.”
Regarding his expectations for how diners in Macau will embrace his cuisine, Ramsay expresses confidence in delivering excellence. “It’s not your average pub,” he asserts. The menu boasts well-known Ramsay signatures, including beef Wellington and fish and chips, along with freshly shucked oysters, trout meunière, ricotta tortellini and a selection of charcoal-fired grilled steaks. “If anything, Macau’s given us the opportunity to elevate the pub experience and bring something just a tad more luxurious than you expect,” adds Ramsay, as he hints, “It’s not fine dining, though I think the food is of one-star equivalent—but we’re not chasing stars. I’ll do that when I look at my second restaurant here in Macau.”
Ramsay’s time, however, is not solely devoted to his professional pursuits; he also finds time for his family life. Most notably, he recently welcomed his sixth child, Jesse James, into the world. Reflecting on the challenges of raising such a sizeable brood, Ramsay chuckles and says, “God, it’s a tough one, isn’t it? Six. it’s not your average number.”
He regales us with stories of a family outing with his youngest boys, Jesse and Oscar, to a beach in Miami and how, at one point, they “forgot about the other four”. Not that they truly forgot, but because “the other four are doing exceptionally well and they’re adults progressing in their careers brilliantly”. Ramsay beams with pride as he talks about his children. Megan, the eldest and the first in the family to earn a degree, joined London’s Metropolitan Police; Holly, who has a knack for “fashion stuff”, has a strong media presence; Jack joined the Royal Marines; and Tilly, or Matilda, is on the brink of graduating from university. He continues, “So it’s four older siblings that the two boys can look up to and, fingers crossed, follow in their footsteps”.
Has his role as a father has evolved over the years? “I think I’m a better dad because of the experience with the previous four,” he says. The pandemic too, he notes, taught new ways of communicating and cherishing family moments. “It’s the first time in my career that I’ve ever had to say: ‘Stop, you’re not going anywhere for two years.’ And it was an absolute dream. I remember Oscar’s first steps, having his first haircut and walking for the first time. We’d like to continue with that kind of momentum with Facetime and calls. And I’m flying back to London tonight. We’ll be there for two weeks.”
He continues to divulge his plans for the coming months, in which he will be going back and forth to Dublin to film season two of the cooking competition Next Level Chef. Ramsay’s calendar is a whirlwind, with filming commitments, restaurant openings and family time competing for his attention. Yet he manages to find balance. “If we’ve got one thing right, it’s that everything’s working around me as opposed to me having to go and work around it. Everything centralises around the HQ and we divide and conquer.”
When we delve into the topic of legacy, Ramsay says frankly, “It’s hard to talk about that because we’re not done.” Ramsay’s culinary legacy is less about Michelin stars and more about creating an environment where his team can thrive and carry his culinary torch onwards. “The [Gordon Ramsay] Academy, for me, is the bedrock, and the future of the group,” he says of his vision to cultivate the next generation of chefs. The academy trains cooking enthusiasts who, as Ramsay describes, are “about one-third public and one-third industry, then we put a lot back into the community with voluntary scholarships and free programmes.”
What about the legacy he leaves his children? This hinges on instilling a set of values that empowers them to forge their own paths without relying solely on their dad or his fortune. “We want them to grow up with ambitions and plans,” he says of the lessons that he and his wife, Tana, are keen to impart. “I didn’t grow up with much.” Ramsay spent most of his childhood on multiple council estates while his mother worked three jobs to support him and his siblings. “And everything I had, I was entirely grateful with and for. When you get successful, you have all these amazing trappings that you earn and you’re lucky to have. I just didn’t want that to be misconstrued that that’s their life.”
Sharing a piece of his parenting wisdom, Ramsay mentions that potential apartment deposits are included in the plan, but only provided after reaching a savings threshold. He adds that if his children consistently save their monthly pocket money, given year-round, he matches it at year’s end, giving them an incentive to save and, as he puts it, “not to blow it on fast cars, flash jewellery or silly bracelets”, and ultimately, to stand on their own two feet.
“That kind of hunger and determination is really important to me, and I’ll continue to support them with whatever they want to do, to help and advise them, provided they stay focused on their careers, and they don’t take it for granted,” he explains, his words echoing the self-reliance and resilience that he, too, had to develop.
The conversation shifts to the ever-evolving culinary landscape, and Ramsay’s insights are bullish, debunking the notion that fine dining is on its last legs, and emphasising that “there’s way too much talent out there”. It has, however, evolved. “It’s unfussy, complex eating. I can’t stand longwinded chats from waiters who are giving you a 15-minute précis on whatever. No, let me eat,” he says, adding that he believes “the pompousness that comes with fine dining is gone.” Particularly excited about the Asian and Scandinavian influences in modern cuisine, he also notes the growing importance of sustainability and the expanding role of chefs. He predicts, “I think you’ll start to see a plethora of chefs, coming through in the next five or ten years, that will be treated like [professional] athletes and football stars that we pay signing-on fees for, to join forces with big heavyweight companies for backing because of the commodities they’ve become. This is one of the most exciting times in the history of the culinary world.
“On the back of that, distortion with Covid over the last three years has gotten rid of the crap. And now we’ve got a grassroots effect. It’s helped blast this into new territory because it’s fresh and it’s vibrant, which is inspiring because there are some cracking ideas. No one is sitting on their laurels any more.”
On whether social media is the tool of the future for all of this, Ramsay, with his enormous online following on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, replies “I f*cking hope not”, displaying his trademark candour as he laughs. “Listen, I love that viral content. I got a message last night from Selena Gomez, and she was excited about the scrambled egg that we taught her, so, it’s a nice way of connecting and a cool way of showing off food.” Nevertheless, Ramsay offers a measured perspective, cautioning, “Social media is good but it’s not something to be taken too seriously because you can’t eat your phone.”
As our conversation winds down, it becomes increasingly apparent that Gordon Ramsay is indeed a master of his own time. This is a man who makes every second count, be it in the company of his family, nurturing his thriving enterprises or even this interview. In Ramsay’s world, time is a precious ingredient, and he’s proven himself a chef who knows just how to savour it.
