Gordon Ramsay runs over 80 restaurants worldwide – but it was, of course (in case you’d forgotten), Restaurant Gordon Ramsay on Royal Hospital Road in Chelsea, London, that cemented the fiery Scot’s status as an elite chef.
The eatery has held three Michelin stars for over 22 years, is the flagship of Ramsay’s empire, and most would agree that it has acquired the status of ‘legendary’.
Is it worth the hype? A worthy flagship? American foodie content creator known only as ‘UA’ flew all the way over from New Jersey to the UK capital to find out.
He posted a video of his £519.80 ($652) experience at the restaurant to his YouTube channel – UA Eats – with the footage garnering over 300,000 views. What’s more, he revealed further thoughts to MailOnline Travel.
The verdict? Read on.
UA visits the restaurant with his girlfriend, Tina, with both opting for the £210/$265 ‘menu prestige’.
Proceedings begin with amuse-bouche, comprising cheese bites that tas
To follow, it’s ‘a taste of spring’ – baby Jersey Royals with asparagus, Lincolnshire Poacher cheese and pickled mustard seeds. The dish, says UA, ‘looks like an elven forest’, and the potatoes are declared to be ‘perfect’.
The restaurant’s homemade bread arrives next. It’s glazed with honey and UA says that it’s ‘one of the best breads of any restaurant’.
There’s also a goat butter that UA finds irresistibly moreish.
A vegetable ratatouille, meanwhile, sends UA into a state of ecstasy, with Cornish turbot and garlic cream preceding the main course – 100-day-aged Cumbrian blue grey steak with morels, leek, black garlic and sauce Diane.
A cherry sorbet and coconut mousse palette cleanser ‘perfectly works’ and on the video leads UA to characterise Ramsay as ‘a mad genius’.
te like ‘upscale Cheez-Its’, a ‘beautiful’ mini mound of peas on a pastry-like base, and beef tartare with a micro salad that UA concludes is ‘fantastic’.
Next, it’s smoked confit egg yolk with crispy shallot, crispy chicken skin, and wild garlic mousse, which UA says is ‘somewhere between a thick chicken soup and a foam’. On the video he cannot contain his delight at the flavour.
The final act is a pecan praline parfait – ‘one of the most memorable desserts’.
So, what was UA’s favourite dish?
He tells MailOnline Travel: ‘The ratatouille was definitely my favourite dish. It was the best vegetarian dish I’ve ever had. It was savoury and somehow I was able to taste every vegetable individually, even as they worked together in unison. Absolutely delicious.’
And his least favourite?
UA says: ‘There wasn’t really a bad dish, but I guess I’d say my least favourite was the steak. Its flavour was great and it was cooked wonderfully, but its texture left a bit to be desired. It didn’t have any sear on it, so the meat was tender but without any crispiness to pair with it. But that’s just my take and my preference.’
