Review - Restaurant Gordon Ramsay 9.5/10

On a fine early summer evening a very good friend of mine and yours truly made our way to Chelsea to enjoy London refined dining.

Having arrived at Royal Hospital Road 68 - the Gordon Ramsay restaurant (http://www.gordonramsay.com/royalhospitalroad/) we were greeted and let into the dining room, which Gordon himself described as "the Chanel bag equivalent of a dining room", since its makeover a few years back.

The ambiance tones are between a beige and cappuccino colour with very elegant lines and added detail of space and luminosity from some vertical mirrored elements. All decor is in tone and adds to the luxurious but calming feel of the place. At first it does seem a bit small but it hence manages to stay intimate even when some of the polished decor could have made it more sterile. The tables are beautifully set with Riedl stemware and elegant modern china and cutlery.

We had a bit of a walk and a long day at work hence murdered a Gin Tonic and in face of the great chef's advertising, did not go for Gordon's gin but rather preferred a Tanquaray 10, which came mixed to perfection.

A bit of deliberation followed about which menu to go for and we decided to go for the tasting menu.

Now I have to start praising the head waiter, lovely French man, who for once did nothing to try to hide his accent, for the normal taster menu started with a cold Foie Gras. Now being an absolute fan of the cooked version of the delicacy and having spotted it on the 'A la carte' menu, I asked if I could have that one instead, which after checking with the kitchen was given the go ahead.

So the second difficult choice of the evening began: what lovely beverage from the impressive 2 inch thick wine list should accompany the exceptional food we were about to indulge on.

Based on the choice of the main course (lamb), with some help from the Somelier, we decided to go for:

1. Glas of Sauterne for the starting Foie Gras (what else)
2. Glas of Riesling for the 2 fish based courses
3. Bottle of Cote Roti for the lamb and cheese (Côte Rôtie Patrick Jasmin - 2004)

But lets start with the meal:

As a little special treat we received a sort of mini ice cream cone (made out of crispy wrap) where the bottom was filled with avocado and the top with finely diced lobster. Very fresh and delicious. 8/10

A second surprise came in the form of a cold clear tomato soup with fresh spring vegetables and a marinated prawn. This was refreshing, mixing the crunchiness of the vegetable (a bean for example) with the flavour of the tomato and the intensity of the marinated prawn. I rarely enjoyed a cold soup more. 9/10

Then it got to the serious stuff.

"Sautéed foie gras with Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar and almond velouté", the foie was perfectly seared outside and melting inside, the almond foam complementing the taste perfectly. All beaut fully arranged on the plate with some potato bisque and mini carrots. Together with the chosen Sauterne. Pure sensory bliss. 10/10

"Ravioli of lobster, langoustine and salmon with tomato chutney, vinaigrette", this is a single giant ravioli on the centre of a plate on top of tomato chutney and surrounded by swirl of lobster sauce. The texture is firm, perfectly cooked or probably steamed. The inside is of great texture, not overcooked, bursting with langoustine flavour (some lime I believe and additional herbs), the tomato chutney complements and rounded off by the swirl of reduced lobster sauce. This is a dish to come back for and the one where the flavour still lingers in memory. The Riesling was a good choice but once could even have a fruitier wine with this. 10/10

"Fillet of turbot with braised baby gem lettuce, leeks and cep sauce", now I have to say I am not 100% convinced of mixing fish with mushrooms and of the same opinion even after this dish. Must have had too many truffles and porcini in Italy but it just conjours up images of pasta, meat or on a bruschetta, but not fish. Don't get me wrong the sauce is amazing, the cep that actually finds himself lonely on the plate next to the turbot nothing less than sensational in flavour, but the poor turbot somehow gets drowned by the intensity of the sauce. The lettuce and leeks were wonderful though. Had serious trouble pacing the glas of Riesling to last and again not a great combination for the intensity of the dish. 6/10

At this stage the Somelier came to our dried throats rescue and filled the glasses with the long decanted Cote Roti. First tastes were wonderful, even if 2004, great depth of flavour, lovely rounded with a hint of pepper, could not wait for the meat.

"Cannon of Cornish lamb with confit shoulder, ratatouille and thyme jus", great dish, the meat was cooked pink (the waiter had asked how we wanted it cooked). Tender, full of flavour without overpowering with the strength of older or fatter lamb. Perfect companion for the Roti, or should that have been the other way around. Now the surprise of this dish was a little bell pepper stuffed with ratatouille (could discern at least courgettes). This thing was a taste explosion and all the vegetables were cooked to the right point, the pepper slightly firm and the mixed ratatouille soft but not overcooked and mashed up as so often is the case. 9/10

We could have gone for a pre-desert at this point, but since we had ordered a whole bottle of the lovely Roti and have had swift glance at the incredible cheese trolley decided to stick to savoury.

"Selection of cheese from the trolley", a great selection only probably surpassed by some I had in France. The cheese waiter, English this time around (yes at Gordon's you do have a specialist waiter for about everything) helped us and then proceeded with creating a little plate with cheese cuts in ascending intensity (clockwise). I would like to especially recommend Gordon for his choice of local cheese, some of the which can rival the best French cheese (but don;t tell the head waiter). All came with some lovely cheese biscuits and bread. 9/10

"Strawberry and Vanilla soup with champagne", this was a sort of smoothie that came in an interesting flute like glass, bottom was strawberry and the top a sort of champagne vanilla foam with some starburst powder (the stuff that prickles and pops on your tongue). Overall a good palate cleanser but not exceptional. 7/10

"Bitter chocolate and hazelnut cylinder with ginger mousse and blackcurrant granité", now this came as a surprise. Somehow I did not associate Gordon with sweetness somehow, maybe the amount of expletives that escape his mouth did not fire neuron associations with fine dessert. Well I was dead wrong. What appeared on our plates can only simple be described as a work of art. I apologize in advance for the picture quality (good old mobile) but here it is:

Not only did it look good but the taste was amazing, the ginger worked really well with the dark chocolate and the hazelnut at the bottom of the cylinder, all complemented by the sweet tanginess of the blackcurrant. 10/10

At this stage we were very happy indeed and to finish ordered a 1973 Armagnac and an espresso. The coffee was very good (and yo know I am critical with my espresso having lived in Italy for long). The Armagnac was silky smooth and being a special year for my friend and mine a fitting closing drink for the end of a remarkable culinary experience.

So why, do you ask, not an overall rating of 10/10. Well in pure constructive criticism I believe there are a few improvements that still can be done. First of all I think that there are slightly too many waiters in the room, I know we had the table in the centre and not to the side but still sometimes it felt a bit too busy. I also lament the absence of what is the lazy choice of an accompanying wine taster menu to the food taster menu. Although the Somelier can help with the wines by the glass, I have to say that the list of those is too short and pales compared to some of the special bottles you have on the wine tasting menues of other 3 Michelin star restaurants. And last but not least after departing with some serious amount of money there is no small memento to bring home, most other great places do either give you a copy of the menu you tasted or similar.

The whole experience is absolutely great and very well balanced. Whereas I would say that the Fat Duck is more special, eclectic and entertaining, it is better enjoyed with friends, as some of the encompassing dishes (like the sound of the sea, where you have to put an iPod in your ears) can distract from the conversation. At Gordon's the food is exceptionally there as an element that is part but not center stage of the overall experience. So if you need to propose go to Gordon's.

Review - Shanhan's on the Green - the best steak in Dublin 8/10

Over in Dublin for a spot of business? Fancy some good steak, or should I say bloody fantastic steak in lovely surroundings. Shanahan's on St. Stephen's Green is your place (http://www.shanahans.ie/home.html)

We previously called for a reservation and the lady on the other end of the phone disconcertingly proposed a dinner time of 6:30 pm. I admit is was a school night but thought the place must be very popular, well it did come recommended by an Irish friend.

After having had a pint of the famous black stuff in a local drinking hole and having approached the restaurant from the other side of the lovely St.Stephen's green we entered an elegant and simply beautiful Georgian house complete with 20 foot ceilings and a fireplace the size that you could roast a whole cow in.

We did notice though that at 6:30 we were the only people there and the place easily holds a crowd so we figured that the lady we reached on the phone for the reservation might had intentions to clock off early that evening.

We were given a lovely table by the window overlooking the Green and then something quite bizarre happened.

The waiter came and brough us the menues (both food and wine). He was dressed in a charcoal waiter uniform with a green shirt. I proceeded in asking for a recommendation on the wine.
Said waiter replied that the wine was the speciality of the somelier and he would call him immediately. He then exited the room.

A couple of minutes later the same waiter came back but he had changed his shirt to a red one. He approached the table and asked if we needed help in chosing the wine.

There are seldom in life moments where reality or the course of action takes such an oblique angle. The look on the face of my dinner companion was a mixture between puzzled, baffled and on his forehead you could see a frown forming into lines that one sometimes observes in the cooled off lava on the slopes of vulcanoes such as Vesuvius. For me the moment had an almost David Lynch flavour to it, (Twin Peaks...), whilst the eyes where darting around the room to check if we were not on candid camera.

Still we managed to ask for a nice bottle of red, which wine exactly, I confess, escapes me.

The waiter then thanked us gratefully for the good choice and left the room.

At that moment my dinner companion and me just burst out laughing. We both confessed that we had the vision of the waiter running out of the room proceeding to change his shirt and then re-entering the room, remeniscent of the good old black and white slapstick movies of Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin.

The secret was then to us revealed.

Shanahan's on the Green is the only restaurant that I have been to in my whole life, and there have been a few, trust me, that employs identical twin brothers as waiter and somelier.

The lovely chaps are from Italy and the town of Pescara.

But lets turn to the meal and the quality of the food.

Shanahan's steaks are Angus and " cooked in a special broiler at 1600-1800 degrees farenheit to sear the outside and keep the inside tender and juicy".

We had the Filet Mignon medium rare and boy does that special broiler work. The outside was just perfect without being burnt leaving the inside with great texture, tender, full of flavour. Simply the best steak for quite a few years. 9/10

As sides we had:

• whipped pottoes with bubtter and chives, great texture lovely flavour with the chives, a tiny but too buttery for me. 8/10
• copper pot of creamed spinach (Bacon enhanced) - great, not overcooked, with the Bacon completeng but not overpowring too much. 8/10

All washed down with the lovely red in elegant stemware.

We were so full thatwe could only manage an espresso (very good) and as a nice gestures the Italian twins offered a glass of prosecco on the house.

Overall a great great evening in elegant surrounding with superb service and an absolutely fantastic steak.

So overall highly recommended both for business but also for a occasion with that someone special.