Restaurant Gordon Ramsay

If you can't recall the name you must have been on the International Space Station... for the last 10 years. Gordon Ramsay's restaurant business includes ventures from Cape Town to New York, and his London outposts alone range from an East London pub to Heathrow's Terminal 5. Royal Hospital Road could be considered the flagship of the group, and it's where he struck out on his own for the very first time back in 1998. These days the kitchen is in the capable hands of executive chef Mark Askew, leading a brigade of 17 chefs in the recently refurbished and modernised kitchen. The frontage with its neatly trimmed shrubs, black paintwork on white walls and discreet awning is nicely understated, not at all showy and definitely not loud. Inside, it is not a large room - just 15 tables - which means it is a much more personal experience than a first-timer might imagine. Tones of cream and beige dominate the room, creating a refined and elegant space where the focus is on the food on the plate. Like the room, the menu does not deliver radical concepts or challenging innovations, rather it deals in impeccably produced French dishes of balance and refinement, put together with technical skill. Prices are high and the menus evolve at a slow pace. Lunch and dinner (choose from fixed-price lunch, carte or prestige menus) include all the extras you might imagine, from amuse-bouche to pre-dessert. Quail and wild mushroom pithivier with a confit of the leg and celeriac remoulade is a starter packed full of delicious flavours, while roasted fillet of line-caught turbot with langoustines, linguine and wild mushrooms is a beautifully presented main course based on superb produce. Poached white peaches with almond sable with raspberries, vanilla ice cream and champagne jelly is a well-balanced finale. Maître d' Jean-Claude Breton manages the front-of-house with charm and makes every customer feel as important as a Russian oligarch.

At junct of Royal Hospital Road & Swan Walk
Nearest station: Sloane Square

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