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by N. A. Ross
I’m back to London for a few days and my friends insist that Gordon Ramsey has managed to pull a coup by having the top two restaurants in town, Gordon Ramsey at 68 Royal Hospital Road and Gordon Ramsey at Claridge’s. All the hype not withstanding, I think that both these elegant venues offer wonderful “New New French” (whatever that might be) cuisine, gracious and pampering service and outstanding wine cellars.
But, Pétrus (La Tante Clair’s former space in the Barkeley Hotel now lavishly refurbished) is not shabby either, as chef Wareing is creating his mouthwatering version of New New French and also has an incomparable wine list. Add to chef Wareing’s accomplishments the Savoy Grill, reopened after a multimillion pound refurbishment with a combination of Savoy classic dishes and a contemporary British menu (Escoffier had made “The Grill” the venue for the literati and gliterati at the turn of the 19th century).
Neither is La Gavroche, at 43 Upper Brook Street, for years the domain of Michel Roux, second to any of the above. The kitchen prepares fare that can only be considered as heavenly.
Add to the list Mirabelle, at 56 Courzon Street, with its classic French fare and discreet but ever-present service. And Foliage, at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Hotel, in Knightsbridge, a sophisticated dining room with faultless service and European/French cuisine. Or, the Grill Room at the Dorchester, a room that evokes Victorian England at its best, but with excellent modern British fare and a topnotch wine list.
So which is the best? I equally like them all. London hotels have some of the best kitchens in the world and the restaurant staffs are exceptionally professional -- not out-of-work actors waiting for their next gig.
©JuneJuly 2004. All rights reserved.
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