Anyone Been to Gordon Ramsey at Claridges?

Burnsy2023

Burnsy2023

Burnsy2023

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How much should I expect to pay per head for 3 courses and is it worth the price?

Also, what were your general opinions?

Burnsy
 
I've been to Boxwood Cafe and the bill was £85 for me and the girlfriend for 3 courses without wine. Being the cheapest of all his restaurants the bill was reasonable. Food was worth every penny though.

For Claridges I would expect to pay at least £70 a head for 3 courses.
 
Set Lunch - £30 a head
A La Carte - £60 a head
Menu Prestige - £75 a head


it's all there in black and white..

oh, and gratuities is 12.5% automatically added to your bill
 
Took thee missus there for her Birthday, it was good and we spent £300 inc wine.
The food was fine, not particularly worth £300, but is any meal out worth that much? Its more about the sense of occasion, my missus got to dress up, felt exclusive and spoilt and it earnt me shed loads of brownie points, so overall it was money well spent..
 
It states "A discretionary 12.5% gratuity will be added to your bill."

Well as it discretionary they can remove it in my opinion. Been to a few restaurants like this first question is normal to the Waiter does the x% gratuity go to you, or is pooled for all the Waiting staff? usual answer is no it goes to the management/owner. So is just an excuse IMHO to say our prices are not expensive enough so we'll add a bit more on.

This really gets on my nerves especially when on Company business and they try and add 10% on top of an already over priced meal in a Hotel when you evening allowance is only £25 and your lucky to get a starter, main and a pint for £25.
 
The additional 12.5% grat charge is one of the reasons I would never set foot in the place (unless someone else was silly enough to pay it for me)

As was just stated, I doubt very much the charge goes to the service staff. So its simply another way to make a bit more off the customer. And as well as that, what happens if the service isn't particularly good ? If you complain do they waiver the extra ( I don't think so......) - or does Mr arrogant himself come out of the Kitchen and swear at you before booting you out and taking your money ?

There's a reason some of his other venues have gone into receivership, and after speking to some people who have been to his restaurents, they really aren't worth the extra - but thats their opinion & one I would listen too - as I don't fancy spending £200, £300 or even £400 that some of them have spent (for 2 people) on a mediocre meal out - I work too hard for my monies

But, I suppose people have the right to spend their hard earned money on what they want - I just wouldn't do it myself, and then be forced to pay extra for service. If service is good - I tip a realistic amount - the staff deserve it more than the owner does.

And I wouldn't spend that amount in a restaurent like that either - when I can spend £150 for two people (with drinks) in a Teppanyaki restaurent ( getting 5 courses ) and get my own table, with my own chef cooking the stuff in front of me for 2 hours (while he puts on a show & doesn't disappear back into the kitchen to re-heat some fancy dish he created earlier)
 
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I don't know when you were intending to go but I think you have to book quite far in advance. Goto the fat duck - it'd be way more interesting.
 
divosuk said:
The additional 12.5% grat charge is one of the reasons I would never set foot in the place (unless someone else was silly enough to pay it for me)
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the key word is discretionary.

As was just stated, I doubt very much the charge goes to the service staff.
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that's quite a big assumption.

while he puts on a show & doesn't disappear back into the kitchen to re-heat some fancy dish he created earlier)
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and you really think they do that at gordon ramsay's restaurants?
 
Yes.

"And diners in one celebrity chef's Chelsea restaurant this year were horrified to see bags from Waitrose being brought in to the open-plan kitchen. It was Sunday morning, and the venue had run out of its normal supply, apparently."

I'll not say who's establishment.... but it's a quote from the Independant.....and no matter how fancy or expensive a venue is, they all do that.

And, I'm sure they re-heat most of the sauces, side veg and most definately any deserts which have been pre-prepared. All venues rarely have enough freshly cooked items to feed all the patrons at the same time, and sometimes they do actually run out of things. So to assume Gordon uses all freshly cooked items (and would never substitute -pre-prepared or re-heated foodstuff or even organic produce for bog-standard Tesco Peppers is a long way from the truth.

Obviously the biggest part of the main dish will be prepared there and then, but all restaurents re-heat components of their dishes - no matter how posh or expensive they are - or how French they sound on the menu. I have yet to see a venue that doesn't (unless they have less than 3 tables)

A good meal is one where I can see everything getting cooked in front of me. And there are very few of them.
 
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divosuk said:
Yes.

I'm sure they re-heat most of the sauces, side veg and most definately any deserts which have been pre-prepared.

Obviously the biggest part of the main dish will be prepared there and then, but all restaurents re-heat components of their dishes - no matter how posh or expensive they are - or how French they sound on the menu. I have yet to see a venue that doesn't (unless they have less than 3 tables)

A good meal is one where I can see everything getting cooked in front of me. And there are very few of them.
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Its impossible to run a restaraunt without re-heating, unless the guests are prepared to wait probably over half hour for each course to be cooked.

Which they never are.
 
The 12.5% added to the bill is optional.

On the bill we got it said 12.5% then the amount with optional in brackets. You could pay less if you want, but 12.5% sounded fine to me.

Edit: and you can get tables where you can see the chefs cooking in front of you at all of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants. 'Chefs tables', but they're expensive. Around £900 in Claridges.
 
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Exactly, food is prepared ahead of time. From the restuarant that I worked in during the summer (which seats near 200 people) the breakfast was one of the only meals with little made ahead of time.
Paninis, salad, burgers, spring rolls, even mash potato is pre-prepared as there simply is not enough time to make it all there and then.

divosuk said:
And as well as that, what happens if the service isn't particularly good ? If you complain do they waiver the extra ( I don't think so......) - or does Mr arrogant himself come out of the Kitchen and swear at you before booting you out and taking your money ?
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You can refuse to pay it, it's optional.
with my own chef cooking the stuff in front of me for 2 hours (while he puts on a show & doesn't disappear back into the kitchen to re-heat some fancy dish he created earlier)
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Most resturants will reheat food, ever had a sunday lunch at a pub? Roast meat takes longer than 15 minutes to cook.

You seem to have a grudge against ramsey :p
 
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& another snippit....from the Guardian this time. I wonder if it has cleaned up it's act since then.

"Gordon Ramsay at Claridges was criticised by Westminster council for a breach of hygiene regulations during an inspection in November 2003. The restaurant says this was because at the time it was storing raw and cooked meat in the same refrigerator."

"A spokeswoman for Gordon Ramsay said yesterday there were two "minor" breaches at his restaurant. Raw meats were being stored in the same fridge near to other food which had already been cooked or was ready to eat, such as cheese. The raw meat had been wrapped in clingfilm. Records of the training of kitchen staff were not kept on the site of the restaurant in Claridges Hotel in Mayfair, as they should have been.

She said both points had been "immediately" put right after the inspection in November 2003. "Gordon is fastidious about food hygiene. His kitchens are absolutely gleaming and immaculate."

The same breaches had also been discovered at a second Gordon Ramsay restaurant, Petrus. The spokeswoman said that soon after the restaurant moved to its new location in 2003, the inspectors found some "minor" teething problems. She said all the breaches had been rectified. "



The Ramsey phrase 'FFS....Basic Food Hygiene' springs to mind.

Tut...Tut.
 
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