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Ramsay's top restaurants are panned by Tatler
By Elizabeth Hopkirk, Evening Standard 10.01.08
Duff note: Gordon Ramsay with wife Tana
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Gordon Ramsay's two flagship London dining rooms have received scathing criticism in a new guide.
Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's is censured in Tatler's 2008 restaurant guide for having "duff" service.
Although the venue is commended both for its setting and food, the guide concludes that diners have to contend with poor waiters and staff. It complains: "The real duff note here has to be the service, which can be inelegant.
"We encountered a snappy Slav racing through the specials as though she were rushing to catch a train and other inexperienced staff who managed to embarrass both host and guests."
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea is damned with faint praise.
The guide says that it "continues to please but not to wow", while "there's something 'by rote' about many of the familiar dishes". It concludes: "Nothing is exactly wrong, but the whole is no greater than the sum of the parts."
To make things worse for the TV chef, not one of his seven UK restaurants makes it into Tatler's "hot list" for the year, which includes Le Caprice, Cipriani and The Wolseley.
Ramsay has suffered a string of negative ratings from critics in recent months, including Zagat and Harden's guides, which are among the most respected in the industry.
Peter Harden, co-editor of Harden's, which stripped Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Royal Hospital Road of two of its three top awards this year, said Ramsay was spending too much time on TV and not enough in his kitchens.
"It tends to be that people don't dip down and come back up again. Maybe he has enough talent to do that but he may have run out of steam," said Harden.
Ramsay was also snubbed in the Time Out awards when his new Limehouse gastropub The Narrow was beaten by the Rosendale in West Dulwich.
But the Tatler guide does give better reviews to some of his other establishments, including Maze in Grosvenor Square, under chef Jason Atherton.
The highest praise is reserved for Scott's, the Mayfair seafood restaurant whose "magnificent revival" has established it at the "top of the A-list".
THE HOT LIST
Le Caprice, SW1: "This old-timer has class in spades."
Chez Bruce, SW17: "Voted the hottest joint in London - with very good reason."
Cipriani, W1: "Hedge-funders, moguls and EU roués still queue three-deep at the bar for Bellinis."
Fat Duck, Bray, Berkshire: "Fight to get a reservation."
The Ivy, WC2: "Simply a very good restaurant of its class, ineffably discreet, with good food and wine at reasonable prices."
Nobu, W1: "Still a scene. That scene has changed over the past 10 years but it is still palpable."
Scott's, W1: "Very classy and top of the A-list."
The Wolseley, W1: "Busy from morning through to night."
Zuma, SW7: "Zuma is sexy, leggy and proud of it."
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Reader views (1)
Four of us had dinner at The Cipriana on Saturday, and have never had such poor service, poor food, poor bellinis, and overall a dreadful visit to a restaurant of this supposed class. Having been to Harry's bar and eaten in the Cipriana in Venice, the London place is the pits. Had I gone to London first I certainly would not go to the Venice establishment, they are like chalk and cheese. I will not be back.
- Mary Lawson, Airdrie, Lanarkshire
