Recently in Gordon Ramsay Category

Gordon Ramsay's latest restaurant, Bread Street Kitchen, is the kind of place only its mother could really love, according to Jay Rayner.

The Observer's food critic says that while the restaurant at the One New Change development in the City of London may be big, brash and bold, the penthouse pricing, dysfunctional service and pedestrian cooking are a letdown.

Meanwhile Giles Coren, writing in the Times, says Lussmann's Fish & Grill in St Alban is everything a modern restaurant should be, serving great food and having a serious commitment to sustainability.

The interior but definitely not the food at Busaba Eathai in Bicester Village, Oxfordshire, dazzles Zoe Williams of the Sunday Telegraph, who says the Thai menu simply isn't good enough. 

The Sunday Times' AA Gill leaves Hedone in Chiswick with a rounded sense of satisfaction and replete wellbeing, scoring Mikael Jonsson's cooking a perfect five, while the Independent's John Walsh utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly loves the old-fashioned virtue of Rules in London.

Fay Maschler of the London Evening Standard doesn't enjoy her lunch at Assemblage in Shoreditch but applauds James Knight-Pacheco, a former TV star from the Restaurant with Raymond Blanc, for opening up on his own.

Finally, Time Out's Guy Dimond enjoys the tapas at Copita in Soho, the second outlet from the team behind Barrica, so much, he eats his way through the entire menu.

The food at US celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck's first European venture Cut in London may be very special but the prices are ridiculous, according to both the Times and Daily Telegraph food critics.

Located at the Dorchester Collection's newest hotel, 45 Park Lane, the restaurant is modelled on the original Cut in Beverly Hills serving a menu centred on steaks.

Giles Coren of the Times is so abhorred by the prices he talks about the bill before the food. "Sorry. I don't normally mention the money before I've got to the food," he says. "But this was ridiculous. Half a grand for a steak and a glass of red. If ever I could get a swearword past the Times censors, this is where I would try."

The Daily Telegraph's Matthew Norman is equally baffled by the bill: "The proprietor is clearly a talented chef and clever businessman, and doubtless also a splendid chap. But is this Puck, we wondered as we left, a robbin' goodfellow?"

Meanwhile the Observer's Jay Rayner says that Simon Rogan sets very high standards at his Michelin-starred L'Enclume in Cartmel, Cumbria.

Writing in the Independent, Tracey MacLeod dines the Asquith, the latest venture from Michelin-starred chef and Great British Menu winner Glynn Purnell in Birmingham, and says the only thing the restaurant is missing is customers.

The Sunday Times' AA Gill reviews the Gallery at London's Westbury Hotel, which he says is a restaurant designed to appeal to everyone that doesn't please anyone, while the Guardian's John Lanchester quite likes the gimmick of DC Diner in Coventry being housed in an old plane, until the food starts to arrive.

In London, Time Out's Guy Dimond says Abbeville Kitchen doesn't court bloggers, has no well-placed friends in the media, and - because it places the customer first - is all the better for it.

The Evening Standard's Fay Maschler says the Lady Ottoline's decent cooking is hobbled by otiose detail and fancypants presentation particularly unsuited to the context of a pub, while the Metro's Marina O'Loughlin says Bread Street Kitchen, Gordon Ramsay's new restaurant in the City, is no more than a one-night stand for her.

Gordon Ramsay is to end his involvement in his restaurant in Dubai after more than a decade.

The celebrity chef opened Verre at the Hilton Dubai Creek hotel as his first overseas restaurant consultancy in 2001.

The restaurant, which was first headed up by Angela Hartnett and then Jason Atherton, has won numerous awards. It is currently being overseen by executive chef Scott Price who will stay at the restaurant after working with Gordon Ramsay Holdings (GRH) since 2003.

It is unclear whether the restaurant will change its name.

A spokeswoman for GRH confirmed that the consultancy agreement between the company and Hilton was coming to an end.

"After a regular review of our commercial operations we have decided with Verre, Dubai, that the time is right to end our consultancy agreement with them.  We would like to thank the team at  Verre for the partnership, it's a superb restaurant and we wish them all the best for the future."

Stuart Gillies, managing director of GRH, added: "We have had a good look at the business and what's not working. We're now focusing on what will work pound for pound."

Brett Graham's cooking at the Ledbury has been rated as the best in London by the 2012 Harden's restaurant guide, winning the award just weeks after it came under attack from the London rioters.

The two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Notting Hill beat Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley Hotel, who had previously held it for four consecutive years.

However, Marcus Wareing retained its title for offering the capital's best gastronomic experience.

The new edition of Harden's London Restaurants, which is published today, is based on a survey of more than 8,000 regular restaurant goers. It named Bruce Poole's Chez Bruce Londoners' favourite restaurant for the seventh consecutive year.

Both the Ledbury and Chez Bruce are owned by Nigel Platts-Martin.

Meanwhile Heston Blumenthal's Dinner topped the newcomer list after launching in January.
 
After a 16-year run, Pimlico's Poule au Pot has been ousted as London's most romantic restaurant, with Prince Harry and Chelsy's favoured dinner-date venue, Clos Maggiore in Covent Garden taking the top spot.
 
The Wolseley has retained its poll position for both best for business and best for breakfast, while the Anchor & Hope has again been voted as the best pub.

Held in association with Rémy Martin Fine Champagne Cognac, Harden's voted
Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's as the restaurant with the most disappointing cooking, with the Oxo Tower named as the most overpriced restaurant.

See the full results on Caterersearch.com.

Foulmouthed celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay had more reasons to swear this week when the opening night of his new restaurant in Canada turned into a Kitchen Nightmare.

The launch party of Laurier Gordon Ramsay in Montreal was suddenly interrupted when a burst sprinkler system turned it into a wash out forcing the Champagne sipping guests to be evacuated.

Ramsay himself wasn't there to hand out umbrellas but the restaurant's twitter account announced after the mishap: "Due to a problem with our sprinkler, we evacuated the restaurant. The sprinkler is being inspected. Update to follow."

The restaurant later issued a release apologising to customers, adding it "experienced a malfunction with its sprinkler equipment, and the restaurant was evacuated. The situation is under control".

Laurier Gordon Ramsay is a rotisserie and barbeque restaurant managed by Ramsay on a consultancy basis. The 75-year-old restaurant was previously a local favourite, the Rotisserie Laurier BBQ.

The producers of MasterChef USA have found themselves with egg on their faces after it emerged that they used computer trickery to double the crowd at the show's auditions.

In the opening sequence of the cookery show, which is presented by Gordon Ramsay, shots of large crowds were shown with a voiceover saying "thousands upon thousands" of hopefuls had lined up.

But an eagle-eyed viewer has spotted a massive blunder as in the scene several groups of people in the crowd can be seen twice in the line-up. Oops.

Producers have now been forced to apologise for doctoring the shots of crowds. Reveille Productions, who produces the series along with Shine TV, told Entertainment Weekly: "We have reviewed the footage and it's clear that the scene was enhanced in post-production. We sincerely apologise to our viewers and hope that they still enjoyed the show."

Meanwhile, Gordon Ramsay's film debut has been rather poorly received by the critics. The film, Love's Kitchen, which sees the celebrity chef star as himself, has been widely panned by the critics, with the Metro describing it as "deliciously bad"; the Independent calling it "amateurish"; the Guardian labelling it "a grisly, unfunny mess"; and the Daily Mail saying it's a "Kitchen Nightmare".

Probably best if Ramsay sticks to barking orders in the kitchen than making appearances in lame films.

Taste of London played host to a very special guest last night, multi-Michelin-starred super chef-restaurateur Alain Ducasse. I caught up with the iconic French chef

What do you think of the idea behind Taste of London?
I think it's an excellent idea. It's great for all the restaurants and exhibitors. There is nothing like it in France at this time. It would be great to have a Taste of Paris.

What do you think of the London dining scene?
It's fantastic and so cosmopolitan. It compares to New York. London is a very dynamic city and so is the restaurant scene and there's so much variety. It's also very competitive because there's so much on offer.

How important is it for you to have a restaurant presence in London?
It's very important. London is the biggest capital in Europe.

How much of a milestone was it for you to win the three stars at the Dorchester?
It's always difficult. It's difficult to get them and to retain them. But it's very important for my ego to get the three stars. We changed our proposal in London. Spoon was very contemporary restaurant. Now we are at the best address in London and I prefer that.

What are your plans for the future?
Last week we opened our first restaurant in Russia at the W Hotel in St Petersburg and in a few months we will open a restaurant in Doha at the Museum of Islamic Art. We have also just opened our second training school in Brazil. We opened a school in Rio about five years ago and now have about 1,000 trainees learning the art of French cuisine. Last week, we opened a school in Sao Paolo. In Brazil they don't have the know-how and the basic techniques of cooking.

You teamed with France's top chefs to launch the Collège Culinaire de France lobbying group. Where did the idea for this come from?
We all decided to gather to promote French gastronomy around the world. I don't think there was a specific need for it, it was more an idea that we had. Between me, Joël Robuchon and Pierre Gagnaire, we have restaurants all around the world. My main competitors are the French chefs - and Gordon Ramsay.

Who - other than Gordon Ramsay - do you think is a big talent in the UK?
Tom Kitchin. He is a great chef, who has developed a local cuisine with real passion.

Taste of London runs in Regent's Park until Sunday 19 June.  

It's been a busy week for Gordon Ramsay.

After getting annoyed at an L.A. restaurant for refusing to serve Victoria Beckham a plain salad, posting a return profit for his restaurants, extending his contract at Claridge's for another year and making his film debut, he's now also finally sold off the Devonshire pub.

His company, Gordon Ramsay Holdings (GRH), has sold the Chiswick pub to the team behind the Drapers Arms in Islington. The west London pub, which has been shut for a year, will reopen next month under the ownership of Nick Gibson.

Gibson aims to run a local community pub with a commitment to providing good food and drink in a relaxed and informal setting. The kitchen will be managed by David Philpot, who previously worked with Caprice Holdings and the Soho House Group, while restaurant manager will be Ryan Hayward.

GRH put the lease for the Devonshire up for sale last June after shutting the pub as it failed to meet trading expectations. The site was sold through Restaurant Property, which is currently also marketing GRH's Warrington pub in Maida Vale. The group still runs the Narrow in Lime House.

Gordon Ramsay Holdings (GRH) is to continue to operate its restaurant at Claridge's but the hotel's owner, the Maybourne Hotel Group, has extended the contract by only 12 months.

The celebrity chef, who has run the former Michelin-starred restaurant at the five-star Mayfair hotel since 2001, was widely tipped not to have the 10-year lease renewed after Maybourne closed his previous restaurants at the Connaught and the Berkeley.

"While the GRH contract was due for renewal this year, it has been agreed to extend it into 2012," said a spokeswoman for Maybourne.

GRH's latest accounts revealed that Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's saw a 6.3% decline in footfall in the year to 31 August 2010. The restaurant, which was previously run by Mark Sargeant, lost its Michelin star in 2009 after seven years.

GRH previously operated four restaurants at Maybourne's London hotels including Angela Hartnett at Connaught; and Pétrus and Boxwood Café at the Berkeley. None of the restaurants' contracts were renewed upon expiry and are now occupied by Hélène Darroze; Marcus Wareing and Pierre Koffmann respectively.

Some restaurants refuse to bend the rules, no matter who their customers - even when Gordon Ramsay and Victoria Beckham are in the house.

The chummy pair dined at Mediterranean restaurant Gjelina in Los Angeles earlier this week, when pregnant Posh asked to have her order amended.

She'd chosen the smoked trout salad, which is normally served with grapefruit, avocado, red onion and lemon. However, this flavour combination was too much for pregnant Posh, who demanded to have it plain and with the dressing on the side.

But Gjelina has a very strict no substitutions policy, you see, and its menu clearly states that "changes & modifications [are] politely declined".

And they quite obviously make no exceptions. So Posh's demand was refused and Ramsay got annoyed.

"I couldn't believe it," he said. "The lady's pregnant! No one is asking to be fussy.... I still think that's the customer's prerogative....

"It was a sour note. I don't think customers should be treated that way. That might not be the way I choose to eat it, but that's what the customer wants."

Oh well, at least they weren't kicked out of the restaurant.