Cornish Turbot
Gordon Ramsay

Gordon Ramsay

68-69 Royal Hospital Rd., Chelsea SW3 4HP, SW3 4HQ, London, United Kingdom

French • British • European • Vegetarian


"I owe a lot to Gordon Ramsay. Back in the period around the millennium while the U.K was going mad for Jamie Oliver’s simple dishes and Essex charm, a foul mouthed chef chasing three michelin stars was bringing the focus onto how life as a chef was in the real world. That man grabbed my attention. That man was Gordon Ramsay.Now of course Ramsay is the face of cooking on television sets across America and you have to say fair play to him. Building up a multi million pound empire of restaurants that stretches the breadth of the globe can’t have been easy, likewise attaining the trades ultimate accolade of three stars back in London. Who could begrudge Gordon for yelling at Americans for a large paycheck?Ramsay though isn’t the angry bully that some would have you believe him to be. I watched him do a live demonstration with sous-chef Mark Sargeant at The Good Food Show in Birmingham. Ramsay eclipsed all other chef’s at the venue and turned out to be a fun guy who enjoyed a laugh. His food wasn’t half bad either.Royal Hospital Road is the flagship restaurant of Gordon Ramsay. The very spot where the three star’s were won. Also the scene of the documentaries ‘Boiling Point’ and ‘Beyond Boiling Point’ which featured Ramsay’s pursuit of the top prize in cooking. Both of which are television gold and available to view on Youtube. We made our reservations quite easily online and timed it with my 29th birthday celebrations. Menu’s are all accessible online and due to the restaurant being a three star the chances of a menu changing is slim. All menu’s were priced very fairly for this part of London and looked incredibly inviting.A quick taxi from Sloane Square took us to the restaurant just as the doors were opening. With the Christmas decorations up outside it’s quite a small, intimate place but very stylish. We walked down a long corridor to the cloakroom area where the reservation was confirmed and our coats taken by the friendly staff. The staff then lead us into the dining room which was a lot smaller than I had envisioned.Straight away the familiar face of Maitre D Jean-Claude Breton arrived extending his hand and wishing me a happy birthday. The man oozes charm and class at the same time putting the guest at ease. It became like chatting to an old friend as we discussed France, rugby, football and food."

Coworth Park

Coworth Park

United Kingdom, SL5 0PT, Ascot

Wine • Fish • Hotels • Coffee


"One of the top restaurants in the UK… Woven by Adam Smith has been consistently brilliant every visit. Nowhere else in the region provides a dining experience comparable to the culinary journey, delight and surprises, which are all part of dinner at this stunning restaurant. There is also nothing quite like booking a table for 7:30 pm and then dining for 3 1/2 hours without a moment of boredom. It is possible to get in and out in a far shorter time, but in such gorgeous and comfortable surroundings, usually with the sounds of a pianist playing in the distance in Coworth Park’s drawing room, preceded by Bellinis in the bar, with a unique offering of bar nibbles,a visit to Woven is a unique pleasure to be savoured. I hate being pushed out of a table in the top London restaurant switch, turn them around every two hours, especially when having such a great time which is unmanageable in two hours. At Woven, I am savouring every moment and not expecting to be anywhere near the cheese course after only two hours. Just the bread course alone is a treat which I enjoy savouring for least half an hour accompanied by suitable wines. I can honestly say that I have never had bread like it in any two or three Michelin star restaurant in the UK and it is up there with the best of Joel Rubicon. As for the Bellinis, they are the very best anywhere outside of Cipriani restaurants…and given Giuseppe Cipriani Snr. invented the Bellini back in 1935, that is high praise indeed for Coworth’s version (which they make with quality, champagne and peach purée) especially given that I have tried Bellinis in hotels and restaurants all over the world and none are as good as at Coworth or at Cipriani. In fact, I’ve just been to the Cipriani restaurant in Mexico City and theirs, made as always with Prosecco and white peach purée, managed to be nowhere near as good as at Coworth Park (see my review of that visit). The wine list at woven is equally superb and I have learnt so much from sommelier Sandro (as well as Coworth’s restaurant director) during past visits, see photographs of two wines in particular which I was introduced to by the glass which were amazing. Jonathan Ellison who is the restaurant director is also a serious sommelier although Sandro is terrific as are all the restaurant team. This really is a two or three Michelin star experience. I have been to quite a few to Michelin star restaurants, which I have not enjoyed anywhere near as much as a visit to Woven and in particular in nearby Marlow which I am surprised still has two Michelin stars. Finally, I am not going to tell you about the cheese course, as that would be a spoiler along the lines of telling you upfront, how a great movie ends before you have had the chance to see it."