I'm going to London at the end of July and have a couple of nights where I'd like to eat well. Friends have eaten at Gordon Ramsey's namesake restaurant and I would like to eat there as well.

Has anyone eaten there? I've checked out his website and it is most impressive, it'll break the bank but it is a special occasion.

The website is greatgordonramsey .......check out the prestige tasting menu.....and the wine list is on there aswell.

I'd likely get the tasting menu, any suggestions on a bottle or a couple of half bottles of wine to match......i still get dizzy from lists like this.

Thanks for your input....i'll be sure to do a write up on my return..

Gordon Ramsey is a very good chef.

I'm presuming you are talking about the Prestige Menu?

Jeremy,

I am talking about his prestige menu. I've been wanting to eat his food for years. I was given his cookbook, "A Chef of all Seasons"(something like that) about 2 or 3 years ago and vowed I would eat there given the opportunity.

Any advice on wine choice.....keeping it as reasonable as possible $$$wise....(possibly a couple of half bottles??)

cheers

Well -

I would go with the Didier Daganeau Pouilly Fume 1999- Should go quite well Ravioli and Turbot but may be a little over powering for the Consume and wouldn't work to well with the Foie gras.

Another option which may play better to both of those dish's is the Jean Loius Chave White Hermitage. Again I think it would probably alienate the Consume, but would work with the Foie gras.

And who wants to drink wine with Consume anyway...

For the Lamb I would go with the Ch Talbot 1990, it should be in its prime and although pricey is not too over the top.

An alternative if that was needed the Jasmin Cote Rotie- not brilliant wine but certainly tempting with the lamb. 94 was a pretty average vintage but better for the Northern Rhone and Jasmin is noted by Parker as having quite longlived wines- even in poorer vintages.

For dessert I would have the Berger VdT Loire 1990- it should be pretty good and it is reasonably priced. But if you wanted to splash out the 86 Yquem would be awesome.

Gordon Ramsay is a must stop. I am also a fan of Cinnamon Club.

I've heard good things. I gather you have been there a few times?

I'm in London about once a year so I always try and make it in when I am there.

great recommendations, I appreciate it.

he changed his website around, very nice, so below is the link for the full wine list. I'm dining with only one other person so i'd be very interested in half bottles.........otherwise i think i'd be limited to only one bottle as my dining partner is not a heavy drinker quite the dilemma.


fullwinelist

Well for the lamb if you were after a cheaper alternative- The Domaine Brusset Gigondas Montmirail 99 would be an excellent choice. Very good wine at a great price.

In the half bottles

Jackson Sav Blanc will work with a couple of the dishes- Lobster Ravioli in particular.

I wouldn't recommend the Bailly Reverdy Sancere 2001- too minerally.

The 96 Jabolet Crozes Hermitage Blanc (mostly Marsanne and Roussane.) should work well across the majority of your first dishes.

Amongst the reds (half bottles) there are few stand outs I would go with. Splurge get the Brusset Gigondas (make sure they decant though!!) or Talbot 90.

Jones: Were you the one that said that 1 day you will move or like to move to London?

Yes. Would like to have future offspring exposed to other cultures at a young age (my wife was born in Paris and as a result is a big proponent of this concept). Since I have enough trouble speaking English, a major city where English is spoken works much better for me.

For halfs, I would look at the Chassagne premiers crus from Ramonet and the 96 Charmes Chambertin from Rousseau.

I would live in London in a heartbeat. I love that city.

If you want to eat some quality Indian cuisine while you're there - a must-do given the large Indian community in London - you should eat at Tamarind in the Mayfair area.

Incredibly good, artfully presented food in a very chic and relaxing atmosphere. They received another Michelin Star this year. Their wine list is very good.tamarind's website
review

Your hotel's concierge should be able to get you reservations, if you don't see a time that interests you on their website.

It's not cheap, but it's worth it. A fantastic and impressive place to take customers, too.

Kind of on-topic: If & when I was to move out of the USA, I would live in Sydney (in a heart beat). If it was closer to us, the decision would be easier to make & sooner.

My favorites while living in London (1998-2002) included:

1. Club Gascon, a gastronomic mini-palace dedicated to the cuisine of the Gascony region of France. Next to Spitalfields Market close to the City.

2. Andrew Edmunds, a little romantic hole in the wall in Soho on a quite side street without the usual Soho riff raff. Lexington Street. Respectable wine list for what it is.

3. The Bleeding Heart in Clerkenwell. French bistro cuisine with a respectable wine list (mainly Bordeaux my favorite). There are three establishments, the restaurant, the bistro and the bar. The bistro food is nothing great but at about GBP 12-14 a dish is a fraction of the restaurant and you can still order off the main wine list.

4. L'Oranger on St. James up the street from Petrus. Much friendlier service than the latter, comparable food and atmosphere (based on the single time I was at each). It was undergoing renovations but should be open again. Both are stratospherically expensive (e.g. wines start at about GBP 50 and quickly hit the 200s).

5. Mirabelle. This place stands still in time. What with the huge disco ball you walk under to get to the dining room you feel like you should have a bond girl on each arm. My third and last time was a disappointment (sea bass undercooked, poor service). But still a great atmosphere on a busy night.

6. Les Tres Garcons. A newcomber in E1 in a converted victorian pub. Competent but not excellent french fare but an amazing setting of mirrors, giant stuffed alligators, handbags hanging from gold ropes and other surrealia. The usual high end wine list. An experience.

7. Rules. An old favo(u)rite with American tourists. Worth going to just to see the mural on the wall featuring Margaret Thacher as St. George, patron saint of the English. Lots of stuffed heads on the wall to go with the fresh venison on the menu and the stuffy old waiters.

8. Oxo Tower brasserie. The food is crap, but the view is great and the overall space very nice if a bit 1999. Do not go to the restaurant...teh food is the same quality at twice the price. A table outside above the Thames on a warm summer night is worth it regardless.

9. Launceton Place. This ageless Kensington townhouse is a classic. It's name tells you the street it is on.

10. Fredricks. An old favorite of mine, but maybe only if you are in Islington.

Caveat: my information is a year out of date, and things change quickly in london. Just get yourself Harden's London Restaurants 2003 and you can't go wrong. The top ten lists are very helpful. The paperback costs GBP 8.99 and is available in all bookstores. It blows away Zagat's London for being up to date and really including all real restaurants.

CBMAC,

it seems like you only really liked 6 of your top ten favourites!!!

"Even with my favorite things, there is always room for perfection."

Nietzsche

Great list cbmac. Being filed for future reference.

i guess that was supposed to shut me up............or something

Jump - If you like Thai, seek out Chada Thai.

The owners are fabulous people and the food is amazing.