Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London, UK, 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP (18-12-2018 by Nenad Jelisic)

What food! What wines! What a service! What a sommelier! What a restaurant! I have difficulty to find words about how impressed I was when I visited this fabulous restaurant on the 2nd November 2018. The restaurant, owned by internationally well-known chef Gordon Ramsay, belongs to 1 of 3 London restaurants that have 3 Michelin stars. There can not be so many food interested persons in the world who do not know who Gordon Ramsay is. He has participated in many food programs such as: Gordon Ramsay's Home Cooking, Hell's Kitchen, MasterChef, Ramsay's Best Restaurant, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, The F Word and this year came the Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back program. Since 1996, Ramsay has written 25 books. The latest book came out this year and it is called Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Fit Food. Gordon Ramsay's (Gordon Ramsay Group’s) restaurant empire has 35 restaurants and 7 Michelin stars, with restaurants from Europe to the United States and the Middle East. Of these 35 restaurants, 15 are in London. His internationally most famous and most exclusive restaurant is Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and it is his only restaurant with 3 Michelin stars. The restaurant was founded in 1998 when Gordon Ramsay was 31 years old. In 2001, the restaurant got 3 Michelin stars and it has retained them since then. The restaurant is decorated in a modern and elegant style. It is located on 68 Royal Hospital Road in Chelsea in London.

The same second when I got into the restaurant, I was warmly welcomed by the head waiter and immediately after that I had sat down came sommelier with a solid wine list. The wine list consisted of very many wines that could be ordered per bottle and 31 wines that could be ordered by the glass. 4 of them were champagnes and one was Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs 2013, a sparkling wine from England that is made according to the champagne method i.e. I had at least 5 very good alternatives to a good aperitif before the food.

The dinner started by I ordered Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs 2013. The wine got 4,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP, which is the highest rating that NJ Wines has given a sparkling wine from England so far. Immediately after came three small wonderful and tasty canapés and a fabulous amuse bouche. All four got 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP. Then began seven course menu. Both it (and an extra dish; No. 8) and the five of the sommelier recommended wines are presented below. To not lose something in translation due to that the seven course menu consists of both English and international food words, I decided not to translate it into Swedish. Dish No. 1 was combined with wine No. 1, dish No. 2 was combined with wine No. 2, etc. The refreshing dishes (No. 5 and 6), which were eaten without any wine, helped to open up all my taste buds to the maximum and maximize my taste experiences before the sweet dish (No. 7; dessert No. 1) and the extra dish (No. 8; dessert No. 2), which were served with wine No. 5 at the end of the dinner. All eight dishes (including the extra dish) got 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP. The fact that no food and wine combination got less than 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP shows how absolutely brilliant, the restaurant's sommelier James Lloyd, combined the eight dishes with the five wines suggested by him. NJ Wines has never before given so many high points to the wines that were tasted at other restaurants and nor so many high points to food and wine combinations. Here it can be added that I have never before eaten so fabulously good lamb chops (dish No. 4), regardless of the fact that I have eaten very many lamb chops in my life. They could be eaten with spoon. The accompanying vegetables, the sauce and the recommended wine (wine No. 4) suited extremely well with the fabulous lamb chops. Note that the points in brackets show how good a wine works with a dish.

1. Pressed foie gras, figs, hazelnuts, smoked duck, 5,0 NJP

2. Ravioli, lobster, langoustine, salmon, sorrel, 5,0 NJP

3. Cornish turbot, maitake, black garlic, jus gras, 5,0 NJP

4. Herdwick lamb, autumn vegetables 'navarin”, 5,0 NJP

5. Soup, blackberry, chamomile, 5,0 NJP

6. Sorbet, lime, shiso, 5,0 NJP

7. Coconut ice cream and white chocolate, 5,0 NJP

8. Milk chocolate brittle, 5,0 NJP

1. Joh. Jos. Prum, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Riesling, Auslese, 2011, Tyskland, 4,5 NJP (5,0 NJP)

2. Schloss Gobelsburg, Ried Lamm, Grüner Veltliner, 2016, Österrike, 5,0 NJP (5,0 NJUP)

3. Miles Mossop Wines, Saskia, 2014, Sydafrika, 5,0 NJP (5,0 NJP)

4. Borgogno, Barolo, Riserva, 2003, Italien, 4,5 NJP (5,0 NJP)

5. Gorka Izagirre, Arima, 2015, Spain, 4,5 NJP (5,0 NJP)

Dish No. 2

Dish No. 4

From the beginning to the end of my visit everything was perfect, and I enjoyed every second. The food was cooked perfectly, extremely beautifully presented (one could eat the food with eyes) and sensationally good. Each bite created a taste sensation in the mouth. The food and wine combinations (points in brackets, see above) could not be better. Not a single combination got less than 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP. The modern and beautiful decor and very comfortable chairs helped to the maximum enjoyment. The unbelievable staff of the restaurant, especially its genius head sommelier James Lloyd and his incredible knowledge of wines and food and wine combinations made my visit to something unforgettable. The best with the staff was that I never saw that they looked at me, but as quickly something was needed on my table, they came from nowhere. That I got the privilege to get into the kitchen and see how the incredible kitchen team works was like icing on the cake. All this confirmed that the Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, without a doubt, belongs to one of the world's absolute best restaurants and is a must visit for all the world's gourmets.

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