need recs for London big splurge restaurant
We will be in London at the end of August and will be celebrating a big anniversary. I am thinking of making a reservation at The Square, where I've been once before - one of the best meals of my life.
A few questions: Being that I've only been to a handful of high-end restaurants in London, should I be considering other restaurants? I don't want to spend much more than at The Square and disdain snootiness, other than that I'm very open to (and grateful for) suggestions.
Do these kinds of restaurants tend to stay open all summer in London or will I have a problem at the end of August?
And finally, should my husband bring a suit?
Thanks so much to London chowhounds for advice.
bookistan
Jul 06, 2003 07:38PM
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Either bring a suit or buy one there (not cheap). Try Capitol Hotel or Tante Claire.
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I have never been to Gordon Ramsay (alas!). I prefer The Capital to The Square, both for food and atmosphere. But you should also consider Pied à Terre: it's slightly cheaper, it also has 2 Michelin stars and it's more informal than the other restaurants I've mentioned (where at least a jacket will be required for dinner, although not for lunch). And at Pied à Terre, I've seen the waiters sing "Happy birthday to you" to a lady on behalf of her obviously delighted husband when they brought them their dessert.
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Didn't Tante Claire close?
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Damn, you're right. Substitute Le Gavroche.
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Either bring a suit or buy one there (not cheap). Try Capitol Hotel or Tante Claire.
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Your husband can get by with a navy blue blazer and gray slacks, if he doesn't want to bring a suit. This is what my husband wore and he did not look out of place. I would like to have a splurge dinner at Gordon Ramsey on Royal Hospital Road, but I very much enjoyed both the Square and the Capital, and would happily go back to either one.
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In my mind, the clear choice is Gordom Ramsay RHR, as another poster has indicated. The price for food hovers around that for food at The Square, in a very general sense. At RHR, 3-course dinner is Pounds 65; menu prestige is pounds 80. (I assume, if you are contemplating a splurge and it is a significant anniversary, you are contemplating dinner.) The Square is my second favorite restaurant in London (city area), after RHR, now that La Tante Claire has closed.
A significant price difference between RHR and The Square may manifest itself, if the diner is interested in wine. The Square allows BYO at some corkage (I appreciate you are traveling, but there may be a significant bottle from your year of marriage -- if a sufficiently long time ago -- that you might wish to share), but RHR does not and tends to charge more for wine than The Square, very broadly.
RHR has excellent service, in my assessment, but the style of the presentation of the cuisine and the wine service are somewhat more formal than those at The Square.
I would agree with other posters that a suit would be preferred at any restaurant at this level (tie not necessary, though). Or at least a dark jacket, with not-too-light non-matching pants, as an alternative.
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you'll need some pull for Gordon's restuarant. it is always booked. the square, the ivy or zaferrerano are 3 other great choices. enjoy
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Or, with respect to RHR, you could wake up in time to call at the requisite time (I forget the exact hour) in the morning London time, exactly one month before the date. That means that, say, for August 20, the date to call would be July 20 (i.e., the date with the same numeral), if the latter is not a weekend (if it's Saturday or Sunady, call the Monday immediately afterwards).
Also note the restaurant does turn at least some tables during a given evening. I have dined there starting at 10:15 pm, for example. A late time may not be advisable if the event is a special anniversary (?). Hence, an indication of a willingness to dine very late (in the event an earlier time cannot be secured) might be helpful.
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We just came back from London yesterday. We ate at Gordon Ramsey and it was wonderful. We had a 9:00 reservation but our concierge made the reservation. We took our 2 teenagers for the experience of eating there. We also ate at Le gavaroche and that was very good too. but not as good as GR.
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Hi Hates2Cook,
Could you give any details of the highlight of your meal. We were lucky enough to get reservations for our trip in September (well, if you call 'lucky' getting up at 4 a.m. Boston time and re-dialing 20 times!). Would love to know some of the dishes you especially loved, or anything you would recommend. Thanks in advance!
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Gordon Ramsay RHR is absolutely the top choice.If the booking becomes a problem you might want to explain your situation as they try to be very helpful. I have also called on the morning to get a table for lunch that day. One of the nicest things about the restaurant is that, in spite of the formal service and the quality of the food, it is not stuffy or uptight. A jacket for your husband but a suit is not necessary.
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