450934 Mon Oct 15 11:14:55 -0700 2007 13 42 U.K./Ireland 0 3035993 Hi, I need an opinion. My 20th wedding anniversary is Wednesday the 17th. We had a friend make a reservation for us at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay (we thought) on August 17th, because they take reservations 2 calendar months to the day. (She was in London, we were in Los Angeles.) I called to confirm today, and it turns out that she made the reservation at Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's. We really wanted to eat at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, with the Michelin stars and all. But Claridge's also sounds good. Should we keep the reservation, or should we try to make a reservation somewhere else? And if so, where? Thanks for any help! Mon Oct 15 11:14:55 -0700 2007 14921 Just One Bite 1 3036369 Hmm, well, TT manage to snag a reservation well within a few weeks at GR, but then, TT is flixible and doesn't mind eating on a Tuesday :) I think this is one for the locals. Anyone? TT Mon Oct 15 12:37:37 -0700 2007 3035993 19247 TexasToast 2 3039866 I guess no one. :( Since you mentioned it, I tried Restaurant Gordon Ramsay today, just on the off chance they had a cancellation. No luck. So I think we'll just try the one at Claridge's. Thanks for trying, TT! Tue Oct 16 11:44:32 -0700 2007 3036369 14921 Just One Bite 3 3040381 I had a lovely experience at Claridge's. Get there early to sit in the bar before dinner and enjoy the bar snacks (particularly good) and a cockail. You might also want to call ahead and tell them it's your 20th anniversary and see if there's anything special they can do for you. The two things I liked best about Claridge's were the cheese trolley and the petit fours after dinner. This is not to say that the main meal wasn't great--it was. But the cheese trolley was huge and I thought their tactic to turn the table was perfect--they asked us if we'd like to enjoy some complimentary petit fours in the bar. My dinner for four with two bottles of "good value" wine and a glass of port/dessert wine each after came to about £180 per person--this didn't include the pre-dinner cocktail. We did the tasting menu. Just so you are forewarned, given the ridiculous exchange rate at the moment. Enjoy!!! And please report back. Tue Oct 16 13:58:29 -0700 2007 3039866 51531 kristainlondon 4 3073674 Yikes! my company has a 50 pound limit on dinner when in London! It sounded so generous... Sun Oct 28 05:31:40 -0700 2007 3040381 109573 coney with everything 5 3073923 £50 is usually fine. But this is Gordon Ramsay we're talking about. And a tasting menu. You can dine at the Boxwood (a Ramsay property) for cheap if you eat early: http://www.toptable.co.uk/venues/restaurants/?id=1756 Remember--everything is more or less numerically the same. That is, if you would pay $17.95 for an entree in the U.S., you'll probably end up paying around £17.95 here. Close your eyes and don't convert. Sun Oct 28 08:47:02 -0700 2007 3073674 51531 kristainlondon 3 3070988 jfood was "asked" by his boss to go to london next week and was pleasantly surprised that GR Claridges had a 2-top for next tuesday at 7. when he made the reso that wonderful sweet voice specifically told him that his 7pm reso would expire at 9pm and they could take cheese, et. al. in the other room. Hey no biggie for jfood, a nice poofy chair and some cheese after a great meal. life on the road is tough some times. Fri Oct 26 15:55:53 -0700 2007 3039866 11290 jfood 4 3073628 What a small world, jfood! Texas & Lady Toast will be in London next week and will dine at GR. Where in town? TT Sun Oct 28 04:00:16 -0700 2007 3070988 19247 TexasToast 5 3098011 Sorry TT Just saw. Jfood stays at Athenaeum or Park Lane when in London. Love the neighborhood and can walk to his office. Lots of breakfast nooks and crannys and the dinner choices are great in this neighborhood. Mon Nov 05 16:18:42 -0800 2007 3073628 11290 jfood 6 3102484 Cool. So how was GR @ Claridges? TT Wed Nov 07 04:43:45 -0800 2007 3098011 19247 TexasToast 7 3102811 Terrible, reviewed elsewhere. worst meal of the week. lousy service to boot. if given the choice would rather have a sandwich at EATS and watch football. only wish GR was there to watch him yell at everyone, now that would have made jfood's knight. how was the other Ramsay's? Wed Nov 07 07:27:49 -0800 2007 3102484 11290 jfood 8 3103706 Absolutely wonderful; haven't reviewed it yet though, but I'll put it on another thread. Where's your Claridges review? TT Wed Nov 07 11:11:05 -0800 2007 3102811 19247 TexasToast 9 3104077 Here's the link http://www.chowhound.com/topics/456053 Wed Nov 07 12:39:19 -0800 2007 3103706 11290 jfood 1 3102515 Update: I never ended up going to either restaurant! My husband unfortunately hurt his back so we ended up eating at our hotel, the Malmaison. Since we were there almost a month (while looking for a place to live in London) it ended up being a great place to celebrate our anniversary. We had become friendly with lots of the staff and they really treated us right. Not to mention the food is delicious! It really is a great restaurant. And if you like wine, their sommolier, Iggy, is a genius! He really listens to you when you talk, and recommends wonderful wines. He even has remembered us and our tastes, even with 6 months between visits (it is our "go-to" hotel here in London and everyone who visits from my husband's office stays there.) However, I do look forward to trying Gordon Ramsay's restaurants in the hopefully near future. Wed Nov 07 05:13:18 -0800 2007 3035993 14921 Just One Bite