The UGCB was established in 1973 to promote and develop the reputation and image of the Grand Crus of Bordeaux. The federation is a collective of individuals from the Crus of the most prestigious appellations of the Gironde, Médoc, Graves and Pessac-Léognan, Sauternes and Barsac, Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. Around 7,000 temporary workers and 2,500 full time employees look after this economically and culturally important part of the world. It boasts an annual average production of 236,000 hectolitres from 5,240 hectares of vineyards that reaps sales of over €300 million.

I entered the hall with slight trepidation because I knew what was ahead of me. Tastings of this magnitude are difficult. It is difficult to make a plan of action (because you certainly can’t taste them all). It is difficult to make proper notes de dégustation because there are people everywhere, and unfortunately our ancestors found no reason to evolve a third hand. And most difficult of them all is the practice that supposedly comes so naturally to those in the wine trade – the smelling and tasting. After disentangling the complexities of a handful of wines, your nose begins to fail you, your palate is stained from the countless flavours of the preceding, and you get oddly overcome by an alcohol-induced disorientation. Add to that the fact that you are tasting baby Bordeaux – i.e. red, acidic, tannic wine – and boy do you have yourself a challenge.

Before my disorientation got the better of me, I did come across a few babies that are sure to turn into gems when they develop, soften and mature.  The Pomerols stole the show for me. Even in their youth they had a richness and complexity about them that would make you believe they were older. I was instantly mesmerised by the deep, bright ruby hues and similarly the rich red fruit on the palate with hints of spice and the beginnings of a rounded acidity and tannic structure. I particularly enjoyed Ch. Clinet and Ch. Conseillante. From Saint-Julien I enjoyed Ch. Leoville Barton for its deep, rich ruby hue and the beginnings of a complex fruit, acid and tannic profile. Pauillac offered some delights in the form of Ch. Lynch-Bages with its inky colour and warm, rich, stewed fruit, and cassis notes which I’m sure will develop into something special. Ch. Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande had a stunning tannic structure and purity that should mature nicely with cassis, herbs and spice on the palate.

There were a few white wines from Graves and Pessac-Léognan, but their youth really showed. It was difficult to get much from any of them apart from a virginal purity, minerality and an almost indiscernible smoky oak.  My favourites were Ch. Pape Clément which had spicy apricot notes and a subtle sweetness on the palate, and Smith-Haut Lafitte which exhibited rich, creamy lemon, melon and a subtle smoky oak.

The Sauternes were the other show stoppers for me. Whether this was to do with the refreshing respite they offered after the tannic reds however, is another question. I do adore the gleaming gold sweeties though. Some were possibly lacking a little acidity but I was mostly impressed by the complexity, balance and length. My favourites were Ch. Coutet which had a really powerful minerality that cut through the initial sweet pear, peach and pineapple before opening out into a honeyed blossom finish. Ch. Suduiraut had a spicy honeyed apricot nose and an acidity that cut through similar notes in the palate leaving a honeyed, medium-length finish.

As I professed, one cannot do a tasting of this magnitude justice. After a handful of these young wines they become indiscernible. Your nose stops working, your mouth is on overdrive chewing the tannin residues and your teeth are unpleasantly stained purple. Everything smells and tastes the same and you become distrait and hazy. That’s the point that you have to drag yourself away from the numerous un-tasted wines and enter back into the real world – although you may be there in person, but certainly not in mind. And when will I learn to take a toothbrush to these things? Unlike the tasting venue, the streets of London are not full of fellow purple mouthed people to whom it is a sign of a hard day’s work. But what a day. Thank you UGCB and The Royal Opera House for an educational, interesting, beautiful and challenging day.

2010 Coutet 3 L Double Magnum

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2010 Coutet 6 L Imperial

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Sweetness in a Pod! – originally posted sometime in 2009.

Huddled around two tables like peas in a glass pod (PWS, South Melbourne) on a mild Melbourne evening, it was very enjoyable to be in attendance of Xavier Planty, part owner of the classic Sauternes First Growth Château Guiraud (est. 1855). Xavier’s first full vintage in charge was in 1984, but he started to make his mark in 1983 when he started replating the vineyards into a high density structure. A change in winemaking style soon followed. Tank fermentation was halted in 1988 with a switch back to fermentation in oak and by 2005, all fermentation was carried out in new oak. The only exception of the use of new oak prior to 2005 was in 2000 (though not by choice). A word of warning: based on current market forces, the cost of a new oak barrel will probably exceed the current price of €600 soon, and that increase in cost is bound to be transferred to the consumer.

The château’s annual production is about 100,000 bottles from 85ha of 35-40 year old semillon and sauvignon blanc (85% Guiraud, 15% Bordeaux Blanc ‘Le Dauphin de Guiraud’). There is a marked difference in the pruning strategy for the vines. The semillon is grown in a fan ‘à cots’ while the sauvignon blanc is tweaked into long branches for maximal sun exposure. You can do the math: at 6660 vines/ha, that’s quite a lot of hand-harvesting that needs to be done by about 130 pickers (all women!) who work in teams of nine (8 pickers and 1 to carry the baskets back to the sorter). Harvest is from September to December at the very latest and is completed in about five harvesting passes down the rows. The shortest vintage was in 2003, when all the grapes were harvested in a single pass on Sept 24, while the longest was back in 1985 when eight passes was necessary to complete a vintage which had dragged into December. In comparison, 1990, a good vintage for the Sauternes region, lasted for only 20 days (Sept 5 – 25).

The average yield is about 12hl/ha which is well-controlled under the appellation limit of 25hl/ha. Fermentation is in new oak barrels for a period ranging from three weeks to two months, depending progression of the individual batch. Maturation follows for 24 months. Guiraud is styled as fresh sugar levels, little acidity (1g/L) with complex flavours and a long finish. The final blends hover around 75% sauvignon blanc and 15% semillon.

2002 Guiraud: First bottle off. 2nd bottle much better but didn’t have time to rest, popped and poured. Faint golden yellow in colour, muted nose that reminded of vintage/antique aged wood (+ varnish?), like when you first walked into a furniture dealer, it’s a good smell, but odd. Simple spice and fruit flavours make this quite drinkable but lacks the elegance or a definitive character. 88+/100.

2005 Guiraud: Slight tinge darker than the 2002. Light, teasing nose, sweet aromas from shy-lady blossoms. Fresh fruity flavours, low levels of acidity that’s balanced so the drink isn’t made a lightweight. Soft pineapple rolled in almost a tropical coconut-like paste served along side baked apple. This isn’t a rich, luscious drink, the aftertaste lingers ever so lightly in my mouth. Yum, I’d be happy to drink this on a daily basis if I wasn’t concerned about diabetes. 94/100.

2001 Guiraud: A very early ripening vintage picked in August (first vintage this early since 1893) that was harvested in two passes completed within a week. This vintage also incorporated slightly more sauvignon blanc (45%). Rich medium gold colour, notes of bee wax, honeysuckle, orange, citrus (+clove?). Full-bodied, great intensity with a finish that lasts almost a minute. I can see this lasting for 15+ years? 96/100.

1996 Guiraud: Another great vintage with a 45% sauvignon blanc blend, the 1996 showed more intensity than the 2001. Deep golden colour like fine cognac, the notes of bee wax is even more prominent in this one, intermingled with aroma of light orange and sweet spices. Full of flavour, yet so well-balanced, acidity at the right levels, and an aftertaste that lingers like a lovely memory. The finish here is richer than the 2001, but the 1996 is a step down from the 2001 in terms of elegance and finesse. 95/100.

1995 Guiraud: The colour of this is perhaps one shade darker than the 1996, but the nose is leaner. Overall, the flavours are still quite rich and luscious, but the complexity is lacking. The aftertaste is muted but decent enough to detect the simple fruit characteristics. However, after one hour, it started smelling like the inside of a plastic box. Hmm… 90/100.

1979 Guiraud: The 1979 vintage was actually pretty abundant. Maybe a big harvest somehow diluted out the flavours? This has the same rich colour as the 1995, smooth velvety impression. It has also aged quite well but is clearly feeling tired by now. I can still make out notes of savoury spice, dried out stewed fruit with tough of fresh chilli sauce, and some of the underlying fruit sweetness. It’s not rich, but rather quite diluted and weak. The finish seems like it’s drugged out, but still rather pleasant. Drink now. 85/100.

Sauternes – The 2001 vintage
What would a decent Sauternes tasting be without a horizontal of the great 2001 vintage? The second flight of wines following six vintages of Guiraud comprised of the 2001 Guiraud, three other Sauternes and two from Barsac. The wines were served blind and it was easy to pick out the Suduiraut and Lafaurie Peyraguey, but the Coutet was quite unlike that I’d anticipated and was more muted by my expectations. I hadn’t had the Raymond Lafon and Doisy Daene before, so it was a toss up when it came to guessing which was which.

2001 Coutet: I initially thought Raymond Lafon, certainly not close to an example of a decent 2001 Coutet. This Barsac exudes a light golden colour with a slight off-tinge. A nose of soft, honeyed candy preceding a flavour profile of basic sugars and sweet spice before finishing with a simple aftertaste. Very disappointed with this bottle that even had Xavier Planty shaking his head while exclaiming ‘This is Coutet? No, no, no…’ 89/100.

2001 Lafaurie Peyraguey: Light to medium gold colour hinting towards the full-bodied, all encompassing flavours of pineapple, peach and a hint of new oak. Strong level of sweetness with intense and rich flavours built upon a structure of good acidity but it trailed off rather meekly towards the end. 92/10.

2001 Raymond Lafon: Guessed a Doisy Deane initially. Soft and elegant aromas of peach, apricot and vanilla bean. Quite a rich flavour profile that is held in balance with a moderate level of acidity. 94/100.

2001 Suduiraut: Bingo! There could have been no other. Suduiraut is one of my favourite Sauternes at present and I’ve had a couple of bottles of the very nice 2003s which have obviously been built upon the style and quality of this 2001 vintage. Medium golden colour, notes of creme brulee, honeysuckle, ripe and reduced orange, and a whole complex blend of exotic fruit spice. Rich and luscious, your mouth is swamped with intense fruit flavours that swirl about like a rich fondue that remoulds itself after being cut by the firm, crisp acids. Almost reaching its peak period for drinking. 97/100.

2001 Doisy Deane: Initially, I thought this would turn out to be a very disappointing bottle with the obvious presence of volatile alcohol and sulphites. However given the time to blow off, there was peach, and honey toasted pear within the core to make out. Softer, lighter flavours then the other 2001s with a long-lasting aftertaste. 92/100.

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The Sauternes wines were introduced by Pierre Montégut, manager of Chateau Suduiraut, and the Tokaj wines by winemaker István Szepsy. Conclusions are at the end of the post. As this was a tasting event with limited time and wines, it is naturally less comforting than a pleasant wine trip at home. Please treat the scores as such.

1. Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey 2007

Medium gold colour, apricot on the nose. A bit of nail polish, with a faint vegetality and a light barrique note. It is opening up, and shows some mango and sweet tropical fruits. Full bodied and creamy on the palate, mostly sweet, sugar, sweet spice with some chemical notes. A long finish. Really smooth, a very well made wine. Acidity is just enough to balance the alcohol. Really, I great composition. A strong finish earns the wine 91 points in the end.

2. Chateau Coutet 2004

Bright gold, slightly higher on volatile acidity, chemical notes and ripe tropical fruit and some walnut. Not the typical apricot stuff, for sure. A smooth mouthfeel with a soft creaminess. Not so sweet as the previous wine. A bit of vanilla, and much more in the aftertaste. Alcohol is not too high, acidity is just enough to keep the wine in balance. Easy to gulp down, a very good wine indeed. Breaches the 90 points barrier.

3. Chateau Suduiraut 2005

Medium-deep gold, some volatile acidity, a hard-to-dechipher fruitiness deep inside, rather quincy. Evolves into ripe peaches and apricot, with a bit of mango. Lots of oak add an elegant vanilla. A round, full body and creaminess,  a sweet taste, but less acidity this time. Later some mint appears. A long finish is evident, pretty much the class of the previous wines, a stable 91 points this time. (Though it is simply thin when retasted after the Yquem.)

4. Chateau Suduiraut 2001

Deep golden hue, opens with pretty intensive volatile acidity, some aged quince jelly, and a bit of hard cheese stink. Definitely not what I expected. Adds some stale herbs and oriental spices later. Overwhelmingly large in the mouth, but not overly sweet, alcolhol is slightly higher, though. Much nicer on the palate: dried apricots and spices dominate. A beautiful structure, smoothness, this wine is also very easy to drink. Intensive flavours guarantee a very long finish, but the flavour profile is quite hard to decipher, and I admit it fails to capture me. Great intensity, with some mature notes, great length. A really fine job, 93 points, mostly for the structure and craftmanship.

(Only a sidenote, and a faint idea from my Tokaj experience, but I cannot escape the thought that a huge lot of sulphur has been used in making this wine.)

5. Chateau Yquem 1988

My first Yquem ever, a developing wine from a grand vintage. This particular Yquem received a consistent 99 point score from Robert Parker every time. A landmark wine for Sauternes, it is definitely something to compare to a good Tokaj.

Deep gold in colour, a very intense nose of walnuts, toffee, brittle and marmalade. Toffee dominates the taste, dried apricots arrive in the aftertaste. Not a heavy wine, rather light and elegant, but still has a powerful structure. Not overly sweet either. Dried green herbs appear, just as in Suduiraut 2001, and some oriental spice mix. Really interesting, a very different wine from both Tokaj in general, and the earlier Sauternes of the day. Both walnuts & toffee, plus the oriental spices suggest the heavy use of barrique, the herbal notes some botritys, while the previously dominant tropical fruit-peaches-and-mango line is swapped for a bit of marmalade and dried apricots.

While the nose may be of a mature wine, it is definitely not one, it has still a lot to go. I would rather not guess how the aromas develop, I expect them to stay fairly unchanged, keeping the notes of oak & aging in front. A very long aftertaste, great intensity, and admireable craftmanship make this wine a 94 point experience. Lagging behind the complexity of the two Oremus tasted at Christmas, but still grand material.

This was it for Sauternes – a really nice lineup, presented by Mr. Montégut in a credible and consistent way. Textbook trademarks for Sauternes did appear, like lower acidity than Tokaj, and a bit higher volatile acidity, but these turned out to be fact of life, rather than complaints. All the wines are smooth, creamy, and very palatable indeed. There is a power in tradition, and in finding a common walk, and the French already have theirs – after such a showdown, Tokaj looks pretty much like a work in progress.

6. Disznókő 5 puttonyos aszú 2007

The first Tokaj wine from the youngest vintage currently on the market. (All aszú wines have to age for 2 years in barrel plus 1 year in bottle before going on sale.)

The younger face of Tokaj, dominated by fruitiness. Pale lemon colour, grapes, dried apricots, pineapple and mango on the nose. A really thick body, as if had a stone inside after the Sauternes. Higher on sugar, higher on acidity. A very nice wine, thick, but reasonably balanced. 90 points. (All aszús can be cellared for decades, but I expect the warm vintage of 2007 to be the most enjoyable while still young, pretty much like 2003.)

7. Szepsy 6 puttonyos aszú 2006

Suddenly we switch to hardball. The ’06 is a vintage that produced high acidity aszús, which I did not always like. Well, I definitely did not taste this wine before.

It has loads of acids, but they are well contained. They are neither sharp, nor agressive, but simply ripe, they are just looming inside, flexing incredible muscles.  The wine has depth, it is compact, it has a heavy, impenetratable core inside. Huge concentration, huge potential.
The colour is deep gold, the nose is loaded with ripe and overripe fruits of apple, apricots, and quince. It is intensive, and hits immediately on the nose – the same applies to the palate.

A notch less acidity would make it rounder and more drinkable, but it is not meant to be drunk yet. Wait a few years so that the acids get closer to a perfect balance, and try again. The best wine of the day for me, with huge potential and a momentary score of 96-97 points. Fortunately, there was competition.

8. Béres 6 puttonyos aszú 2005

I never really liked the 2005 vintage, to be honest, the aszús were rather thin and acid-driven with less fruit than I hoped for, as far as I remember, but this is just a fading impression. Lots of people talk about great potential and beautiful acidity, something that I rather attach to 2006 in my mind. And even there my favourite producers can hit me upfront with unexpected, excessive acidity .

Medium gold in colour, and a really reserved nose. Strong botritys with some dustiness. High acidity lingers long on the palate, carries the wine slightly off track, making it a bit sour altogether. Apple and dried apricots. Diverging components, and a rather simple flavour profile, when compared to the other wines of the day. Still, a reasonable effort, scoring 87 points. Not my cup of tea, really.

9. Dobogó 6 puttonyos aszú 2005

Medium gold, with a pronounced nose of apples, fresh quince and green herbs. Acids are high, but there is more content behind. Tasty, with a strong character of (sour) apple, and sweet spices. The acids dominate, it asks for more time in the bottle. A preliminary 90 points, if you can wait for it.

Well, the 2005 vintage is still not my favourite, I would not have included either 2005 wines in such a strong lineup. Nevertheless, it was a good exhibition of vintage variations, and some producers considered the huge acids an opportunity to produce great longevity prestige aszús for cellaring.

10. Szepsy 6 puttonyos aszú 1999

A wine that I truly missed from the Christmas tasting. Now it has arrived, and turned up the expectations. As Mr. Szepsy explained, the 1999 vintage aszú was something really different from his 2006 aszú – a lot has changed in between, his philosophy, his winemaking technique, and his ideas about the Tokaji aszú have all been considerably revised through the years.

The colour is a deep amber by now, pretty dark for today’s aszú wines. A mature nose, with figs, a bit of toffee, and roast coffee beans. Acidity is high, higher than anywhere else, but still fits into the wine well. It has kept its composure, preserved the tastes without being overly sour, it is now showing dried apricots, figs, and candied lemon peels on the palate. It still has its time to run, will show more, as the acids withdraw, while still being a remarkable wine from a long-runners vintage. I daresay that the acids are kept in check by now, and it is definitely OK to drink up this wine. I found it rich & complex enough, and I hope I can possibly expect a bit more later on. I got to like this wine, mostly for its flavours, so despite its lean figure and definite acidity (tamed, but still stronger than the ’06!) it is worth 94 points with me, that ranks it in my top 5 aszús. A rather different character though, showing more age, and less body by now. My friends liked it a lot less, which is funny, as it is quite similar to the more popular Kapi vinyard aszú 1999. Yes, it is much more developed, but it is OK with me.

11. Disznókő 6 puttonyos aszú 1993

Back to the ancient days… I do not know much about this vintage, except for often hearing how remarkable it was. Much more aszús wines were probably made in the oldschool oxidative style in those days, as I recall an old Szepsy, but Disznókő might have been an exception back then.

The wine looks actually younger than the Szepsy 1999, showing a light amber colour, and deep intense notes of botrytis: overripe quince, old, dried apricot jam and marmalade, green herbs, and a light touch of animality. Still not an old wine, lively acids in the mouth, but in a smooth and well integrated way. It is similar to the herbal charaters of the Oremus 1999 of the Christmas tasting, but the volume is turned down considerably. A beatiful, enjoyable mature wine, also at around 94-95 points, with possibly a bit shorter aftertaste, but I seem to be losing touch by now…

Putting it all together

I found this tasting really useful. It represented the top wines and the style differences well, one could put the textbook phrases and prejudices to a test, and it is also possible to draw a good snapshot of where Tokaj is standing at the moment.

The Sauternes wines were very convincingly represented by Mr. Montégut, he could introduce them and argue for style and vintage differences without a problem. The wines were there to taste, they showed what they had to show, it seems to me that Sauternes winemaking styles & practices and producer represesentation fell into place a long time ago, making it possible to present and represent Sauternes in a consistent way.

The Tokaj wines showed much more divergence, it is harder to recognize a typical style for the aszús yet, and the whole region is pretty much a work in progress at the moment. The old oxidative style, often using avination is dead by now, at least among the most important producers. Vintages boasting high acidity do live long, showing surprisingly lean wines.

I did leave the Yquem 1988, the Szepsy 2006, Szepsy 1999 and Disznókő 1993 in the 4 tasting glasses at the end, and they are all top class wines: take a sip in any order you like, these wines surpress their predecessors immediately, and wipe your mouth clean. While very different by taste and structure, they refuse to assimilate, they all wield the same power.

On a different note, I think the regular Oremus 6p aszú 2000 of the Christmas tasting would have suffered very serious competition here, but the Oremus 6p selection aszú 1999 would still have easily won the race again.

The duo that stood out were the Calon Segur* and the Cos d’Estournel. Calon Segur has always been a favorite of mine; I’ve carried a torch for it ever since drinking a bottle of the 1999 with my coworker, Jeff. (Thanks, dude.) Impeccably balanced and elegance personified, the only thing that could keep me away from a bottle is knowing that it needs more time to develop. Buy now and tuck it away for five years. The Cos was remarkable for its concentration yet, for a wine with such depth, was not overwhelming on the finish. Hide a few bottles for another decade. (Coincidentally, I happen to know a place where you can store them.)

And although this was all about the reds, the white and Sauternes that were bookends to the tasting were pretty extraordinary. The white was a 2000 Carbonneiux Blanc, which at 10 years was no shrinking violet. It had a nice richness and texture from the bottle age but retained a lot of freshness. Behold the power of the Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc blend! I think I need to dedicate a future World’s Most Underrated Wines post wholly to White Bordeaux.

The Sauternes, the 2006 Coutet, was a revelation. Golden deliciousness but with lively acidity on the finish; great sweetness but very nimble. I um, think I need to dedicate another World’s Most Underrated Wines post to sweet wines in general.

*Tayrn Miller may have said it better while live-tweeting from the tasting:

The '05 Calon Segur, Saint-Estephe 3rd growth just made me go "oooohhhhh". Yes, its THAT good. @Esquin #bordeaux—
Taryn Miller (@tarynmiller) November 17, 2010

So would you like to know about our next big tasting? Let me know in the comments!

Menus: Set Lunch £45, Dinner 3-Course £90, Dinner Seasonal 5-Courses £105, Dinner 7-Course (‘Prestige’) £120

(If you wish to view the full set of photos, they are available on my Flickr account)

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay – Royal Hospital Road provided us with a highly enjoyable and satisfying evening. The food was mostly classic in nature and nearly all of the numerous dishes we ordered were executed with a fine precision, with a few bits of fun thrown in for good measure. The service is simply extraordinary, and we were treated like regulars even though it was our first visit. The young Head Chef, Clare Smyth, is clearly talented, and it will be interesting to see how she develops over the coming years. It’s easy to see why people like eating here: its formula is tried & tested, but it works.

Driving to hospital

So, first of all: a little apology.

I’ve been busy recently:  busy working, busy eating, busy drinking (wine mostly), but not busy writing blog posts about what I’ve been eating (or about the wine I’ve been drinking).

In any case, my parents were in town a few months back, in the heart of what then seemed like London’s everlasting darkness, and I wanted to plan a special meal while they were here. Given that, at the time, there was only one 3-starred Michelin restaurant in central London and that we hadn’t made it there yet, I thought it was high time to pay Gordon Ramsay’s flagship outfit a visit. (Since then, Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester has been elevated to 3 stars as well).

While it has become easier to book lunch at Restaurant Gordon Rasmsay – Royal Hospital Road (RHR) in Chelsea, due to the fact that you can reserve a table directly on their website, it is far more difficult securing a dinner reservation, and thus I made mine approximately two months in advance. The difficulty likely stems from the fact that RHR is a very small venue, with only about 12-14 tables in total, and also due to the obvious factors of it holding 3 Michelin stars for years and being the pinnacle of Mr. Ramsay’s little (well, shrinking) restaurant empire.

A few other tidbits to note about the restaurant: it is one of the few remaining places requiring men to don jackets for dinner; it is only open Monday to Friday (so don’t think on planning a special occasion on a Saturday or Sunday there); and, of course, Gordon is not usually there himself (though he does make appearances). Since 2007, the kitchen has been run by Head Chef Clare Smyth, a very pleasant young lady in her early 30’s and one of the few women to run a 3-étoiles establishment.

Entering Ramsay’s world

As readers of this blog will probably know, I have been to a lot of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants, both in the UK and the US – when Gordon Ramsay Holdings (GRH) still ran them – and I have generally been impressed with the quality of the food and service levels. Sure, there have been the odd fumbles and occasional disappointments, and they are not generally given to the most creative and inventive style of modern high-end cooking (though a few try to do this; I’m looking at you Maze), but overall I haven’t had all that much to complain about within GRH establishments.

Poor old Gordon has gotten it quite bad from the British press over the last year, and he’s certainly out to makeover his public image (having recently done the same for his face) and reinvent himself, both of which I suppose were inevitable given the nature of the British press and his own personality. I have to say that I do have a lot of respect and admiration for the man’s drive, ambition and achievements. Whatever you want to say about his restaurants, their finances or his diction, he certainly created a lot out of very humble beginnings and has both directly and indirectly helped to regenerate and re-energize the movement towards better food in Britain over the last decade or so. But enough about the big man himself, as he wasn’t in the kitchen during our meal.

Mrs. LF and I drove my parents to the restaurant and were graciously greeted and shown through the little hallway to a small bar which serves as a holding area for the restaurant. The entrance is funny because there are slits in the wall to your left, behind which lies the dining room. Some of these slits are mirrored on the side and some are compeltely empty, so you’re not actually sure if you’re looking into the dining room or not (you are). Anyway, after a little kafuffle over the position of our table (my father is even more particular then moi when it comes to table choice) – which the staff handled effortlessly – we had arrived and were ready to get this show on the road, or on the table as it may be.

Note: you can click on any of the images below for the full-resolution versions.

A Beautiful Table Setting & Hive of Honey

Speaking of the table, I have to say it was a beautiful little arrangement. There were fresh flowers on each table (and in the bathrooms), as well stunning modern lanterns with blue flames and luxurious tablecloths and cutlery. It is really a tiny room, but it doesn’t feel crowded and it isn’t loud. And it is one of the few restaurants in London that doesn’t have ANY background music, which is a godsend in and of itself.

The Royal Menu

We were shown the menus on offer, of which there is a 3-course à la carte, a 5-course seasonal, and 7-course tasting (‘Prestige’) menu at dinner time. But of course at these prices, and with its reputation, there are many other little treats awaiting you before, after and in-between your main dishes. Consensus dictated the 3-course menu and we all eventually agreed on what everyone else would order .

The Royal Box (of Périgord Truffles)

As we were deciding all of this, the exceedingly lovely Maître d’, Jean-Claude, presented their quite impressively sized Périgord truffles within a wooden box that looked like it could have doubled as a jewellery display case.

The Royal Assortment of Breads (including Sourdough, Rosemary, Poilâne, Potato)

We were brought a good selection of breads, of which I liked the sourdough the best. I was a little surprised to see Poilâne on offer, as I figured a restaurant of this caliber would bake all of its own bread, but it is always good (we get it fresh from Waitrose as our mainstay bread for breakfast), so it wasn’t the end of the world! The butter, which was presented in beautiful cone shapes that reminded me of bee hives was excellent (salted and unsalted were provided), as you’d hope it would be.

Amuse Bouche 1: Basil Encrusted Potato Crisps

Then the food began arriving, and it kept on coming. The first teaser was an elaborately presented row of very thin fried potatoes. Encased within in each was a line of basil, which added a nice herbaceousness. I also detected a hint of cheese (most likely parmesan). I thought it ironic to start off such a luxurious meal with what were essentially crisps, but they were damn good ones.

Amuse Bouche 2: Cornets of Crab & Avocado

The second amusement in Ramsay’s culinary park was a cornet of crab and avocado, again fancily presented on a silver vessel. It was a very fresh, zesty and slightly creamy yet light morsel which went down a treat.

Amuse Bouche 3: Pumpkin Soup with Raviolo of Duck Confit, Truffle, Mushroom & Purée of Celery

A waiter explained that the last of the three amuse bouches was a seasonal one. A single raviolo was presented all by its lonesome inside a beautiful, shallow white bowl with wide-rimmed edge and then a bright orange pumpkin soup was poured carefully around it. The presentation was simple yet striking. The soup itself had a wonderful consistency (it was thick but not too much so) and also a real depth of pumpkin flavor. It married well with the raviolo, of which the delicious, slightly salty and crispy duck stood out nicely, with the vegetables playing their supporting roles well.

I would give the three opening dishes a score of 8.5 overall as they were cute, fun and had very good flavor and seasoning running throughout. They made an enjoyable start to the meal.

Starter 1: Ravioli of Lobster, Langoustine & Salmon Poached in a Light Bisque with a Lemongrass & Chervil Velouté

My mother and I opted to start off the meal with one of Gordon’s signature dishes. It has featured on the restaurant’s menu forever and I was really excited to see what one of the top dishes from such a famous chef would be like. It arrived sans sauce, and then the waiters poured the velouté onto the base of the shallow bowl (note: it was a different shallow bowl from the previous one housing the pumpkin soup, and was part of the Gordon Ramsay Royal Doulton collection from Wedgwood (I know, you were gagging for that little pearl).

Anyway, I have to say that I thought it looked rather odd, sort of like a brain vacuum-packed inside a thin covering of soft homemade pasta. When pierced, an abundance of seafood was revealed. It was all moist, flavorsome and fresh, and the sauce’s rich creaminess and lemongrass hint provided a nice coating (it wouldn’t have hurt to have a dash more sauce). But the idea of stuffing it all so tightly in inside the pasta seemed strange, as it appeared to be more naturally suited to the world outside the ravioli. The pasta itself was very good, but it was as if it was not really part of the dish and just got in the way more than anything. Overall, I thought it was a pleasant but pretty average dish for a restaurant of this level and I was let down by the fact that this was ostensibly one of the ‘best’ dishes that Gordon could create. I have no doubt it had been executed faithfully by the kitchen, but the overall effect for me was rather muted. 7/10.

Starter 2: Linguine with Shaved Périgord Truffles

Mrs. LF went for one of the simple specials, which was a linguine pasta dish served with a little bit of sauce and sprinkled (quite generously) with the Rolls Royce of French black truffles, those ginourmous globes from Périgord that had been presented in a royal box a bit earlier. It looked fantastic.

Mrs.  LF described her dish as such: “The linguini were al dente and had been cooked perfectly. And I prefer linguine to tagliatelle for this type of dish, as I find the latter to be too flat and lack a bit of bite in texture. The buttery sauce was somehow light (not like the significantly heavier version we had at Michel Rostang in Paris a few years ago in the exact same dish) and each bite was fabulous; you just wanted to come back for more. The Périgord truffles were nutty and sooo good. But I remained quiet eating my dish, careful not to over-promote it too much as I wasn’t willing to share it with even one, let alone tree other, gourmets! 9/10.

Starter 3: Pan-fried Sea Scallops from the Isle of Skye with Leek & Pancetta Ballottine, Sage Gnocchi & Caper Beurre Noisette

My father had opted for a dish which sounded very appealing to me, the pan-fried sea scallops. It also arrived bare, and the waiter poured the little beurre noisette over it. It was a very attractively presented plate. The scallops were large, meaty, sweet and perfectly cooked, and I thought all of the flavors worked well together. There was no rocket science going on here (nor any vegetal rocket either), but each element was executed precisely and gelled effortlessly. No fireworks, but very solid cooking. 8/10.

2004 Lafon Meursault, Burgundy

My father had kindly allowed me to choose the first wine of the meal, with the only caveat being that it should be “within reason.” His “within reason” can be bent slightly when it comes to wine, so I was able to get away with ordering one of the top white Burgundies on offer, a Lafon 2004 Meursault. It was divine, and did everything a Meursault should do for me. It was rich, complex and opulent, with a vivid streak of citrus and lively minerality. It also just happened to go very nicely with the seafood starters, as I had hoped it would. I think the rather pronounced acidity came from the fact that it was still quite young, as I would guess it would age well for another 5-8 years. It wasn’t ludicrously overpriced for a 3-starred restaurant as the mark-up seemed to be just under 2x the retail price (other wines were marked up much more, however).

Extra ‘Middle Course’ for the Table: Pressed Foie Gras with Peppered Madeira Jelly, Smoked Duck, Rhubarb & Walnut Crumble

Me being me, I had coerced the family into opting for an additional ‘middle-course’. And I can proudly say that this was a good decision. The pressed foie gras dish was superb, and by far the best one of the meal at this stage, in my humble opinion. It was daintily presented and while there were no huge leaps of faith flavor-wise, I thought it had a nice little flair of creativity about it. The foie gras itself was exceptional – smooth, rich and deep – and it was complemented splendidly by the thin layer of Madeira icing, the sharp notes of rhubarb, the sweet crumble and the smokiness of the little parcels of wrapped duck. The accompanying toasted brioche was also excellent and overall it was a flawless dish which I was very happy to devour. If Gregg Wallace had been there, he might have remarked, “Foie gras doesn’t get any better than this.” 10/10.

1999 Chateau Coutet, Sauternes

As this had turned into quite an indulgent meal (hey, we were celebrating a number of different occasions, and it’s rare to have my parents in London), we decided to have a glass of Sauternes each to go with the foie gras. It was a terrific one, and if you look closely at the above photo, you can just about make out the rich weight of the wine in the glass and the oily remnants it left on the fine stemware (I believe it was Riedel). It had tons of ripe honey on the nose and was very round and broad in the mouth, with some orange and floral notes, and a good deal of length. We ordered this extra wine on the spur of the moment just before the foie gras was to arrive, and had I thought about it earlier and more clearly, it probably would have made sense (at least financially) to get a half-bottle of a top Sauterne (I always dream of Yquem…) for around the same price as the glasses had cost us, but I wasn’t too disappointed.

Main Course 1: Roasted Fillet of Line Caught Turbot with Langoustines, Linguine & Wild Mushrooms

My main course of turbot was again simply but beautifully constructed, with the fish resting on a bed of linguine and surrounded by langoustines, a few greens and wild mushrooms, underneath which laid a splashing of sauce. The fish itself was cooked very well, allowing the delicacy of the turbot to shine through. Although not the most obvious accompaniment, the strands of pasta actually worked quite well with the fish and were perfectly cooked, as they had been in Mrs. LF’s starter. The langoustines were sweet and there was a nice rich fishiness running through the sauce. The wild mushrooms themselves were excellent and were one of my favorite things on the plate. The portion size was very generous and it was a straight-forward but excellent dish that had again been cooked to an exacting standard. 8/10.

Main Course 2: Roasted Loin of Monkfish with Chorizo Cous Cous, Baby Squid, Artichoke & Spiced Tomato Jus

Of her main course, Mrs. LF commented: “Sometimes it is difficult to remember what you ate, especially after a few months or so, but as soon as I saw the above pictures, all the flavours came rushing back into my mind. My monkfish dish was really excellent. All of the ingredients that had been gathered together managed to create a near-perfect balance, both in taste and texture. The chorizo cous cous with the spiced tomato jus energized the monkfish as well as my taste buds. I wish there had been a little more of the sauce, but I am sure that it was a case of asking the waiter for more, and it would have been provided to me. The Mediterranean touch brought warmth and an unpretentious quality to this lovely dish.” 9/10.

Main Course 3: Aged Casterbridge Beef Fillet with Fondant Potato, Ox Cheeks, Bone Marrow, Braised Root Vegetables & Red Wine Jus

My father had been naughty and opted for the richest-sounding dish of all the main courses. It looked quite stunning on the plate, but may have been a bit ambitious if you weren’t too hungry by this stage. Luckily he wasn’t, and was also kind enough to give me a few tastes. The meat itself was sublime and had been cooked just the way I like it, very red in the middle but not totally raw in texture (i.e. it wasn’t beefshimi). It was definitely one of the tastiest pieces of cow I’d eaten in a while. I loved the play on the marrow too: the potato fondant had been made to look like a bone, and inside the top of its open shaft laid the marrow itself. It was a clever little touch that didn’t go unnoticed. The marrow itself was as rich and fatty as marrow can be (in a good way) and the potatoes were very good indeed. The carrots and spinach helped to break through some of that richness but it was still very much a “manly man’s”plate of food, though an excellent one at that. 9/10.

Main Course 4: Roasted Loin of Highland Venison with Smoked Chestnut Purée, Pumpkin, Braised Celery & Périgord Truffle

My mom went with the loin of Highland venison, and as I only had a taste and can’t remember it in too much detail (though I remember I liked it), I will refrain from commenting too much or giving it a numerical rating.

2001 Chateau Pavie, St Emilion

My father’s half of the wine selection landed us in Bordeaux; St Emilion to be exact, at Chateau Pavie, in the year 2001. Being from the right bank, the wine is dominated by Merlot (it’s about 70%). It had quite a tight nose, although there were dark berries and maybe some aniseed evident. In the mouth it had quite significant tannins, but they were fairly well integrated. I thought it was powerful for a Merlot-dominated wine, but also had a certain of elegance about it. The wine exhibited tremendous length and will be extremely good in 10+ years, although it was also pretty good for drinking now (just a bit restrained compared to what it will likely become in the future).

Palate Cleanser: Smoothie of Pineapple, Champagne, Rum & Coconut

The palate-cleansing smoothie was frothy, light, fruity and had a nice undercurrent of sweet rum flavor. It was a served tres posh, in a fancy glass with a glass straw. I love smoothies and sweet fruity concoctions, so it did me just fine. 8/10.

Pre-Dessert: Crème Brûlée with Prune, Armagnac & Vanilla

A pre-dessert of crème brûlée was nestled on top of two round plates in a petite white porcelain pot. It was fantastic, with all three of the main flavors coming through nicely, and very crisp on top. 8/10.

Dessert:
*Assiette de l’Aubergine’ (for 2 people)*
~ Granny Smith Parfait with Blackberry Foam, Honeycomb, Blackberry & Cider Sorbet ~
~ Bitter Chocolate Cylinder with Coffee Grainté & Ginger Mousee ~
~ Carmelized Tarte Tartin of Apple ~
~ Marinated Pineapple Ravioli with Mango & Raspberries ~
~ Walnut Soufflé with Pear Sorbet & Chocolate Sauce ~

Both couples opted to go for RHR’s assiette of desserts, which gives you a little taste of all the main desserts on the à la carte menu. It’s good if you’re like me and usually want to try three or four of the desserts on the menu, if not all of them!

The First Trio: Granny Smith Parfait, Bitter Chocolate Cylinder, Tarte Tartin

A stunning trio of desserts arrived first on an ovular plate that was decorated with chocolate and squiggles that reminded me of a musical score. The Granny Smith parfait looked most intriguing to me, and I loved its sweet and sour, crisp apple flavor with smooth and rich blackberry and cider sorbet (in which the blackberry was certainly the more pronounced flavor). The four honeycomb squares that flanked each side were also delectable with the fruity flavors, and provided the necessary crunch. I also thought the little circle of thinly shaved apple slices resting beneath was a nice touch. 8/10.

The petit tarte tartin was classic and very good, but not spectacular compared to others I’ve had in recent months both in France and in the UK. 7/10.

Strangely enough, neither Mrs. LF or I can remember much about the bitter chocolate cylinder, so I can’t comment on it – it certainly looked nice, though, didn’t it?

The Fourth: Marinated Pineapple Ravioli with Mango & Raspberries

The pineapple dessert was extremely beautiful in its presentation. Simple, primary colors vividly caught the eye, and the flavors didn’t let it down. There was a pronounced, sweet pineapple flavor running throughout the centrepiece, which was enveloped in layers of the thinnest slices of pineapple. And, for once, the other fruits (raspberry, blackberry and blueberry) were actually sweet, though I have a feeling their natural level of sweetness may have been kicked up a notch in the kitchen through some kind of sugary trickery. In any case, it was light and very refreshing and everyone enjoyed it. 8/10.

The Fifth: Walnut Soufflé with Pear Sorbet & Chocolate Sauce

Unfortunately, the soufflé was a disaster. It was very eggy and hadn’t set correctly, so the texture was completely wrong. But as it was the last in the long line of desserts, we didn’t bother sending it back as we really didn’t want another one (I am not the biggest fan of sweet soufflés in the first place as I always think they’re going to taste amazing, but find them a bit boring after the first few bites in most cases). They were very happy to remake them for us and apologized profusely, but we just didn’t want new versions. For me, this was also because I’m not sure how well the walnut worked as the primary flavor in the dessert. It tasted okay when taken with some of the pear sorbet (which was lovely) and chocolate sauce, but it wouldn’t be my first choice for soufflé flavor. This dessert therefore gets a score of 3/10 as it wasn’t accurately executed and didn’t taste particularly great. If we had been the Michelin men (or women), that could have been dangerous liaison.

Petit Fours 1: Bitter Chocolate Truffles

Having seen a few posts blog posts about RHR in the past, I had been waiting for the silver alien balls (well, that’s what I call them in my head) to make their appearance. I always thought they looked funky and wondered what was inside of them. The funkiness of presentation didn’t disappoint, and they were just very simple and very good bitter chocolate truffles. I ate way too many of them. 8/10.

Petit Fours 2: White Chocolate & Strawberry Ice Cream Spheres with Dry Ice ‘Smoke’

I thought that these silver truffles were going to be our petit fours, full stop…but the kitchen had a few more surprises up their collective sleeves. Next up were some unannounced chocolate and strawberry ice cream spheres, presented in a silver dish from which emanated a lot of dry ice ‘smoke’. I am not usually a fan of white chocolate, but it worked very well with the cool filling of strawberry ice cream. I again ate too many! 8/10.

Petit Fours 3: Turkish Delight

The last of the petit fours were some extremely haute cuisine Turkish delights. Usually way too sweet and way too pink (or another very bright color), these were something else all together. The paired-down elegance of the Japanese-esque presentation was not let down by what went in the mouth. The texture was at once firm and soft, and the subtlest trickle of rosewater crept in after a second, and lingered in your mouth. They were exquisite. 10/10.

Espresso

I had a perfectly good decaf espresso to finish the meal (oh, and a few more white chocolate and strawberry ice cream balls – they brought out another bowl).

Posh Sweeteners

I don’t take sugar in my coffee, but I did have to take a picture of the fancy receptacle for the sweeteners.

The Final (Take-home) Sweeteners

And this being the restaurant it was, they were not just going to let the ladies leave Chelsea empty-handed without a shopping bag to take home. So they got their own little treats, replete with a miniature Gordon Ramsay black glossy bag.

The Damage

As usual, along with shopping bags come bills. Luckily, my dad was taking care of this one!

The Young Head Chef, Clare Smyth

Jean-Claude was kind enough to offer a tour of the kitchen, where I was shown the various stations. I was surprised by how large the kitchen was in proportion to the dining room! It was obvious that Clare was scrutinising every plate that was being sent out to the dining room at the pass, and both tasting and adjusting the presentation. She was gracious enough to speak with me for a minute and I was struck by how humble, straight-forward and easy-going she was (but then again, I wasn’t the one preparing dishes that she would be inspecting).

It was a great ending to what was overall a very enjoyable meal.

Tried & tested

We came away from RHR satisfied and happy. With one or two exceptions (i.e. the signature seafood raviolo and the #souffléfail), the food was consistently cooked to a very high level, and there were some dishes which stood out as being particularly memorable (the foie gras and the beef, for example). I certainly enjoyed the food here more on the whole than I have at Le Gavroche and many other 1 and 2 Michelin star restaurants in London.

But having said that, it does smack a bit of formula. A lot of the dishes have been on the menu for a long time, and many of the offerings do seem to be frozen in time in this sense. This is especially true when their creator, the chef himself, is not often there in the kitchen cooking them himself. I can imagine that the very capable Head Chef must want to inject her own personality, flair and creativity into the menu, and I don’t think there’s that much chance of that as it stands, at least on the main two dinner menus. Jean-Claude did inform us that on the 5-course seasonal dinner menu and lunch menu, she has much more freedom to express herself and cook ‘her’ food, so I think it might be fun to try RHR out for lunch sometime – it’s also much more affordable at £45/head. I wouldn’t say there was zero creativity here, as some of the dishes did have a certain fun factor about them, and everything was certainly artfully presented, but there is a certain tried and tested formula at work in the food here. This is, of course, just fine and is probably suited to the type of clientele the restaurant attracts and retains.

But in my view, the best thing RHR has going for it is the front-of house service. Once you pass through the front door, have no doubt that you will be looked after as if you are the most important customers in the restaurant that day. We had never been there, and they didn’t know us from a hole in the wall, and my dad left saying that he had never had better service in a restaurant (and this is coming from a man who has eaten in the best restaurants all over the world for many, many years). It is the kind of place where they anticipate your needs, cater to your desires, and nothing is too much trouble or too little a detail. This was evident in the decisive and nonchalant way they dealt with our (well, my dad’s) sudden desire to change tables, and also at the end of the meal, when we realized my mother had left her bag under the original table at which we were seated. Jean-Claude would not disturb the other diners’ experience by intruding beneath their table, and simply waited a few minutes for them to depart as he kept us entertained, smiling and laughing at what a silly situation it was.

Some Line-up

There are certainly an army of staff – I didn’t notice if there were too many, nor would I really be able to quantify this – but they all served their purposes well, with the exception of one young man who was slightly awkward now and again. And, for being such a ‘destination restaurant’, I did not find it overly stuffy or stiff; everything just worked naturally.

As I mentioned near the beginning, the room itself is quite small, but you don’t feel cramped. In fact, you feel as if you are cosseted from the outside world and are able to spend a number of hours relaxing, talking, unwinding and having some pretty fine food. My guess is that’s the recipe that Gordon created this space with, and I doubt it’s strayed too far from that original vision.

Rating

Ambience: 7/10

Service: 10/10

Food: 8/10

Wine: as you would expect in such a restaurant, the choice of wine is spectacular, with top producers and quite a bit of depth. It does tend to favor the old over the new world, but there are some good selections from all over the world. The mark-up policy seems quite varied, though, depending on the bottle(s) in question. If you want a look at the full list, it is available online.

For more about my rating scale, click here.

*Note: I have dined at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay – Royal Hospital Road once, and it was for dinner.*

In the afternoon, I catch the train into London for Linden Wilkie’s 1962 Bordeaux horizontal, where I am reminded of the brilliance of mature Sauternes, in particular a spellbinding citrus-fresh Chateau Coutet that dares challenge the supremacy of Yquem. Afterwards I join a small party of friends for a pizza at “Strada” where we make use of Aiko’s 2-for-1 meal vouchers. My scallop risotto takes a long time coming, but is worth the wait and fills a hole. I become embroiled in an animated discussion about bankers’ bonuses and Gordon Brown’s persecution of the rich. Much to my surprise, my suggestion of castrating the upper class and installing asylum seekers in their place does not win unanimous approval.