For some time now we have heard good things about the food at the Ritz Restaurant and it has been on our 'shadow list' of places to go. What has prevented us from going thus far however is the the dress code of jacket and tie, strictly adhered to, that makes it all seem such a fuss and makes us wonder if the place is not even faintly ridiculous.
Yet when you get inside, it all seems quite charming and of course, in Ritz-world, quite normal. And if you thought you had to dress up, the staff in full waistcoats and tails are in a league of their own and it can easily feel like you've strayed onto the set of the BBC's latest costume drama. The suit and tie then becomes the only way to blend in, and while it is undoubtedly old fashioned, there's also an undeniable dignity to the people and the place.
The result is that the Ritz is at an extreme of the spectrum of London dining and that alone will intensely annoy some zealots for whom doctrine now dictates that shabby-chic, tattooed staff and the requirement for the food to be served in a bun are essentials.
One irony of the current situation however seems to be that the Ritz Restaurant does not have a Michelin star, yet on the strength of my visit today, I believe it probably deserves one. While I have absolutely no proof for this, it seems like Michelin is trying to lose its historic 'elitist' tag and therefore to recognise the Ritz would send out the wrong signal while promoting gastro-pubs is suitably more 'on-message' in today's economic environment.
My next sentence will surprise no one: the Ritz is expensive. In fact, it's very expensive, but if you have a dining room styled in the fashion of Louis XVI, would you expect less? There are however ranges in which you can carve out something closer to value options. There's a 2 course menu for £35, 3 courses for £45, and a 5 course tasting menu for £65. For sure it's not Brasserie Zedel but it is substantially cheaper than Novikov, and to be fair, doesn't cost that much (if anything) more than St James's neighbour Wiltons. The full tasting menu of 'Ritz Specialities' is £99 while choosing form the a la carte sees starters priced at c£20 and mains at c£40. Figuring that I am unlikely to be returning any time soon, the tasting menu of Ritz Specialities seemed the thing to have.
Yet when you get inside, it all seems quite charming and of course, in Ritz-world, quite normal. And if you thought you had to dress up, the staff in full waistcoats and tails are in a league of their own and it can easily feel like you've strayed onto the set of the BBC's latest costume drama. The suit and tie then becomes the only way to blend in, and while it is undoubtedly old fashioned, there's also an undeniable dignity to the people and the place.
The result is that the Ritz is at an extreme of the spectrum of London dining and that alone will intensely annoy some zealots for whom doctrine now dictates that shabby-chic, tattooed staff and the requirement for the food to be served in a bun are essentials.
One irony of the current situation however seems to be that the Ritz Restaurant does not have a Michelin star, yet on the strength of my visit today, I believe it probably deserves one. While I have absolutely no proof for this, it seems like Michelin is trying to lose its historic 'elitist' tag and therefore to recognise the Ritz would send out the wrong signal while promoting gastro-pubs is suitably more 'on-message' in today's economic environment.
My next sentence will surprise no one: the Ritz is expensive. In fact, it's very expensive, but if you have a dining room styled in the fashion of Louis XVI, would you expect less? There are however ranges in which you can carve out something closer to value options. There's a 2 course menu for £35, 3 courses for £45, and a 5 course tasting menu for £65. For sure it's not Brasserie Zedel but it is substantially cheaper than Novikov, and to be fair, doesn't cost that much (if anything) more than St James's neighbour Wiltons. The full tasting menu of 'Ritz Specialities' is £99 while choosing form the a la carte sees starters priced at c£20 and mains at c£40. Figuring that I am unlikely to be returning any time soon, the tasting menu of Ritz Specialities seemed the thing to have.
the path to the restaurant
the restaurant styled in the fashion of Louis XVI
Looking up
The restaurant is, as it should be, very comfortable indeed and staff were charming. And despite all the dress code and pomp, it's not stuck in the 1920's and a rousing chorus of 'happy birthday to you' by an all female party of eight at a centrally placed table raised no eyebrows and was easily taken in the restaurant's stride.
What also impressed me early on is that when asked the usual 'sparkling or still', having chosen and being a lone diner, they asked if I would like just a half bottle. No other restaurant where I have dined alone has ever provided me this option before.
The meal begins with a trio of amuses including venison tartare.
What also impressed me early on is that when asked the usual 'sparkling or still', having chosen and being a lone diner, they asked if I would like just a half bottle. No other restaurant where I have dined alone has ever provided me this option before.
The meal begins with a trio of amuses including venison tartare.
venison tartare and other amuses
The first menu course is Dressed Crab Roll with avocado and Charentais melon. We believe that food presentation is important and the obvious care and attention to detail evident here provides an early signal about the standards they are seeking to achieve in the kitchen. Some classic combinations of course but this was a nicely realised starting plate.
Dressed Crab Roll with avocado and Charentais melon
Next up is Ballotine of Goose Liver with spiced port and apple. Not a huge surprise to find some foie on the menu here, but again they've tried to add a little something including a pistachio crust lending additional textures. There's a brioche too (not shown) and it is again a well executed plate of what is undoubtedly a popular option in a restaurant such as this.
Ballotine of Goose Liver with spiced port and apple
What follows is Smoked Celeriac, salt beef, egg yolk and truffle. It turns out to be, surprising me, the highlight of the meal for this is an absolutely superb plate of food and celeriac never tasted so good. The combinations worked to give a 'forest floor' effect with the egg slow cooked and a little smoky also and the salt beef providing some body to the dish. A sauce is also poured over though a few days on, yikes, I've forgotten what this was, but this smoky symphony was definitely my dish of the day.
Smoked Celeriac, salt beef, egg yolk and truffle
as above with sauce
At the Ritz they like to do things table-side when possible and the lobster arrives in its own cooking pot where the half shell sits on a bed of vegetables, liquids and aromatics. It's then served with carrot fondant, ginger and lime. The lobster-carrot is not a combination that really worked for me and a residual toughness in the lobster tail left me thinking this dish was, overall, a little disappointing.
table-side service
The main of Tournedos of Beef, truffled potato and bone marrow was nice enough, the food being a good and fair reflection of the description, but for me this was a somewhat problematic course being simply too large. It was much closer to an ordinary main that would be served in a standard three course meal than a tasting plate deep into an already extensive menu. In my view the idea of a 'main course' in a tasting menus is often a cause of bother and many restaurants, as if in fear that they have not sufficiently fed the diner up to that point, over compensate with the portion.
Here, a couple of hundred grammes of fillet steak is too unbalancing and nice as it was, I struggled not just with the quantity of eating but also with the repetition now introduced. The crisped up bone marrow was especially nice and the beef was excellent quality but given what I have already said, I was happy to see my plate disappear back to the kitchen.
Here, a couple of hundred grammes of fillet steak is too unbalancing and nice as it was, I struggled not just with the quantity of eating but also with the repetition now introduced. The crisped up bone marrow was especially nice and the beef was excellent quality but given what I have already said, I was happy to see my plate disappear back to the kitchen.
More table side action with Salt Baked Tunworth. Arriving at the table inside its sour dough crust, opened in front of you, if you're a fan of hot melted cheese, this certainly hits the spot.
The chocolate ganache with sea salt finishes the menu with class and style with lots of variety of tastes and textures in a small but perfectly formed package that returns an appropriate sizing back to the menu. It's a winner.
The chocolate ganache with sea salt finishes the menu with class and style with lots of variety of tastes and textures in a small but perfectly formed package that returns an appropriate sizing back to the menu. It's a winner.
Amedei Chocolate Ganache, sea salt, tonka
petits fours
This was a good meal by the Ritz with only a small drop off in delivery in the lobster-beef late middle section of the menu, but hardly an error by any standard. There were classics like the crab done well, a brilliant smoked celeriac dish and good-pud to finish. The argument against will always be that you can get the same (or better) for less pounds without having a dress code elsewhere, but the latter point has to be seen as a core part of the experience, just like you'd dress up to go to a party, and because formal dress is so ingrained in the DNA of the Ritz, I found to my surprise that it enhanced rather than detracted from the experience overall.
It's not your everyday restaurant and if you want to have a typical meal including both food and wine, it must be amongst London's most expensive places to visit so I am not rushing back any time soon. But the overall experience is special enough to warrant a return visit for a special occasion and when I think about it, London does not have that many occasion restaurants; the Ritz is surely that.
It's not your everyday restaurant and if you want to have a typical meal including both food and wine, it must be amongst London's most expensive places to visit so I am not rushing back any time soon. But the overall experience is special enough to warrant a return visit for a special occasion and when I think about it, London does not have that many occasion restaurants; the Ritz is surely that.
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