The Ritz
Mayfair, London
Other grand hotel dining rooms do their best to impress, but for sheer swanky glamour The Ritz is in a class of its own. A Botticelli-style ceiling floats 20 feet above the action, the curtains and carpets are all swagged and tailed (as are the tables), and deferential service comes with immeasurable quantities of polish. John Williams MBE, a true food classicist, has been executive chef here since 2004 and oversees this great bastion of French cuisine with a high degree of brilliance, reworking the old ways while maintaining the gastronomique grandeur of it all. Dishes from the ‘Arts de la Table’ section are spectacular set pieces: hay-aged Bresse duck with damson and lavender; beef Wellington with Périgord truffle and wild mushrooms 'in large portions for two'; crêpes Suzette – finished at table by masters of Guéridon service. By contrast, the ‘Epicurean Menu’ is five or seven courses of the best that the kitchen and the à la carte menu have to offer, using top-end seasonal ingredients and designed to match the weather as well as the time of day. One celebratory party who chose the latter option were treated to a procession of hugely enjoyable gastronomic dazzlers: a huge scallop served with a topping of crispy young leek in a silkily soft, smoked butter sauce; a dense walnut-sized ball of veal sweetbread with truffle and Parmesan sauces; and a deeply flavoured loin of fallow deer, served with beetroot and juniper. 'There is no getting away from the fact that it is all brilliantly done,' they concluded. Of course, nobody comes here on a whim. This is a place for special occasions – birthdays, anniversaries, engagements – with a pianist and singer accompanying proceedings, and glamorous dinner-dances on Friday and Saturday evenings. Diners dress up to the nines (do take the dress code seriously) and everyone is intent on enjoying themselves. Staff revel in helping them do just that, and a visit here will always be memorable – as will the bill.
Dining Information:
Accommodation, Separate bar, Wheelchair access, Parking, Family friendly
150 Piccadilly, Mayfair W1J 9BR
020 7300 2370
