Gordon Ramsay is the signature restaurant of it's namesake Chef. Known for his potty-mouthed eccentricities on the TV shows Hell's Kitchen, and Kitchen Nightmares. Chef Andy Cook is at the helm. The restaurant which opened last year already received a Michelin Star. Quite an achievement, LA is sparse of Michelin Star restaurants and not one with three stars.
Rabbit and Smoked Bacon Ballottine - with vegetable piccalilli and toasted brioche. This was my appetizer. I like the presentation of the whole dish. The cold rabbit meat, wrapped in bacon, mildly tasted of rabbit. The smokey bacon taste was overpowering. I thought the dish was delicious.
We had reservations on a Saturday for lunch during the DineLA week. The restaurant is located inside the London Hotel at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and San Vicente. Parking is strictly valet at $10 a pop. Unless you can find street parking, which is almost impossible in the evening. Sunset has bumper-to-bumper traffic from 7 pm 'til 3 am. It was lunch and we were lucky, we found a street parking spot.
The ambience is very upscale with a classical sophistication, mirrors the sharp gold-rich decors of the London Hotel. The restaurant was sparse, for a Saturday lunch, and on a Dine LA week. I wonder what it's like on a regular day. Makes me think if I'll see it in one of the Chef's "Kitchen Nightmares" show. The staff was dressed in gray suits, I couldn't help but tell our waitress how the suits made them look very "masculine". I like a little sexiness or is that amuse-oeil?
To start, I had a glass of 2005 Pinot Noir from the Bien Nacino Winery, one really good California Pinot from the beautiful wine growing area of Santa Maria.
We were given some complimentary amuse bouche of Crostini and Hummus. Light and tasty to wet the appetite.
They served the crusty bread with two types of butter, the sea-salt and the seaweed butter. I thought this was a delightful surprise, like a sign of what was about to come.
Carpaccio of Wild Mushroom, balsalmic reduction, pine nuts and aged parmesan. I don't know if paper-thin slices of wild mushrooms is my thing. The dish for me was too subtle.
Chilled almond soup, sautéed spot prawns, glazed almonds and balsamic reduction. The prawns were very fresh and perfectly cooked. The soup had a very mild almond flavor to it.
Jerusalem Artichoke Risotto, with artichoke chips, black truffle and sherry caramel reduction. This was absolutely heavenly. Risotto was perfectly cooked with a hint of truffle taste. I could eat another plate of this. I would come back just for this.
Braised Ox Cheek with port wine, horseradish creamed potatoes, glazed turnips and braising jus. This was my main entrée. The dish looked delicious. The braised ox cheek was very tender, with a little gelatinous texture that was really good. It went really well with the horseradish creamed potatoes. I absolutely enjoyed this dish.
Chilled Coconut Tapioca with candied ginger, passion fruit and milk chocolate-star anise ice cream. This was my dessert. There was a flavor burst in my mouth when I tasted this. Simply delicious. I love the blending of creamy tapioca, coconut, ginger, chocolate, and anise flavors. This dessert has that salivary gland factor. Another reason for coming back.
Valrhona Chocolate Fondant with brown butter caramel and vanilla ice cream. I had a taste of this. Rich creamy decadent chocolate taste, served warm and compliments the stark contrast of the cold vanilla ice cream.
Pistachio Soufflé with Cherry Sorbet. I also had a taste of this. The pistachio taste was definitely there but subtle. The cherry sorbet melting in the middle of the warm soufflé was delicious. It added a different texture and flavor to the soufflé.
Double Chocolate with Truffles and Ginger Candy. We got this as a complimentary post-dinner treats.
We enjoyed our lunch at the restaurant. Service was impeccable, food was great. The highlights for me were the Jerusalem Artichoke Risotto, the Braised cheeks and the Coconut Tapioca. Since, it was during the DineLA week, it was a bargain at $34 per person, excluding drinks, taxes, and gratuity. Looking back, perfect would have been the Risotto for appetizers and Braised cheeks for main, and tapioca for dessert.
1020 N. San Vicente Boulevard,
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 358-7788
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