Are you one of those who finds it fun to experience in real life what you see in the media? That’s how we feel about some of the places we’ve seen on TV or heard about in other ways back home in Denmark.
This time, it was Gordon Ramsay’s and Jamie Oliver’s restaurants we wanted to experience while we were in London. Here’s the adventure from Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant – Maze.
Sometimes we give each other birthday or Christmas gifts with exciting experiences for our next trip. It could be a gift card for a theater experience, a shopping trip, a high tea – or as in this case, when I gave Peter a Christmas gift card for a dinner at one of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants in London.
The great thing about gifts like these is that they can spice up any trip with something extraordinary – something you wouldn’t necessarily spend money on once you’re already traveling.
Gordon’s nightmare? Or was it a dream come true?
The table was booked in advance for 2:30 PM. We thought we had just enough time to land, drop our backpacks at the hotel, take a shower, and head to Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant, Maze.
Or so we thought. Reality turned out a bit different.
We landed at Stansted at 10 AM and chose to take a bus towards London, planning to get off at Bayswater and walk the rest of the way to our hotel. But due to traffic, we didn’t make it into central London in time, meaning we couldn’t check into the hotel as planned before our restaurant reservation.
With that option off the table, we decided to get off at Piccadilly Station instead and went straight to the restaurant, still in our flight clothes and backpacks on our backs. And we made it – with plenty of time to spare.
What we hadn’t quite realized was that Gordon Ramsay’s ‘Maze’ wasn’t just any restaurant where you could show up in whatever you happened to be wearing. Even in the afternoon, people were dressed up, beautifully adorned with jewelry, styled hair, and plenty of accessories.
The Atmosphere
Our initial concern about whether we’d be welcomed in our travel outfits was quickly put to rest. We walked in, tired and a bit unsure if we fit in, but were greeted with open arms, warmth, and a friendliness we hadn’t dared to expect.
Our backpacks were set aside, and since we had arrived early, we were offered a drink at the bar just next door.
The atmosphere was relaxed, cosmopolitan, and chic. Yes, chic. Chic in that way that makes you want to dig through your overstuffed travel bag just to find that forgotten lipstick and put it on, even if that’s the only effort you make.
It wasn’t bad at all to arrive in the big city and land right in the middle of Gordon Ramsay’s bar. But the best part was the London warmth… it reached deep into our souls on that cold and rainy January day.
The Food
What do you choose to eat when you finally visit a restaurant where the owner has been awarded no less than 7 Michelin stars over the past 15 years?
We didn’t hesitate – we both opted for a vegetarian dish. Not because we don’t eat meat, but there’s something special about vegetarian dishes at fine restaurants. They often taste as if extra care has been taken in their preparation – and we’ve never been disappointed with that approach.
And we weren’t disappointed here either.
The main course consisted of ravioli with spinach, goat cheese, and pine nuts, accompanied by a bowl of marinated portobello mushrooms. And beer on the side. Sebastian had the children’s menu (which is free at several of Ramsay’s restaurants), which was pasta with meatballs.
For starters, we had freshly baked bread with homemade butter…
For dessert, Peter and I had chocolate cake with full-fat crème fraîche. Sebastian enjoyed vanilla ice cream (part of his children’s menu).
The Taste
If you thought, when looking at the photos above, that the portions seemed small and a bit mundane – you were thinking exactly what we did.
In fact, I was a bit disappointed when the food was brought to us. Oh no, I thought, I’d never get full. The portions were so small, and the portobello mushrooms… I didn’t even bother to take a picture of them. They looked like black lumps that had been overcooked.
But what we didn’t see was what we later tasted. The food was divine.
I think we can all agree that it was the best Italian food we’ve ever had. Even Sebastian joined in the praise. It was indescribably delicious. The portobello mushrooms, too… those small black lumps turned out to be creamy with garlic and fresh herbs.
We’ve already tried to recreate them at home. There’s just something missing in the flavor… we don’t know what.
As we left, I could still taste the pine nuts from the main course.
The chocolate cake… we’ve tasted a lot of chocolate in our lives, including chocolate cake. Nothing compares to the flavor of that chocolate cake. It was completely satisfying. Intense.
I think I can safely say it wasn’t a Gordon Ramsay nightmare… it was more like a culinary adventure – a dream come true.
Links
-> Maze, Mayfair. London
-> Gordon Ramsays restauranter
Maze, Mayfair. London
