Ritz

 

 

Dining at the Ritz was a special treat from a friend. It was really lovely of her to share this wonderful experience with me and I was very excited when the day finally came.

 

The flowers in the beautiful hallway before we entered the dining room.

 

 

 

The dining room was magnificent, really opulent surroundings. Our table was close to the pianist, and the music she played certainly added to the ambience.

 

Amuse Bouche:

(Amuse bouche of cheese beignets, lobster and seaweed cracker with salmon macaroon.)

The cheese beignets had a wonderful rich filling, but at the same time were wonderfully light. The lobster and seafood cracker had some lovely textures, but needed a further accompaniment to add to the taste sensation. My favourite was the salmon macaroon, it was really light and melted in my mouth. It tasted like a Skip!

 

Normally there is not much to write about the bread you are offered. I have had some nice breads before with unique flavour combinations, however, the bread at the Ritz is the best I have had. It was a bacon and onion bread which had the consistency of a croissant. I probably should not admit this in public but I actually had three, they were that good! Buttery and packed pull of flavour with the caramelised onions and bacon pieces. Delicious!

 

Starter:

 

(Gull's Egg with Spring Vegetable, Serrano Ham and Morels)

 

This starter was wonderful in every way that you would hope: taste, presentation and surprise elements which added to the taste experience. Every single element enhanced the dish further, for example the pea shoots, morels, and the cheese pastry. The gull's egg was runny in the middle, and worked beautifully with the morels which added a rich, deep flavour. The cheese pastry added a salty taste to the dish, which also worked well with the sauce, beans and pea shoots. By far this is the best starter I have had recently.

 

 

Main:

Bresse Duck with Heritage Carrot, Fennel and Duck Liver

Certainly hard to follow the starter as it was truly delicious. The duck was cooked well, as it is very easy to overcook and for it to be rubbery; the liver gave the dish a deeper flavour. Although all the accompaniments were cooked well, the overall taste was too sweet due to the sauce. I was left feeling a little underwhelmed by this dish.

Dessert:

(Chocolate Souffle with Vanilla Chantilly and Hazelnut Ice Cream)

I was very excited when I saw this dessert coming towards me. The soufflé had a beautiful texture, and I liked that the dish came both with cream and ice cream, both were very flavoursome. Although the soufflé had a wonderful flavour, I felt it should have had a more prominent chocolate taste. It needed to be richer as it tasted more eggy than chocolaty.

 

Favours:

 

 (Almond cake with raspberry, exotic fruit jelly, vanilla cream macaroon and dark chocolate with salted caramel.)

 

A wonderful array of flavours. The almond cake was moist and had sharp raspberry in the middle which cut through the richness of the cake. The fruit jelly was surprisingly delicious, packed full of flavour and was very refreshing. The macaroon, for me, was too rich, but I loved the dark chocolate salted caramel favour, which was oozing with wonderfully rich caramel. The dark chocolate and salted caramel worked perfectly together. 

 

 

 

Quality & Presentation of  the Food

The quality of the food is excellent. Lovely flavours, interesting combinations which are carefully balanced.  The portion sizes are good, and with 3 rolls I was completely stuffed. The glass of wine I had was okay, but it was not as full-bodied as I had hoped for.

The presentation is superb, wonderful attention to detail, which adds to the taste sensations. 

Service & Ambience

The service was excellent, and not too intrusive. We certainly did not feel rushed. The waiters were informative and gave us some good recommendations.

Alongside the food, the highlight of the Ritz is the ambience. You are whisked into another world where you forget about any problems or stress you may have; instead you are in the world of sheer opulence where you can fully indulgence and have a really special afternoon.


Value for Money

For 3 courses and a glass of wine the bill came to £70.00 each. I would definitely return for a special occasion.