Gordon Ramsay is pretty much cemented in British culture as one of the best — or at least, most famous — chefs. After all, you know you’ve truly made it when the public dress as you for a British Icons themed party (albeit aided by some bread slices for a good idiot sandwich moment). However, with great notoriety comes a great possibility that people forget what you’re actually famous for — in this case, seriously impressive food.
You may already be familiar with Ramsay’s restaurant Lucky Cat at 22 Bishopsgate in London - an Asian inspired restaurant with some seriously stunning views across London, thanks to it being Europe’s highest restaurant. But, if you pop around the corner (on the same floor), you’ll find its lesser known, more intimate cousin, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High. With just 12 seats, it’s an exclusive dining experience which feels like you’ve made it to 'best mate status' with one of the world’s top chefs.
Imagine the start of a modern murder mystery on Channel 4 entitled The Table, or a ridiculously upmarket Come Dine With Me, and you might not be too far off the feeling as you enter into the dining room — a sensation only heightened by the fact I visited and dined with strangers.
That it didn't dampen my enthusiasm for this exclusive spot tells you just how special it all is. With just 12 seats placed around a long table (yes, designed so everyone gets a view), it’s one of London’s coolest and most coveted chef’s tables — with a £250 price tag to match. But is it worth it? Here is our breakdown: (Spoiler: in short yes, it really was).
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High: In short...
- Luxury sky high dining in the heart of London
- 8 course tasting menu with fresh, seasonal ingredients
- Intricately tailored drinks pairings for each course, expertly curated
- Surprisingly laid-back approach to traditionally formal dining
- James Goodyear is the executive headchef, known for Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, Maaemo, and Evelyn's Table
- £250 per-head for an eight-course tasting menu
If you’re someone who scoffs at words like “dining experience”, or “taste journey” then switch off now — this place ain't for you. However, like most of the population, if you’re at least 20% foodie and enjoy feeling special, you’re going to love it.
We were skeptical when we first heard about the new spot — after all there’s not a lot that beats a hearty pie and a pint in a cosy pub whilst it’s lashing it down with rain in our books. But, as lovely and something-out-of-a-Richard-Curtis-film as that sounds, sometimes you want to try something different.
The location
First of all, if you’ve never been to Lucky Cat at 22 Bishopsgate, you definitely should add it to your foodie bucket list; just go for a cocktail and a light bite. It’s expensive but it’s worth it - amazing service, views that feel like something only a drone can access, and most importantly menus that deliver on their mouth-watering promises. Imagine the London Eye but with booze, and seriously lip-smacking food (and without that weird slow-moving / stopping and excruciating eye contact with strangers trying to have a sweet moment).
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High, thanks to being on the same level, delivers similarly Instagrammable views soaring across London, with an overall more snug vibe.
The food
The chefs at RGR have a Carte Blanche to create bespoke dishes for each group of diners, meaning that you don’t know exactly what you might get. However, each menu follows a standardised layout of different courses, using whatever is fresh and seasonal as its hook. Even amongst the professional muddle of dishes named things like “Vichyssoise”, and “Reloutte”, you’ll still be able to decode traditional milestones like desert, cheese course, etcetera.
They essentially take the (slightly stuffy) classic courses you’d find in an establishment where there is a sherry cart and napkins that weigh more than a paperback like, a cheese course, a fish course, a palatte-cleansing sorbet, and reimagine them in a more funky and delicious way. The whole thing fuses classic with the modern, twisting the traDISHonal into something you’ll barely recognise but devour in minutes.
Head Chef Goodyear tends to always have one elevated course centered around Parker House rolls which, if our experience was anything to go by, are so delicious you’ll still be thinking about them two weeks later - and not subtly either.
You may find your other half asking “what’s on your mind” whilst at dinner some time afterwards and you tear apart some (now very inferior) bread, and sigh, telling them it’s nothing whilst secretly pondering bluffing your way into the skyscraper, nicking a spare waiter’s uniform, and sneaking into the kitchen just to get a second serving.
I'll be honest, when the second dish was placed in front of me, roughly the size of a single glasses lens, and was told it was a Waldorf Salad, I almost scoffed. Salad in my book is a leafy affair with some plump tomatoes and a crunch of cucumber here and there. Add some walnut nuggets poking out, and a smattering of scattered celery half-moons and you've got your Waldorf. This looked nothing like that - barely even salad like. And oh boy was it the better for it. I'm still not sure how the got the creaminess, the crunch, the tang, and even better flavour than a classic Waldorf into this penny-sized serving.
The star of the show (apart from the Parker House rolls) had to be the roasted black garlic sauce on the side of the artichoke main. As our resident vegetarian, it's easy to feel like either an inconvenience or that you're slightly missing out whenever we have a dinner invite, and if you're going to feel it anywhere, it's probably in an intimate chef's table style tasting evening. But this isn't the case here - no matter what your dietary requirements, there isn't any huffing or tutting from the chef's behind your back or not, just a personalised dish which is every bit as special and premium as your meat-eating counterparts.
The portions are definitely on the much smaller side, but when you remember you’ve got about eight of these in total, you’ll be relieved more than anything. Also it feels like some sort of magic trick, how the kitchen team can pack so many strong, deep flavours into such a small plate. If the Now You See Me Gang needed an in-house chef, they’d definitely be calling on James Goodyear, RGR’s head chef.
I’ll be honest, I’ve never completely been sold by small-plate tasting menus before, finding that they seemed to have more adjectives attached to the food than actual flavour. But consider me converted.
The atmosphere
You may hear “intimate, exclusive dining experience” and immediately open your wardrobe to check the state of your black tie suit, and brush up on the proper dining etiquette used at Buckingham Palace, but fear not. The restaurant strips back traditional formality and focuses on a dialogue between chef and diner. The focus is on the food and enjoyment rather than rules. And even though the interiors say Oligarch rather than Ollie from Balham — sleek, polished wood, leather bar stools, veined marble walls — it’s not so much intimidating as inviting. Plus you can pretend you’re in a deleted scene from a Bond film, with zero risk of any guns being pulled. That’s a winner in our books.
The experience
This is undoubtedly a special one - you're getting a Michelin starred chef personally serving your meal to your table and talking you through it. A head London chef is your waiter and consigliere. It’s probably the closest you’ll get to dining like an A-lister, where the chef comes out to personally explain each dish to you – exactly what’s gone into it and how it’s been prepared (although if you looked behind you, you’d be able to get the gist). Genuinely a bit mad all in all.
In short, it's unusual, it's delicious, and it's something not many actually get to do.
The verdict
It's a very premium experience but seriously worth it. Thought goes into every aspect, not just the menu but the drinks (and there is an incredible non-alcoholic paired menu created with BAEK if you're not drinking), the service, the whole setting. Nothing feels like too much trouble and mostly, the food is just insane. Maybe if you're a regular Jay Rayner and regularly review the creme de la creme of big-city fine dining you'd have more constructive criticism about the hints of tarragon or choice of joux, but if you are anything like me and your idea of fine dining is going out to your local restaurant and ordering the *second* cheapest bottle of wine then this will blow your mind.
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