Latest news with #EpicureanJourney
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
The Ritz chef claims his £221 menu is 'the best value in London'
The Ritz's long-standing chef has claimed the hotel's two-Michelin-starred restaurant's £221 tasting menu is the 'best value in London '. John Williams MBE has been The Ritz Restaurant's executive chef for more than 20 years and has curated a high-end menu using only the finest ingredients. Despite charging £221 for the seven-course The Epicurean Journey menu or £199 for the five-course version, he 'solemnly' believes his cuisine is the best value in the city. The seven-course experience allows diners to sample the best Williams MBE has to offer and includes signature plates of native lobster, duck liver, Dorset crab and pigeon. Because the chef goes above and beyond to source the finest British ingredients and ensures his kitchen employs the 'highest level of technique', Williams MBE believes his prices are a steal. 'I believe solemnly, 100 per cent, [that] I'm the best value in London, for cost of product and then selling price. Value for money is everything that I believe in,' he told The Telegraph. When Williams MBE started his role at The Ritz in 2004, his first change was to lower the prices of the menu du jour by £10 - which was a significant amount 21 years ago. The tasting menus can change depending on what produce is in season and feature an array of signature dishes. While most fine dining establishments strive for the best ingredients, Williams MBE believes he takes his produce sourcing to the next level. 'You could interview 100 chefs, they're all going to say that,' he said. 'Let me tell you there's only about three or four of them looking for the very, very best, and capable of paying the very, very best. Some of my ingredients are extreme in price.' Williams MBE told The Telegraph that he buys his Dublin Bay prawns for up to £9 each and the champagne and lobster sauces on his turbot dish are so precise, they are the sole responsibility of one chef. On today's seven-course epicurean menu, diners start with a plate of Dorset crab with crème fraiche and imperial caviar before being served a ballotine of duck liver with damson, a small plum-like fruit, and pistachio. Third in the line-up is the Native lobster with spiced carrot and lemon verbena then the Agnolotti, a stuffed pasta, with black truffle and Parmesan. Next is the chestnut-fed pigeon then dessert starts with grapefruit with lemon pepper and buttermilk. There is the decadent Ritz Signature Chocolate hazelnut and fudge to finish off the meal. What is on The Ritz Restaurant's £221 seven-course menu? Dorset Crab, Crème Fraiche and Imperial Caviar Ballotine of Duck Liver, Damson and Pistachio Native Lobster, Spiced Carrot and Lemon Verbena Agnolotti, Parmesan and Black Truffle Chestnut Fed Pigeon À la Presse Grapefruit, Lemon Pepper and Buttermilk The Ritz Signature Chocolate Hazelnut and Fudge The £199 five-course menu has the crab and duck liver, and Suffolk lamb as well as the famous Cornish turbot with two sauces; one made from lobster and the other from the Ritz Reserve Champagne Barons De Rothschild. For dessert, diners are served the grapefruit and, to finish, wild strawberry with lemon verbena and lime. To accompany the food, customers can add five or six glasses of wine selected to pair perfectly with the Epicurean Journey. Wine packages range from £140 to £750 meaning, with the 12.5 per cent discretionary service charge, one diner could pay almost £1,000 for the entire experience. According to The Ritz's website, the menus are 'fitting ways to impress a client with a corporate lunch, enjoy quality time with friends or family over a weekend lunch, or celebrate a special occasion with a memorable dinner.' Those who can fork out the eye-watering prices will have to wear their finest attire so as to not break the Ritz's strict dress code. Men are required to wear a jacket and tie and ripped jeans, trainers and sportswear are explicitly forbidden. This week, The Ritz Restaurant was named the UK's best at the National Restaurant Awards. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Williams MBE, said, 'With so many great restaurants across the UK, it is a true honour and privilege to receive this recognition. 'This award is a testament to our commitment to culinary evolution and affirms that, whilst The Ritz Restaurant is part of an historic landmark, it continues to remain relevant.' 'London's most decadent dining room is a wonderful and memorable assault on the senses,' the National Restaurant Awards wrote after revealing the prestigious rankings. Alongside the restaurant's 'exceptional' food, judges noted the allure of the opulent dining room settings.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Revealed: The UK's top 10 best restaurants - a very surprising place took the top spot
The UK's best restaurant is at The Ritz in London 's Mayfair, according to the National Restaurant Awards. Founded in 1906, The Ritz Restaurant, which boasts two Michelin stars, serves fine dining plates using organic, seasonal ingredients from across the UK, including beef from the Cornish moors and lamb from the Lake District. The restaurant, which requires men to wear a suit jacket and tie, claimed the coveted award under the guidance of its Executive Chef, John Williams MBE, who joined in 2004. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Williams MBE, said, 'With so many great restaurants across the UK, it is a true honour and privilege to receive this recognition. 'This award is a testament to our commitment to culinary evolution and affirms that, whilst The Ritz Restaurant is part of an historic landmark, it continues to remain relevant.' For lunch and dinner, diners can opt for The Epicurean Journey, which, according to its website, strives to demonstrate the 'love and knowledge of gourmet food' and is available for £199 per person for five courses or £221 per person for seven courses. 'London's most decadent dining room is a wonderful and memorable assault on the senses,' the National Restaurant Awards wrote after revealing the prestigious rankings. Alongside the restaurant's 'exceptional' food, judges noted the allure of the opulent dining room settings. Triple Michelin star recipient Restaurant Moor Hall in Aughton, Lancashire, came in second place, which opened in 2016 under Chef Mark Birchall. Sat in a five-acre landscape, the restaurant also comes with rooms set in a Grade-II building dating back to the thirteenth century. The National Restaurant Awards wrote, 'The setup at Moor Hall is impressive. The beautiful glass-fronted restaurant has an open kitchen as well as a walk-in cheese room, where diners are encouraged to visit to make their selection. 'The restaurant makes its own charcuterie in house and uses honey from its five beehives located within its verdant grounds.' Dishes at Moor Hall include Cornish turbot with artichoke, pear, mussel and roe sauce and East Coast lobster with Tarleton tomatoes. Its Provenance tasting menu is priced at £235 per person and is set to increase to £265 from July 1. In third place was The Ledbury in Notting Hill, London, which serves modern European cuisine in tasting menus curated by Head Chef Tom Spenceley, which range up to £285. The Ledbury, which does not accommodate vegans or those with dairy and egg allergies, became the ninth three Michelin star dining outlet in February 2024. Trinity in London's Clapham, which serves seasonal plates (pictured) and is headed by chef Adam Byatt, came in fourth place The Ledbury's fate looked uncertain during the pandemic when it closed after Australian-born Brett Graham, who opened The Ledbury in 2005, announced its indefinite closure in June 2020, citing one-metre social distancing measures in place as impractical to keep staff and customers safe. During its closure, the restaurant lost the two Michelin stars it had won in 2010. However, following its reopening in February 2022, it regained both by March 2023. Dishes on the tasting menu include veal sweetbread with parsnip, vin jaune and jus noisette and Woburn Abbey Chinese water deer with kuri squash, rosehip and sea buckthorn. In fourth place was Trinity in London's Clapham, which serves seasonal plates and is headed by chef Adam Byatt. 'Trinity is a privately-owned neighbourhood restaurant situated in the heart of Clapham Old Town,' the website reads. 'When we started out, way back in 2006, our self-set mission was to serve great food. It had to be seasonal, inspirational and, above all, delicious.' The restaurant offers a four-course tasting menu, including blue lobster, for £140 per person. The National Restaurant Awards noted Trinty's 'on point' service and 'impressive attention to detail'. In fifth place came Bouchon Racine, a French bistro serving traditional plates that customers select from a chalkboard menu, including £16.50 escargots and £20 steak tartare. The National Restaurant Awards wrote, 'What is most charming about Bouchon Racine is the manner in which it has come about. '[Harry] Harris and business partner Dave Strauss opened the restaurant on a shoestring, without the employment of a PR machine to launch it and with much of the refurb done themselves.' In sixth place was London's Oma, located in Borough Market, which serves plates drawing inspiration from the Greek Isles for up to £60 per dish. The Daily Mail's food critic Tom Parker Bowles was similarly delighted when he visited the restaurant, headed by David Carter, last year. Awarding Oma five stars, he wrote, 'I don't think you'll find food like this anywhere else on earth. Ye gods! David Carter has done it again.' Debut restaurant from husband and wife team, John and Desiree Chantaraska, AgloThai, in Marylebone, London, came in seventh place. The couple opened the restaurant in 2024 and use British produce to create the complex flavours associated with Thai cuisine. Dorian (pictured), which is rumoured to be David Beckham's favourite restaurant, was commended for its 'Laid-back vibes and top-notch cooking' by judges 'Delicate and impactful Thai food made using ingredients much closer to home,' The National Restaurant Awards wrote. Discussing the position, Chef John Chantarasak said, 'We're overjoyed to be included in this year's National Restaurant Awards, and to be voted number seven by our peers in the industry is truly humbling. 'Desiree and I have followed the NRAs for many years hoping one day we would grace the list with AngloThai, so this feels like a dream come true.' Following AngloThai in the rankings was farm-to-table restaurant Osip located in Bruton, Somerset. Situated in a former 300-year old country inn where guests can stay the night, the restaurant serves a tasting menu each evening. The website explains, 'In the evening, we serve each guest with our tasting menu – a selection of small snacks, raw or preserved vegetables, freshly baked breads and a broth, followed by a series of larger plates with desserts to finish. A shorter menu is available at lunch time.' The offering was enough for Osip to secure eighth place on the prestigious list, with judges commending chef Merlin Labron-Johnson's ability to put Bruton on the culinary map. In ninth place was Ynyshir, located in Machynlleth, Powys, near the Snowdonia National Park. The Asian-inspired dining experience, created by Gareth Ward, is on the dearer end of the list, with the dinner experience starting at £390 per person. The National Restaurant Awards wrote, 'Those that venture inside will find a massive chef cooking a multi-course tasting menu of uncompromisingly edgy, Asian-influenced food. That chef is Gareth Ward, a protégé of the Nottinghamshire-based Sat Bains.' In tenth, was reportedly David Beckham's favourite restaurant, Dorian, located in Notting Hill. Created by Chris D'Sylva, the bistro ranked highly among judges, who raved about its 'Laid-back vibes and top-notch cooking'.
