Gordon Ramsay
Royal Hospital Road
020 7352 4441

Sloane Square

It had to happen and eventually it did - a visit to fiery foodie Ramsay's flagship London restaurant. Even better, it was a treat from a friend who only weeks earlier had won a tidy sum in the Euromillions lottery. Operating since 1998 on the former site of La Tante Claire in Chelsea, Gordon Ramsay is so discreet and set back from the pavement that our taxi driver missed it. We had arrived early for a 6.30 booking and, after negotiating the rather understated entrance and glass paneled hallway along the side of the dining room, we happened upon the maitre'd rattling out the evening's instructions to the rest of the staff. While this drew to a close we ordered a gin & tonic each and from the bar surveyed the decor in the smallish dining room - low key in muted browns and beiges but enlivened by Murano glass sculptures arranged round the walls and picked out by spotlights. A glance at the menu and we decided on the menu prestige - seven courses for £90 with a supplement of £8 for a selection of French cheeses. Some amuse bouches kept us occupied while we waited - a thin sandwich each of homemade potato crisp filled with cream cheese and munchkin-sized spring rolls of salmon mousse and avocado, as well as a tiny bowl of pumpkin soup with truffle oil and edible spoons made of puff pastry. For the main event, first came mosaique of foie gras with Peking style duck. The gel in which the tiny cubes of duck were embedded added a sweet counterpoint to the foie gras. Next were pan fried sea scallops with smoked salmon and horseradish. The fish course was sautéed fillet of turbot, tagliatelle, coriander and citrus veloute, but I opted instead for sautéed monkfish tail with baby squid, red & yellow peppers and a creamed lobster sauce, which was a special for the day though also available on on the a la carte menu. We were offered a further choice of meat course - roasted fillet of Angus beef with braised cheeks & Barolo sauce, or cannon of Cornish lamb with confit shoulder & thyme jus. I chose the beef. With the early courses we drank two bottles of Premier Cru Chablis and with the meat course a bottle of St Estephe. Afterward we were again given a choice - either a selection of French cheeses or charentais of melon with fromage frais. As the menu promised a flourish of sweet delights later we all selected from the 40-50 delicacies on the cheese trolley, and tried a range of the blue, the creamy and the very ripe. We ended the main meal with lime parfait with honeycomb & chocolate sauce, which came presented in narrow, stylised shot glasses and a glass straw. While slightly smaller than a la carte, the prestige courses are quite substantial and I was beginning to slow toward the end. Either to give us respite, or more likely, to free up the table for another party, we were invited to tour the kitchen. In this rather cramped setting we chatted briefly and shook hands with executive chef Mark Askew. Afterward, as we sipped our digestifs in the bar area, the parade of tasty morsels continued - minute cream filled cones, chocolate discs and strawberry ice cream filled truffles. Apart from the slightly burnt oil taste of the potato crisp amuse bouche at the start, everything was beautifully flavoured and presented. The maitre'd and staff provided excellent and friendly service and our used plates and they were always there to whip glasses and dishes away, though we didn't sense them hovering at the table. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience but at £600 for three (including drinks) I fear it's going to take another lottery win before we can return. Website

Pétrus
Berkeley Hotel
020 7235 1200
Knightsbridge

Chez Max
Yeomans Row
020 7590 9999

Knightsbridge

Taking advantage of a Sunday Times newspaper dining offer of three courses for £15, we chose Chez Max from among super-chef Marco Pierre White's London outposts for no better reason than it wasn't in Soho. Situated in a basement of a building not far from Harrods, with the famous Bunch of Grapes pub just a few doors up on the corner of Brompton Road, the entrance of Chez Max doesn't inspire confidence, but the large dark wood lined dining room with its subdued lighting is reassuringly sophisticated. We sat at a leather banquette, and perused the decor of old framed posters which lent an air of French chic to proceedings. After a refreshing drink of gin and vodka and tonic (£5 each) two of us chose from the menu Petit Max, each ordering a terrine Richelieux with Cumberland sauce from the special menu (£2 supplement), as well as main courses of Bavette d'Aloyau, with shallot sauce and fries, and ravioli de royans with herbs vinaigrette. Our companions went for foie gras and chicken liver parfait, red onion compote and toast (£8.95) from the a la carte menu and braised shoulder of lamb a la dijonnaise with creamed haricots (£15.50). To accompany our meal we drank a bottle of Chateau de Canterrrane Cotes de Rousillon 1998 (£27.50) and another of the 2000 Chateau de Ricard Premiere Cotes de Bordeaux. For puddings we all decided on cheese (£5.95 for the a la carte), as well as three coffees (£2.50 each) and three Grand Marniers (£6 each). The service was speedy and quiet, which couldn't be said for the elderly Australian air pilot at the next table, who regaled his companions at ear splitting decibels throughout their meal about his sky-born adventures.

A friend invited me to L'Aventure one Saturday evening, and not being familar with the St John's Wood area, but knowing it's relatively upmarket, I dressed accordingly. And just as well, as this is quite a smart venue, though small and intimate. With us were two of my host's old girlfriends. One, who lives in Palm Springs, proceeded to drop names, but we didn't mind as the stories were hilarious. The food was delicious and the ambience was relaxing yet service was attentive. Among the dishes that we enjoyed from the relatively short, hand-written daily menu were nage de coquilles St Jacques àla badiane, crêpes de saumon fumé àla ciboulette, tian d'agneau aux saveurs de Provence, mignons de veau rotis aux girolles and filets de sole sautés au beurre rouge. Among the desserts on offer were tarte fine aux pommes, ile flottante and petites crêmes brulées, vanille et pistache, and we finished with coffees all round. Cosy and fun.

Mirabelle is one of London's most sophisticated restaurants, and it's easy to get caught up in the mood. We swept in through the imposing tiled foyer of the ground floor of an otherwise ordinary block of flats, through large airy waiting rooms and past a pianist tinkling the ivories. The dining room is relatively plain and low ceilinged with tables lining the walls and others against a central divider dotted with plants. Staff are everywhere, and it shows in the service which is slick and attentive. I ordered terrine of foie gras with green peppercorns - en gelée de Sauternes (£16.95) and braised pig's trotter with morels - pomme purée, sauce perigueux (£19.50) - both of which are signature dishes of the chef. My companions had fillet of red mullet à la niçoise, jus osso buco (£16.95) and noisettes of lamb Edouard VII (£19.95). To drink we had two bottles of 2000 Morgon, M. Lapierre (£35 each). Only one of us tried a sweet - a lemon tart - and double espressos completed the meal. I was initially nervous about my choice of trotter, not having had it before, and it looked quite unappetising, but it was succulent and down it went. Mirabelle is a good place to star spot, although I didn't see any famous faces during my visit, and an ideal place to go for a celebration. Website