The dining room at 12.45 on a Thursday. By 1.15pm every table was full.
What do we need to know about The Ritz Restaurant?
Dining at this luxury hotel restaurant is definitely one of London's big treats. It's probably the best special occasion restaurant in London. Executive chef John Williams MBE has been in charge of the kitchen here since 2004. For many years he was scandalously overlooked by Michelin until they fixed that mistake awarding the restaurant a star in 2016. He and his team are serving up fine dining using the best British produce (with the odd European flourish).
And it's all in a pretty spectacular room
This is a glorious confection of a space, lit with chandeliers (or by light pouring in from the windows looking out over the hotel's garden and Green Park) and with a mirrored wall giving it that infinity look. It's a big room but such is the reputation of the food here that getting a table for lunch, even on a weekday, requires planning months in advance.
Where is it?
You've probably walked past it once or twice, but just in case - the hotel takes up the corner of Piccadilly and Arlington Street and is practically on top of Green Park station if you're taking the tube to get here.
If you live in London, it's very likely that you've been past here a fair few times.
Is there still a dress code?
Yes there is and the Ritz is (with the exception of some private clubs) probably the only place left in London to enforce one. Even now folk get caught out - we saw one man being furnished with a tie by the cloakroom when we went.
It's pretty strict and mainly focused on what blokes wear (although jeans and 'sportswear' aren't allowed for either men or women). A jacket and a tie are required and trainers are banned. The code applies to the restaurant and The Palm Court. If you're just here for the bar then note that they don't allow shorts, trainers or sportswear.
Back to the restaurant. What's on the menu?
To answer that you first have to decide which of the restaurant's 11 menus you're dining off. There's a dazzling array of options starting with a two-course weekday lunch menu at £60 and culminating in the £195 seven-course Epicurean experience for dinner on a Friday or Saturday night when there's also a live band playing and a dancefloor too.
We were treated to the seven-course Epicurean which is £185 per person at lunchtime - and can be matched with three levels of wine pairing - classic (£120), Fine wine (£205) and Prestige (£305).
As you might expect, things kick off with a dazzling assortment of canapes, each of them almost too pretty to eat.
If memory serves the white ones are made with Ragstone cheese and the red ones were duck and cherry mousse.
Croustade of crab with oyster cream with Menton lemon and radishes; tartare of beef topped with Imperial caviar.
At this point, we move onto the menu proper which begins with the freshest Isle of Mull scallops you're ever likely to enjoy - served raw to fully appreciate them - with teeny dots of avocado mousse and fennel pollen.
Isle of Mull scallops with bergamot and avocado
Next up is the duck liver dish which comes with a slice of the butteriest brioche you're ever likely to enjoy and tiny pistachio Bakewell tarts topped with candied pistachio and gold leaf.
The ballotine of duck liver is wrapped with a sour cherry gel and served with a tiny bit of pistachio mousse
Dover sole Veronique with grapes and stuffed with wild mushroom and sea fennel (happily you're given a spoon with this dish because you won't want to leave any of that sauce behind).
After this, there's a lovely dish of salsify served with parmesan foam and topped with a truffle tuille.
Then we moved on to the trolley course which is where the Ritz Restaurant team properly got the chance to flourish their Arts de la Table tableside service.
Not one but three trolleys circled our table. One was used by Restaurant Manager Luigi Cagnin to carve the breast off the Anjou pigeon. Then the carcass was passed to the middle trolley where the duck press was used to extract every bit of juice. Finally, that was added to a sauce that had been flambeed with Cognac before the dish was assembled. There's an awful lot going on.
We're surrounded!
The mains ended there, after which there was a pre-dessert served of Yorkshire rhubarb with vanilla custard before the final dessert of the meal (if you don't count the petit fours) which was a magnificent hazelnut and chocolate confection featuring chocolate sponge, feuilletine, the most amazing salted caramel and hazelnut praline.
Hazelnut with milk chocolate and salted caramel.
And to drink?
We were given the Fine Wine Selection pairing with our meal which included treats like a JJ Prüm Reisling with the duck liver ballotine and a 2019 Michel Bouzereau et Fils Meursault with the Dover Sole.
If your budget allows we'd also seriously recommend a visit from the digestif trolley at the end of the meal. Sommelier Frederico has a few particular favourites on here including a Clase Azul Reposado tequila which was a minerally delight.
Save a little room for the digestifs. Obviously, you've cancelled all your afternoon appointments.
Overall thoughts:
Getting engaged, got a promotion at work, celebrating a special anniversary or just plain want to enjoy one of the best restaurant experiences in London? Then you've come to the right place. This is a restaurant operating at the top of its game from the seamless service - complete with theatrical flourishes - to the fabulous food. Yes, it is expensive but this kind of dining out doesn't come cheap and nor should it. Save up and treat yourself.
More about The Riz Restaurant
Where is it? 150 Piccadilly, St. James's, London W1J 9BR
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @theritzlondon
Hot Dinners dined as guests of The Ritz London. Prices correct at time of publication.
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