FAO Voyagereuse

I%26#39;ve bitten the bullet and booked a table at Gordon%26#39;s restaurant (a la carte, not the bar) for March.

I trust your judgement and was just wondering if you%26#39;d eaten there yet? Its going to be a big outlay for us as we%26#39;re also planning a lunch at River Cafe so don%26#39;t want to make a big mistake. I know there are a lot of reviews flying around and to be honest the ones from critics this side of the pond are more favourable, but I was just wondering if you%26#39;d been yet - or are planning to?

FAO Voyagereuse

Hi Ange,

Not unlike Tinkerbell, my tastes are simple. I prefer comfort food to haute cuisine. When I have dined at places like Bouley, Daniel, and Jean Georges it%26#39;s been on someone else%26#39;s nickel, not because of my personal preferences. (I really liked all three of them though.)

I also developed a seafood allergy, limiting my options even further. I wanted to go to Gordon Ramsay but the main restaurant pretty much offers a tasting menu with many courses rather than an a la carte menu, and there are too many dishes I can%26#39;t eat, so it would be wasted on me.

I know by now you have probably studied the menu. If you think the food sounds good, I say TOTALLY go for it. With the exchange rate it is a good deal for you.

Plus, I have read and re-read some of the criticisms, and none of them say the food isn%26#39;t good. What these critics are saying is it reminds them too much of Alain Ducasse and they have seen this kind of food before at other upscale places. Fair enough. The food critics in New York are very worldly and eat at top haute restaurants all the time, so for them yes I can understand they might be a bit bored.

But for you, me and most people who do not regularly dine like this, I think it is an excellent opportunity to sample the wares of a top chef.

FAO Voyagereuse

Thank you for replying so quickly!

Commiserations to you for developing a seafood allergy - I really can%26#39;t think of anything worse! I bore myself sometimes by mainly ordering fish and seafood when eating somewhere good.

I%26#39;ll stick with the restaurant booking I think, with the exchange rate it probably is our best opportunity to eat at a GR place. But do let me know if you go there in the meantime - even if its just eating in the bar! And I%26#39;ll also post back on how we enjoy our expensive (but cheaper than the RC!) meal.