Reviews Alain Ducasse At The Dorchester

Firstly, the staff were friendly and the restaurant had a nice ambience. Secondly, the standard & presentation of the meal was top notch. Having dined at a Michelin 2* restaurant in London earlier in the year (also under a French chef, who has a number of worldwide restaurants), not only did we find the food better, but in particular the quality of the wine was much more superior. Quality food deserves quality wine. Enjoy.

The 3 Michelin star @alainducasse @thedorchester @dorchestercollection was on my list of restaurants to try every time i visited london , this time i finally managed to book a table and experience the creations of one of the best chefs in the world.
The best thing about this place is the service which i thought was beyond exceptional.
When it came to food i have to say Im not the biggest fan of classic french (I know and Im sorry) and honestly I have much bigger expectation for a 3 starred place. Haven't said that i think the overall experience was exceptional and worth trying if you are in london (book in advance , like really in advance)

I’ve had a handful of special meals under my belt this year. Some come with a price, some dead cheap. But as 2016 beckons new beginnings for 2017, I’m still thinking about the best meal experience I’ve had in London this year. With three Michelin stars under its name, there’s no surprise that the setting was at Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester.

Just as some of my friends have a bucket list of places to visit, I have one of restaurants where I’d like to eat.  I do have a ‘places’ list too of course, but there are times when it is easier and more relaxing to indulge in some very special food and wine at home in London rather than travelling overseas.  On my personal wish list for a long time, Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester is a three star Michelin restaurant, one of only two in London.  And,   since I’ve already been to Gordon Ramsey on Royal Hospital Road, albeit some time ago, a visit to Alain Ducasse seemed in order.  This particular dinner was to celebrate the sale of my mother’s flat – and to thank my dining companion who help decorate, remove rubbish and generally get the place into a fit state to put on the market.  We’ve been procrastinating for a while about where to go – our regular haunt was the Savoy Grill, but the refurbishment of that particular London establishment doesn’t seem to have settled entirely yet.  And, Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester has that perfect balance of modernity and tradition that we both love.

Faultless evening with an excellent tasting menu. Everything you would expect for a fine dining experience - attentive staff with attention to detail, great food and wine, outstanding service.

A restaurant should never be judged on an isolated meal. After all, the front of house can have a bad day. The kitchen may make some mistakes. Yet, when you are a 3 Michelin Star restaurant, you expect nothing less than perfection. The last time I wrote about Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester (ADAD) some 6 years ago, I had a less than stellar experience. Ok they were not a 3* restaurant at that time, but they did gain the 3rd star a few months later. For many people, dining here is a once in a lifetime event, something they would have to save up for a long time, and when the restaurant has a bad night, the disappointment is even harder to swallow.

If this isn't the epitome of fine dining, I don't know what is.

It's not everyday that you get to enjoy a 3 hour lunch at a 3 Michelin starred restaurant where you are treated like royalty, fed the most exquisite food, all enjoyed in the setting of one of London's most renowned and iconic hotels. So E and I suited up and made an occasion out of it.

The great thing about these high-end restaurants that make you weep a little at the sight of their a la carte prices, is that many of them offer fixed menus that suit varying budgets and interests. Bookatable has a whole page of "Star Deals" that lists these menus, and there are many restaurants in that list at which you'd ordinarily have to splash some serious cash. I think that these deals are an ideal way to tick off a few restaurants off of your wishlist (foodies will know what I'm talking about) without breaking the bank.

Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester is just one of the many tempting options, and we were lucky enough to try out their Lunch Hour menu, booked through Bookatable. For £60, you get a 3 course lunch, 2 glasses of wine, half a bottle of water and coffee, but you'll see it's even more than that.

Ducasse is one of E's most revered culinary heroes, so you can just imagine how excited he was. He claims that the Louis XV in Monaco is the best restaurant he has ever been to in his life, but this one at The Dorchester is not so far behind.

Firstly, the lunch menu tells you that it will be a 3 course meal, but quite honestly, it's more like 5. With the many little extras that come with dining at such an establishment - including the gougères, amuse bouche, never-ending supply of fresh bread, and the mignardises - you will take your time, and you will definitely not leave hungry. Oh, and it includes two glasses of excellent wine, which is a big bonus as well.

We started with a mountain of gorgeous gougères, which were light as air, and a mix of emmental, pepper and paprika. To say that they gave us a generous amount is an understatement - I could easily have made a meal out of this huge plate!

Then came the amuse bouche. It was emulsified stilton with pak choi, and quite the appetite whetter. We also chose a couple of different breads - I went for the brioche and the lardon focaccia, which were both divine. Again, I would have been happy with the bread alone for my lunch, but I had to pace myself. 

E and I decided to order different starters and mains and share each dish, which worked out well as every single one was beautiful.

The "soft-boiled quail's egg with courgettes and chicken jus" was Spring on a plate - impeccably plated, with flavourful poached chicken to top it off. The "skate wing terrine, confit potatoes and pimiento del piquillo" was incredibly fresh and as light as it was rich, if that even makes sense. I don't think I'd ever tried skate before, and now I know I'm a fan! For the starters, we had the same wine - 2013 Anjou, which we loved.

For the main course, we went with the "roasted lamb rump, roasted orange and yellow carrots" and the "fillet of lemon sole, green peas and spring onions". They were both, simply, perfect. The lamb was cooked just right, and accompanied by the most basic of vegetables, yet it makes you think that carrots are the best things in the world! The lemon sole was also superb, and of course, stunningly presented. As for wine, I was given the 2012 Maranges and E had the 2013 Mâcon-Loché - my red was sublime and E enjoyed his too. (For the wines, you can just ask them to recommend what they think will go best with your order - best to trust those sommeliers in my opinion!)

What we both loved so much about all of these dishes, is the simplicity of them. There is no fanciness or style for the sake of theatre, and the food is left to shine by themselves - the beauty of it is that it really makes you fall in love with the most humble of ingredients. That, in my opinion, is what the real joy of dining is all about.

But let's not stop the superlatives there! We still had dessert waiting for us. 

Oh, and a sneaky extra course, too...

Although there is no cheese course in the lunch menu, we threw caution to the wind and decided to treat ourselves. And there were no regrets when a platter of French cheeses (with their accompanying condiments) and a big plate of stilton (that the waiter scoops right out of the barrel!) appeared. If you are a cheese fan, I think that trying one of these is absolutely worth it for the extra cost, but you could easily skip it and still leave more than satisfied. 

And then came dessert number one, which are the mignardises. The bundle of joy included mint, orange and chocolate macarons, chocolate truffles, and various different caramels and nougat. Of course, at this point I was getting pretty full and had to hold off from trying too many of these, but luckily our lovely waitress gave the rest to us in a take-away bag so that was a good move!

For the actual dessert, I chose the "contemporary vacherin", which is a modern, deconstructed take on a meringue dessert. It had coconut and vanilla ice cream and mango sorbet, both of which I adore anyway but made at this level? To die for. 

E decided to go a la carte for the dessert for a few extra pounds, as he knew that there was a dessert he wanted that he had tried at the Louis XV. Their "baba" is one of a kind - a sponge-cake-type dessert, soaked in a rum of your choosing (they actually bring a selection to your table to sniff and choose from!), paired with the smoothest vanilla cream. It's heavenly.

As you can tell, I could not speak more highly of Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, and their Lunch Menu is incredibly good value for money. The service at a 3 Michelin starred restaurant is like no other - I'm not exaggerating when I say that you feel like royalty - they are always attentive without being intrusive, polite but not stuffy and very approachable, and the whole experience is just wonderfully special. 

We both definitely hope to return for lunch again, and I'd suggest you put this one on your list for a deliciously luxurious lunch that you won't get over for a while.

disclaimer: I was invited by Bookatable to try their Lunch Menu, and to give an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

NB: the cheese course and the "baba" are not part of the lunch menu.

Passing through London. An enjoyable experience in london with all my of chefs friends, recommended to all. Nothing like fresh ingredients and food. I had a wonderful time

...I was greeted at restaurant’s double doors and with reservation confirmed I was led to my table, a spacious two-top draped in white linen with a full view of the room. Surprisingly not fully booked for the evening and appearing all the more spacious given the square footage between tables it would be mere moments before the sommelier approached and with

I have booked a lovely dinner at Alain Ducasse, but arrive early and have to settle for a quick cocktail at the bar before dinner. I then proceed into the amazing dining room. The Dorchester is full of history and glamour, however I don’t care for that, I am more focused on the culinary expertise of one a particular French Chef, who first caught my attention on a visit to Monaco back in 2006. The restaurant does some amazing French cuisine with fresh produce from UK and France. It stays true to Alain’s motto “ “The product is the only truth”.   I have a quick chat to the sommelier and manager of the restaurant, before settling on the tasting menu. I am provided with lovely Goujons. Then we move onto to amuse bouche. A Crayfish velout‎ é, delicate royale paired with a simply amazing glass of champagne. The dish is amazing, the sweetness of the champagne and the richness of the lobster is a match made in heaven. Then the more substantial courses arrive. There is the Foie gras and “Burgau

The restaurant itself is a bit like an expensive spa - lots of beige, thick carpets, comfy leather chairs and soft music. You actually feel relaxed from the moment you get there. We went for the tasting menu , with matching wines, which was a fantastic experience.

Rules of Survival … If you want food and drinks, being LOADED is essential. If you don't consider yourself moderately well-off, stick to the food and ask for still water! If you are budget conscious but want to be wow-ed, go for the set menu at lunch hou

I had a difficult decision to make for graduation dinner. My mom is a very fussy eater and doesn’t really like food full of cream and butter. You know, what the French term cuisine classique. I wasn’t too keen on Gordon Ramsay – I don’t really like to be

Another reason we'd chosen to come here for Valentine's was that having dined here about three years ago for Mr S's birthday, we still remember it as the most incredible dining experience we'd ever had in London. The restaurant is one of the only two three Michelin-starred restaurants in London, plus Chef Alain Ducasse is one of the most decorated and esteemed chefs in the world.

We were also presented with a porcelain leaf of gougeres including black pepper, paprika and emmental cheese. A similar dish had been served at Hibiscus, though there I had found it overly rich whereas Alain Ducasse's version were light and airy.

Mr S and I were having a magical night at this incredible place but at this point the night started to go a little awry. We'd been enjoying our conversation, sipping our champagne and nibbling the gougeres but it had got to 10.30, and not only had we not been given our starter but we hadn't even been offered bread. I had to ask twice before we were finally shown a rather glorious selection of different options.

An absolutely outstanding meal to mark a family birthday and the service and food were immaculate from start to finish. The only regret I had was filling myself on the savoury cheese puffs served to us in a pyramid at the start of the meal because there are impossibly light and you can completely lose track of how much you're filling up on but I assumed (naively that this was in place of bread) - it wasn't. And so the next logical step would have been to decline the bread or at least have only one piece.

But this is a special occasion kind of a place and I don't anticipate eating here every Saturday night so again, the bacon fougasse and the sesame bread were my choices from the varied bread basket, which perhaps could have been served just a tad warmer. With a choice of salted butter or a creamy cheese spread, it was a dangerous sign when I realised I was already full and the starter hadn't arrived! And just before the starter was brought out to us, we were brought a mousse-like fennel/soupy concoction served beautifully in an egg shell with a mild but perfect flavour.

Most of our group went for 3 courses (although with various supplements) so ironically, my husband being the only one who ordered 4 actually ended up with the cheapest meal of all! I selected the special saute gourmand lobster with homemade pasta, chicken and when they offered me shavings of black truffle on top, I simply couldn't turn it down despite the supplemented cost. All in all, probably the costliest starter I've ever ordered - but I'm glad to say it was worth every penny!

Uncharacteristically for me, I decided not to choose fish this time although I did try a sneaky piece of my husband's scallops and these were so succulent, beautifully cooked and went very well with the saute cauliflower on the side. I enjoyed it very much but perhaps felt that of everything that I ate that night, it felt as if that may be the dish where the flavours could be most closely recreated at home. I instead chose the venison with pumpkin and chestnut and the tender meat with the wintry sweetness lent by the vegetables left me with no regrets on choice. 2 of our group chose turbot with root vegetables and loved it although perhaps felt the portion was perhaps just a little bit on the generous side (but who's complaining?!)

Prior to dessert, they brought out some homemade chocolates - too rich for me personally with a rather high dark chocolate content which many would love but as a personal preference, it's not for me but the macarons (mint, strawberry and chocolate were light, airy and without a single crack in sight).

I had a hard time deciphering between the praline dessert and the pear and chestnut but ultimately chose the letter and it had a great mix of textures and flavours that were quite light in sweetness and didn't leave me feeling too weighed down. The exotic fruit vacherin was probably the most refreshing dessert ordered on our table and as the meal finished, we were all just too full to be able to accept the generous offer from the sweet and dessert trolley of  having an extra little sweet treat such as a caramel chocolate or cocoa covered nuts or even another little pastry such as a pecan one if you wish.

It takes a lot for me to decline such treats (especially when you are paying these prices) but any more would have meant my memories of the night would have been only how ill I felt at being too full so I knew my limits and called it a day.

As we left, we were given

At this meal I was able to experience the “Lumiere” table, which although in the main dining room has a feeling of privacy due to its surrounding curtain of hanging lights. We went for the seven course tasting menu on this occasion. Gougeres were very pleasant indeed, with very godo choux pastry and plenty of cheese flavour, though I would have preferred them to be warm from the oven (17/20). Barbjuans, the little fried spinach and ricotta parcels that are a speciality of sister restaurant Louis XV in Monaco, were served warm and were an excellent nibble (18/20).

An amuse-bouche of sea urchin from Ireland was rather disappointing: compared to sea urchin in Japan, the texture was less silky and the flavour lacking (15/20). A starter of raw and cooked vegetables with olives and tomato syrup had good tomatoes, but in general the vegetables were not of sufficient quality to carry off the dish. It is one thing serving such a dish in the Mediterranean in the summer, when you have stunning vegetables in the local market, quite another in England in February (16/20).

Lobster with truffled chicken quenelles had nicely cooked shellfish and light quenelles, the seafood sauce having good flavour (18/20). Halibut with winkles, cockles and razor clams had an accurately cooked slab of fish, again with a good sauce, but the shellfish were rather uninspiring (17/20).
Duck from Burgaud (in the midi-Pyrenees) was cooked pink and had nice flavour, served with beetroots and rounaisse sauce (a Bordelaise sauce with pureed duck liver). On the side was a little cup with duck royale. This last element was lovely, the foie gras and duck having excellent flavour (18/20).

Exotic fruit dessert was excellent, the fruits of high quality and the syrup carefully balanced (19/20). The mignardise were also very good, such as a delicate grapefruit macaroon. Coffee had good flavour, and service was excellent throughout the meal. The tasting menu that we ate was priced at £125 a head before drinks and service.

Overall this was certainly a good meal, as well it might be at this price point, and given a wine list with aggressive mark-ups even by the demanding standards of Mayfair. However although there were some very good elements, the meal seemed to me slightly less consistent than my last couple of experiences here, and it is certainly a long way from the three stars that Michelin graces it with.

Culinary genius! Amazing meal - from the staff, food and wine list. Superb!

We went for the tasting menu with paired wines. Having eaten at a few other Michelin restaurants (Core, Heston, Moor Hall, The Kitchin) we had some benchmarks to compare Alain Ducasse to. The service is impeccable and the staff were very professional and friendly. The entire service took nearly 4.5 hours and there were long waits between courses so make sure to factor this in if you have a late reservation. The surprise was the food. Whilst some dishes (scallops, lobster) were exceptional with rich, incredible sauces we didn't have those wow moments with the other dishes that we experienced at other Michelin restaurants. I would highly recommend the caviar, the way they served it made it one of the stand-outs for us. We went for the Icons wine selection and the sommelier had done an incredible job. We didn't want to drink 7 full glasses of wine so they kindly split this so we had half a glass each per course. We got to meet Alberto (an absolute gent) and his team which was a lovely touch, and his kitchen is incredible. It's a huge restaurant and whilst the fibre optics are striking, when you're sat there you could almost see the room being used for a wedding/conference venue because of the style of wood panelling on the walls.

MICHELIN 3* - LONDON The service was top notch! The place felt really fancy. The food however, was just decent and was not as good as I had expected from a 3* Michelin. They were very nice, just not as expected. For the price, we could get a better meal in a 2* or 1* Michelin restaurant.

We enjoyed a meal at AD a couple weeks ago and it was a very pleasant experience. The service, in particular, was impeccable - friendly, attentive, but not overbearing. The food was delicious but not extremely memorable, with the exception of the scallops - those were extraordinary! Unfortunately, we did finish dining quite late and therefore the other parts of the hotel were (understandably) closed and so our request for post-dinner cigars was rejected. Nevertheless, we definitely had a pleasant time and will be glad to return again, albeit next time we will make certain to start rather earlier. The little gifts we were given to take with us was a nice touch which was certainly appreciated.

Very good Michelin’s dining experience overall. The Chef tasting menu and wine pairing is wonderful, service superb👍. We had a wonderful time and spend 4.5 hours to complete so be prepared and reserve enough time if you are going to try their tasting menu 😊

One of my most memorable dining experiences. Very knowledgeable and lovely staff. They were very accommodating of our dietary restrictions. The scallops dish was delicious! And I’m generally not a fan of scallops.

I didn’t have much of expectations but at the end, it was good experience. if you are seeking legit French restaurant, this is good spot in London. Each dishes were very well thought of, and some time there were little touch of Japanese inspiration too like the asparagus dish I had which btw the best asparagus dish I’ve ever had. Totally creative. Overall it was nice food. Service on the other hand was hit or miss. Some waiters were very friendly but some are pretty arrogant. It might play out as whole French restaurant vibe so I guess that’s alright. This place made me think I should try his other restaurants in the world.

Excellent food and service. Well presented and flavoursome Classic style tasting menu. Great selection of wine pairing. I gave it 4 stars purely because I felt it was missing that WOW factor that I would expect from a 3 Michelin star restaurant. Overall, a very pleasant experience!

We got a friendly greeting, half way down to promenade at The Dorchester. The lovely surroundings complemented the meal that was to come. The avocado and sesame seeds bread with the citrus lobster were beautifully presented. The wine list had more affordable options than many places in Mayfair. My favourite dish from the five I had on the card menu was pasta with lobster and chicken quenelles. The bisque sauce was light and went well with the polenta and caviar. A lovely evening all round with nice service.

The food was excellent! We had a wonderful staff attending our needs and we even got to meet the head chef! What a great evening! Merci!