Restaurant Gordon Ramsay

Chef's Diary

In constant search of perfection. Composing and conducting a symphony of flavours, textures and aromas that can only be achieved by the correct preparation and appropriate combination of the raw ingredients. It is with the arrival of these raw ingredients that we begin each day.

After checking and selecting the produce we will decide the preparation required and if menus need to be altered. Nature is different every day; we cannot change this only try to perfect it. This is when knowledge and experience comes into play, the more you cook and practice, the more that you will understand your ingredients.

This is the most important time of the day for us. Having selected our ingredients and decided our plan for the day, the preparation begins. Stocks, sauces are made and strained, meat is butchered, fish is filleted, salads picked and washed, vegetables prepared and the lobsters cooked for the ravioli filling. The smells of baking from the pastry drift through a silent kitchen while a brigade of sixteen talented young chefs concentrate and hurry about their work. Time is of the essence, as every dish requires many components. They may vary in size but not in importance, they are all essential. Organizing and putting each section “en place” is key when we arrive at service where there is no time for error.

At 11 a.m. each day everything on each section is checked and tasted, from the amuse bouche through to the petit fours. This gives us the time to make the necessary adjustments to anything we may not be happy with.

At 12 p.m. service begins. This is where everything must come together and roll into one.

The first check arrives and the cooking begins. Each section will have their part to play. Communication and teamwork are paramount to our success. There are no stars in the team, they are for the restaurant only, the customer is the most important person here. As the service speeds up the brigade of chefs move as a well drilled operation, they must cook with energy flare, passion, instinct and military precision. All this is performed at 100mph, the pressure is high. In a three star kitchen mistakes cannot be tolerated. There is no loud clanging of pots and pans just the communication between the sections to enable all the elements to arrive at the pass at the same time to make every plate as close to perfection as possible.

As the last plates are sent and the kitchen cleaned, we begin to do it all over again for dinner!!

Chef's Diary will be updated on a regular basis by the Restaurant Gordon Ramsay Head Chef Clare Smyth.

To return to the most recent entry please click here.

To view the March 2010 Chef's diary entry please click here.

To view the November 2009 Chef's diary entry please click here.

To view the October 2009 Chef's diary entry please click here.

To view the August 2009 Chef's diary entry please click here.

To view the July 2009 Chef's diary entry please click here.