Lady Ramsay
Blog: A Lady in London - 7 November 2009
Every Tuesday night since I moved to London I've had a dinner date. It's okay, you can tell my boyfriend. He knows about it. In fact, he goes with me.
One of my friends from San Francisco who moved to London just before I did arranges a Tuesday dinner at a different restaurant each week. Every Tuesday any number of people attends, and I have gotten to know some of them very well over the last 50-odd weeks.
Last night was not just any Tuesday dinner night. It was the one-year anniversary of the beginning of what we now call TGIT. It called for celebration.
In honor of the momentous occasion, my friend booked us a table for eight at Gordon Ramsay on Hospital Road. With three Michelin stars to its name, the restaurant is considered to be London's best fine dining establishment. Nothing's too good for this dinner crew.
Dinner started off on a good note. For the first time in 52 weeks, not only were we all at the restaurant on time, but we were all early. Our server was French almost to a fault, and promptly got us started with some great Riesling to compliment the amuse-bouches, a cone of lobster and guacamole and a tiny pesto potato chip sandwich.
As the server kept the food and wine coming, we kept the conversation going. Riesling ceded to Sauvignon Blanc as broccoli soup with scallops was followed by a concoction of pig's feet and pork knuckle. Our discussion went from nostalgia about our first weeks of TGIT to talk of future fine dining excursions.
Our next course was fish, which was unfortunately our least favorite. The fish was fishy and the tomato-basil sauce a bit bland. Then the server dropped a plate full of silverware down the back of my chair. But the course was redeemed by the one that followed it: an amazing dish of duck breast. Tender and flavorful, it was excellently paired with the first red wine of the evening.
Conversation at this point started to flow into more pressing topics, such as how we were going to celebrate Halloween and where we were all going to spend our holidays. As the servers brought first cheese plates then passion fruit palate cleansers, we discussed first Halloween parties then trips to Tunisia and Namibia.
The final course, a perfect tarte tatin with vanilla ice cream, rounded out the evening. Served with a great dessert wine, it lulled us safely into food coma mode. We wafted out of the dining room and into our taxis at midnight, satisfied that it had been the best Tuesday dinner of the year.
One of my friends from San Francisco who moved to London just before I did arranges a Tuesday dinner at a different restaurant each week. Every Tuesday any number of people attends, and I have gotten to know some of them very well over the last 50-odd weeks.
Last night was not just any Tuesday dinner night. It was the one-year anniversary of the beginning of what we now call TGIT. It called for celebration.
In honor of the momentous occasion, my friend booked us a table for eight at Gordon Ramsay on Hospital Road. With three Michelin stars to its name, the restaurant is considered to be London's best fine dining establishment. Nothing's too good for this dinner crew.
Dinner started off on a good note. For the first time in 52 weeks, not only were we all at the restaurant on time, but we were all early. Our server was French almost to a fault, and promptly got us started with some great Riesling to compliment the amuse-bouches, a cone of lobster and guacamole and a tiny pesto potato chip sandwich.
As the server kept the food and wine coming, we kept the conversation going. Riesling ceded to Sauvignon Blanc as broccoli soup with scallops was followed by a concoction of pig's feet and pork knuckle. Our discussion went from nostalgia about our first weeks of TGIT to talk of future fine dining excursions.
Our next course was fish, which was unfortunately our least favorite. The fish was fishy and the tomato-basil sauce a bit bland. Then the server dropped a plate full of silverware down the back of my chair. But the course was redeemed by the one that followed it: an amazing dish of duck breast. Tender and flavorful, it was excellently paired with the first red wine of the evening.
Conversation at this point started to flow into more pressing topics, such as how we were going to celebrate Halloween and where we were all going to spend our holidays. As the servers brought first cheese plates then passion fruit palate cleansers, we discussed first Halloween parties then trips to Tunisia and Namibia.
The final course, a perfect tarte tatin with vanilla ice cream, rounded out the evening. Served with a great dessert wine, it lulled us safely into food coma mode. We wafted out of the dining room and into our taxis at midnight, satisfied that it had been the best Tuesday dinner of the year.
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