Unlike how I like my Beef Wellington, this was well-done
Can Gordon Ramsay do it on a cold December night? Will his Beef Wellington stand up against the expectations?
If you’re a Gordon Ramsay fan like myself, you would’ve seen his scrambled eggs tutorial countless times, or watched compilations of Hell’s Kitchen on YouTube. So naturally when the opportunity to dine at a Gordon Ramsay restaurant presented itself, I didn’t hesitate at all. Now I’ve had the chance to visit Heddon Street Kitchen in London twice, the first time was in December of 2022 when my partner and I stayed in London overnight for an event and the second time was in the summer of 2023 with some old friends. So for this post I will mainly focus on the first visit.
It was a spontaneous decision as we were looking for somewhere to have dinner after an event. If you’ve been to London during the holidays, you’ll know that it’s often PACKED, and everywhere will have a line. In a desperate attempt, we found Heddon Street Kitchen and decided to take a shot at making a last minute reservation, and it worked.
Our initial impressions of the restaurant were excitement and awe. We were finally able to have a meal at a Gordon Ramsay restaurant. While we’ve had Gordon Ramsay Plane Food at Heathrow Terminal 5 a couple times, this was the first time we’ve ever been to a sit-down restaurant where it wasn’t in an airport. Naturally, my head was swiveling around in awe of the restaurant’s cozy and intimate atmosphere. If the décor had a theme, it would be a New York City loft inspired décor (at least that’s how their website describes it).
After sitting down, we were served some water and given the menu. As expected, Gordon’s famous Beef Wellington is on it, along with some classics such as Fish and Chips, a burger, and Butter Chicken Curry. As it was our first time, we opted for the Caesar Salad with grilled chicken as a starter and the Beef Wellington (ordered medium rare), because why not? We also ordered a couple of mocktails, the Berry Boost and the Lemon Swizzle. The waiter informed us that it would take at least 45 minutes for the Wellington to which we were fine with.
After maybe about 10–15 minutes of waiting, the salad was served. Like I said, we’ve had Gordon Ramsay Plane Food a couple times during our travels out of Heathrow, so we’ve had the Caesar Salad before. But for some reason, I was thinking to myself “this is going to be different, it’s in a restaurant!”, It was the same but in a good way. The lettuce was crunchy and mild, and the sauce was so good I found myself wanting to get lettuce just to scoop up the sauce. The pancetta (not bacon) was crispy and slightly salty but it complemented the lettuce well. The soft boiled egg was done to perfection, as cutting into it revealed a runny egg yolk. A lot of places that serve Caesar Salad end up serving a dry chicken, or over cooked chicken. However, Heddon Street Kitchen does it incredibly well. The chicken is juicy and soft with grill marks on the surface and a mild char flavor that isn’t too overwhelming. We ended up finishing the salad so quickly, we were kind of embarrassed and left wanting more. But after another 30 minutes came the star of the night, the Beef Wellington.
Let’s talk presentation. Served on a stone board, it practically took up about 70% of the entire table, I’m not kidding. It was sliced with 4 portions, and the ends cut off on the sides. Served alongside were some mashed potatoes and a red wine jus (like a thin gravy sauce). But it doesn’t stop there. Apparently as we sat down at our table, we didn’t notice that there was a lamp above us pointed directly at the center of the table. So when the staff served us our Beef Wellington, it legitimately looked like it had came from the heavens. Because it was so well lit, that everything else on the table seemed like it was in the background. The beef was cooked medium rare as expected, and wrapped with the mushroom blanket that we always see Gordon do in his videos. It was done with such precision, that the layers are practically the same in terms of thickness.
But visuals aren’t everything, so how does it taste? Well, it definitely tastes how I expected it to be. The beef was tender and juicy, and the pastry was equally amazing. The mushroom layer had an earthy aroma and taste, perhaps a bit too strong for our liking. Although the corner pieces of the wellington were mainly just pastry with hints of beef and mushroom, they were still delicious. I sincerely hope that when they cut the sides off the Beef Wellington on Hell’s Kitchen, they actually keep it for snacking. The red wine jus definitely enhances the taste of the beef and pairs extremely well. It made the beef taste much meatier (if that’s possible), but I would pour sparingly as it may make the pastry a bit soggy. The mashed potatoes are creamy and buttery, something one would expect out of a Gordon Ramsay restaurant. The portion size is also deceptively large, as we weren’t able to finish it. In fact, we were struggling to finish the entire thing. We did notice that some tables had trouble with it too, and asked for the remaining to be packed to-go. However, we thought it was a disservice to the food, and also we probably wouldn’t be able to recreate the amazing taste through a microwave.
Despite the signs of a food coma, we managed to finish it after some time. As the staff cleared our table, they asked if we’d like some dessert. To be honest, I wasn’t feeling it but after looking at the menu, I opted for the classic Sticky Toffee Pudding. My initial impression was similar to the Beef Wellington, the portion size was a bit smaller than expected. But I learned my lesson, so we took our spoons and dug in. Perfectly sweet and warm, with a touch of saltiness. The ice cream melting gently on the pudding and caramel below. This time, the portion was definitely not enough. I swear, I could’ve had 2 more of this and still wouldn’t be satisfied.
The total cost of the dinner was £169.48, or about S$285. As usual, the big questions are; is it worth it and would I go again?
For fans of Gordon Ramsay, or foodies like myself, I think it’s worth a venture. It should be noted that Heddon Street Kitchen have branches around London and around the world, like the one at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. As someone who’s watched a lot of Gordon Ramsay videos in the past, I always wondered how his food actually tastes. In fact, when I first visited the UK back in 2008 as a child, I wanted to dine at his restaurant in Royal Hospital Road, London. So to be able to dine at one of his restaurants was certainly a dream come true. The price of £169 is expensive, but you can always opt out of the Beef Wellington experience and instead try some of his other dishes. As I mentioned before, I have visited the restaurant again in 2023 so I guess that answers that question, but more on that in another post.
Overall, I’d rate this experience a 7.5/10. The Beef Wellington was exquisite that night, and the atmosphere in the restaurant definitely makes the holidays in London feel more special.
Level 33, out from the hustle and bustle of Singapore
Above the bustling city of Singapore sits LeVeL 33 and it’s urban brewery. The atmosphere is reflective of it’s unique restaurant/brewery style; bright and exciting with a beautiful backdrop of the Marina Bay Sands towers.
I will admit, this restaurant was not on a list or on an Instagram reel that I watched. It was recommended to me by my partner when they visited Singapore as an alternative, because we couldn’t find another restaurant with a classy interior and a gorgeous backdrop while maintaining the integrity of our wallets. However, it was an amazing find so I thank them for it.
LeVeL 33 is described as the world’s highest urban microbrewery with a unique rooftop dining experience. They offer a unique selection of beers that are locally brewed with sustainability in mind, serving straight from tank to tap with no packaging whatsoever. The first thing to note when heading into LeVeL 33 is the location. Although it’s located near Raffles Place and downtown, it is situated up on level 33 of the Marina Bay Financial Center where it overlooks the Marina Bay Sands towers and the Singapore River. If you squint a bit, you can even see the Gardens by the Bay at night when the Super Trees are lit up.
High above the noise of a thriving metropolis sits LeVeL 33, where fine dining meets the beautiful backdrop of the Marina Bay Sands towers
For our dinner reservation at LeVeL 33, we were sat indoors due to the lack of seating out on the terrace, but that didn’t stop us from leaving our seats to admire the beautiful evening view, more on that later. We were shown the dining room menu with some delectable choices on offer, for example the Beef Tartare, and their signature raw and chilled seafood platter. In the end, we were convinced by our server to try out the Sharing Cut of the Day, consisting of a steak cut, slow roasted tomato, IPA & honey roasted garlic, 3 house made sauces and our choice of 2 sides. Along with our sharing cut was a side of their Housemade Spent Grain & Herb Focaccia and a lobster bisque for myself.
Doesn’t that sound delicious? Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.
Let’s start with the basics. The bread. Personally, I’m of the opinion that bread is there as an accompaniment. By itself, they can be delicious provided they are made with great care and love. This was indeed the case with LeVeL 33’s Focaccia bread. It was fluffy and warm, when drizzled with the balsamic and evoo pairing they serve as a great appetizer and lead you perfectly into wanting more. Which incidentally, leads me to the lobster bisque.
The presentation of the lobster bisque was already different from what I had imagined. I would’ve expected the bisque to be in the bowl when served, but LeVeL 33 was no ordinary fine dining restaurant. Our server slowly poured the bisque around a portion of poached lobster with it’s caviar and fennel partner in the center of the bowl. My immediate thought to myself was, I’m not sure if I should gracefully taste this bisque, or devour it immediately. I opted for somewhere in the middle. The bisque was flavorful, like an ocean breeze in the summer. With every spoonful, I could taste the lobster umami in the bisque. No, I didn’t forget the poached lobster, that was equally delicious, although my only gripe with it was that it wasn’t hot, but I think that was intended. The contrast in temperature between the bisque and poached lobster provided a very interesting dynamic, allowing you taste the texture of both. The bisque also went very well with the focaccia bread, although the bread did turn cold pretty quickly.
On to the highlight of dinner, well, it is indeed a showstopper.
The Sharing Cut. Oh my, if only technology was so advanced that you could have a quick taste of the food. Today’s particular cut was a tomahawk,, matched with roasted tomatoes, and honey roasted garlic. Cooked to medium rare perfection, they were tender and delicious. You may think the portion may be a bit small for 2 adults, but with the mashed potatoes and fries with parmesan cheese they were more than enough to fill our hungry stomachs. The 3 sauces included were Chimichurri, Red wine & Stout jus and an IPA onion & roasted yeast. Each of the sauces paired delightfully with the steak and, while unconventional, the fries as well. The chimichurri sauce was minty, giving the steak a different taste, while the red wine and stout jus was as you’d expect with red wine and steak; traditional and well paired. I can’t describe the final sauce as I’m not 100% sure if I actually enjoyed it.
There’s nothing more I can say about the food apart from the fact that I will definitely return to try out the rest of the menu. Given LeVeL 33 is high above the city, the ambiance and serenity is not something you experience every day. The views were outstanding, the only unfortunate part about our experience was not being able to sit on the terrace to fully soak in the views of Marina Bay Sands. On a different day, I would definitely request a table outside and at sunset. Similarly, the service was great. Our server was very warm and welcoming when we arrived, and slowly explained the day’s specials and recommended us our incredible dinner. As dinner service got busy, they still came around to check on us to make sure everything was okay.
The dining room however, is not big and you may find your conversations being overheard by others unless you decide to speak softly. Toward the end of the night, a large group of diners were seated behind our table. I found that the space between tables were minimal and as the dining room got busier, it would get harder to have conversations without raising your voice. I also don’t remember the outdoor terrace having any coverings in case it started to rain, so do beware if you happen to sit outside on a day forecasted with rain.
Overall, I would definitely rate this dining experience a high 8/10. Definitely would go back and try their seafood and beers next time.
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