150 Piccadilly,
London W1J 9BR

Telephone: 020 7300 2243
Website: www.theritzlondon.com

The Ritz is a London landmark and a London icon. It’s a place that lifts the spirits: it’s impossible to walk into that gilded interior, an architectural expression of the frivolity of the High Edwardian age, and feel gloomy or stressed: it is the antithesis of the pressure and strain of London life. A drink in the Rivoli bar will soothe you, tea in the Palm Court can turn a bad day into a brilliant one, and dinner in the restaurant has been the beginning (or the continuation) of many a love affair.

Partly it’s the décor: all that pink marble, those chandeliers, those gilt-bronze garlands are an expression of the idea that life is one long party. Partly it’s the history: coming to The Ritz puts one in the same bracket as King Alfonso of Spain, Queen Amelie of Portugal, Pavlova (the ballerina, not the dessert named after her), the Aga Khan, Churchill and De Gaulle. In 1921 Charlie Chaplin needed 40 policemen to get him past his fans into the hotel; in the 1950s Tallulah Bankhead sipped Champagne from her slipper at a press conference: good for the press coverage, no doubt, but less good for the Champagne - or the slipper.

The restaurant serves modern haute cuisine. It was also the first hotel in London to offer certified organic meals: it has been registered by the Soil Association. Service here is of the grandest, and you’re asked to dress appropriately: jacket and tie for gentlemen, in other words, and no jeans or trainers, however organic. Executive Chef John Williams has certain signature dishes: check out Butter-Poached Native Lobster with Cardomom and Coriander, and Eggs Fabergé. Neither is listed on the menu, but order either (or both) in advance and John will prepare them for you. Eggs Fabergé, in case you were wondering, consists of mousseline of lobster cooked in an eggshell, with a mosaic of truffled macaroni, and a soft, fondant-like, poached quail’s egg set in the centre.

Rioja at The Ritz
Matching Rioja with the subtle flavour of Ritz cuisine is easy. Sommelier Bruno Murciano recommends Roda II Reserve 2001, a modern, vigourous wine, with the sirloin of organic beef served on Sundays, and on other days he would put Fillet of Beef with Braised Ox Tongue, Caper Velouté and Red Wine Reduction with Contino Reserva 2000; again, a stylish, concentrated wine that will handle those rich flavours.

With Châteaubriand Henri IV he recommends Imperial Gran Reserva 1976 from CVNE – each sets off the other perfectly. With a more complicated dish, Lamb Filled with Braised Neck and Garlic Cream, Chorizo and Artichokes, Sweet Pepper Jus – there are definite Spanish notes in that – he suggests Faustino de Autor 1998, a wine with the complexity to deal with those varied flavours. And with Salad of Quail with Celeriac and Parma Ham Carpaccio, Walnut Dressing, he proposes a younger, fruity wine, Viña Real Crianza 2003.