Recently awarded a third Michelin star for his Chelsea restaurant Gordon Ramsay, his cooking is said to be the best in London. Ramsay is now approaching the very pinnacle of gastronomic achievement, and continue to wow celebrities and peasants alike with his extraordinary cooking. Some New York diners have been known to fly over specially for a meal at his restaurant on the former La Tante Claire site.
My Village interviews Gordon Ramsay 09/01

No rest for the wicked 22/10/01
Man about town and Battersea dweller Gordon Ramsay has been a busy man - today is the first day of service at his new Mayfair restaurant in Claridges Hotel.

After a huge celebrity party last Thursday night involving plenty of oysters, champagne and of course, celebrities such as Raymond Blanc, Michael Winner, Jade Jagger, Ben Elliot and Lord and Lady Frost, Ramsay will be putting his head down to try and get this gastronomic extravaganza running as smoothly as possible.

After the recent release of his new cookbook, Ramsay’s got a lot to live up to - he’s the only three starred Michelin chef in London. Absent from the party - not surprisingly was the man Ramsay loves to hate - Marco Pierre White.

Read more about the new restaurant

Gordon Ramsay Tops ’Best Food’ Chart in Zagat - 30/08/01
Gordon Ramsay’s eponomously titled Chelsea restaurant has come first in the ’Best Food’ category of the latest edition of Zagat’s restaurant guide, and third in the ’Most Popular’ category.

Tim Zagat, founder of the survey which covers restaurants in 70 cities worldwide, said that London was one of the top two, three or four cities - "it is hard to say which" - for restaurants in the world.

"I think it has great diversity in restaurants. Diversity makes London stand out from other cities," he said. "In many ways I think it is more interesting than Paris."

However, it was not all good news. London is apparently second only to Tokyo for the cost of eating out among the world’s big cities, with the average meal bill stacking up to a stomach-churning ?30.85 compared with the average in Paris of ?28.01, and in the US of only ?18.95.

But patrons in London do manage to recoup some of their money by being particularly tight when it comes to leaving a tip, with the average payout being just 12% of the total bill, compared with 17.9% in Los Angeles and 18.3% in New York.

The paucity of the tips might have something to do with the level of service, which according to two-thirds of the surveyors was by far the most irritating part of dining out.

"It is the single most serious problem both in London and in the US," Mr Zagat said. "There is a difference between service and hospitality. Service is doing all the things right, and hospitality is making somebody feel you are glad to see them."

Not so Gay Gordon - 09/07/01
This is not a comment on Chelsea based chef Gordon Ramsay’s sexuality ... but a cheap comment on his unbelievable grumpiness, which will be all over the papers again when a new BBC programme gets aired on Tuesday 24 July.