The Ramsay vs Wareing soap opera took another twist today when Petrus was revealed to have overtaken Restaurant Gordon Ramsay once again as the best top-end London restaurant in the latest edition of Harden’s London Restaurant Guide.
Up until last year Restaurant Gordon Ramsay had no serious contender for the prestigious title of best top-end restaurant in London since the turn of the millennium. But despite scoring favourably in overall Food and Service ratings, RGR lost out to rival Petrus.
Ramsay handed the kitchen reigns of Petrus over to Marcus Wareing five years ago, his longtime friend and protTgT who then guided The Berkeley restaurant toward two Michelin stars. But the pair infamously fell into a bitter dispute after The Berkeley recently opted into an exclusive contract with Wareing. In an interview with Waitrose magazine earlier this month, Wareing launched a scathing attack on his former mentor, and was quoted as saying, “If I never speak to that guy again in my life it wouldn’t bother me one bit. Wouldn’t give a ****."
Ramsay, and in particular RGR have for eight years been hailed as providing the very best in food and service for London, but now it would seem Wareing’s Petrus has, for the first time ever, overtaken RGR as the best restaurant for food and service whilst retaining the Best Overall title. It was also rated as second best for ambience, a placement RGR has never achieved having only ever reached third best before.
Hardens co-editor, Peter Harden, said: “Marcus Wareing is emerging from Ramsay’s ‘shadow’ as the proprietor of what is now clearly the best restaurant in London, and he and his team should be congratulated. Marcus would now appear to be well on the way to his stated intention of equalling the three Michelin star rating Ramsay currently holds at RGR.
“In the end, though, it is hardly surprising than an impassioned individual concentrating on one establishment – such as Marcus Wareing – has overtaken the flagship of an ever more celebrity-driven empire where the ‘name’ chef is rarely present.”
The survey of London restaurants by Hardens has also reported a poor overall performance from the Ramsay empire, in particular from the three most recent openings – The Warrington, Devonshire House, and Foxtrot Oscar, being named too often in the ‘most disappointing meal of the year’ category.
The news comes just as Wareing and Ramsay announce a reconciliation of their differences, just weeks before Gordon Ramsay Holdings leaves its contract with The Berkeley, taking the Petrus brand with it. The hole left by Petrus at the Knightsbridge hotel will then be filled by Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley.