end of my review... thanks to all for your patience!

With regards to wines, I can only but congratulate the sommelier for his selection. I believe that all the wines on the list have this little something that makes then so special and worth trying. However, my friend didn’t want to drink much and decided that a bottle would be too much! How boring… But my deception did not last long. The sommelier (very charming by the way) brought to my attention a very well thought selection of half bottles and I happily settle for a Pouligny Montrachet, Domain Chavy, 2004 at the fantastic price of £35.

Well, dear Jane, I can assure you that your sad review hasn’t changed my views on Alain Ducasse’s new restaurant, and I can only hope that those who will read me will follow my lead and enjoy the experience! If Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester isn’t yet the best restaurant in town, only one week after its opening, it certainly has the potential to become it! Most likely quicker that some seem to think…

Enough time spent on Mrs Moir’s account! My own experience of Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester was simply enchanting. Me and a friend have been welcomed in the restaurant by an overwhelming series if smiles and gentle attentions. The staff, for sure, knows how to make you feel special! We were seated on a nice round table next to what they so beautifully call the “Table Lumiere”. The name only made me dream, and that was even before they slowly lowered the lighting in the main room so that we could all better appreciate the fairy lightings of the bespoke table.

While we were deeply focused on the menu, trying to decide what would be our perfect menu, we were served a selection of fresh and crispy vegetables together with cream cheese and tapenade dips and a delicious lightly salted butter. I personally very much liked the idea of these light appetizers: just enough to set your gustative expectations without giving you that disagreeable and yet so familiar feeling of being stuffed before the starters. (Be the bigger appetites reassured; this also comes with a great selection of small breads…)

My pumpkin ravioli and their parmesan emulsion were marvellous; they melted in my mouth and were so tasty that I rediscovered what pumpkin is all about! As mentioned earlier, I also very much liked my main course, the halibut. The vegetables (spinach and artichokes) were perfectly cooked and the nut butter sauce with shallots and garlic nicely awakened the subtle taste of the halibut.

My friend’s langoustines were apparently also very good, and I believe that the way the plate was dressed also deserves a special mention: small cuts of colourful vegetables minutiously planted in the green avocado condiment made it look like a miniature edible flower garden!

Desserts were especially good. Rum Baba for my friend and a composition of three apple desserts for me…

... this would only happen with frozen bread! As I said, sounds quite ironic coming from a food critic…

Then, as I have only been to this restaurant once, I can only comment on “my” table (I am surprised that Mrs Moir can comment on at least three tables!). My table was very nicely located and had a wonderful view on the “shimmering fibre optic curtains” surrounding the restaurant’s centrepiece table. Now, I can only smile when reading comments on the “panorama of staff bottoms”; to be honest, given how good-looking the staff is, I would not mind such panorama, however dirty the glasses! ;-)

With regards to the halibut (I ordered it myself), let’s not waste time and ink on this, I adored it and recommend it.
Finally, Jane Choir’s point on having witnessed Alain Ducasse enjoying a nice meal with his wife in the restaurant instead of making sure that the quality of the food in her plate matched her allegedly high gustative standards is once more ironic for a connoisseur and somewhat very doubtful. Unless I am mistaken, the Chef at “Alain Ducasse at Dorchester” is named Jocelyn Herland…. Do I need to make my point clearer?

I am now getting tired of addressing Jane Moir’s mostly childish and inexperienced comments. She goes on and on about the restaurant to conclude that she had a pretty average dining experience. I must say that I am quite impressed by her writing skills (or should I say bullshitting skills?). Criticising a restaurant she didn’t like over more than 1,000 words sounds a pretty suspicious way of spending one’s time!

I dined here last night, Thursday 22nd November.
Staff: juvenile and inept. Took things away when we weren't finished, forgot it was my wife's birthday though they'd promised to do something, left the bill open for further tip though 12.5% had been added. It was like dealing with Foxtons.
Food: fabulous poached Landes chicken was dry - how did they manage that? Sole was overcooked. Squid bon-bons were referred to as being the size of two small child's thumbs in another review on the net by Jan Moir but I got three the size of golfballs and they were unspectacular dim sum. This kitchen is actually reading the internet and reacting to it, how weak is that? The bread was ordinary and cold. At one point they served some chocolates on a giant slab of chocolate which wasn't in itself to be eaten, and this was before pudding - I was confused too. If you've eaten in many restaurants like this as I have then you'd just about give it one star. £367 for two. Mugged again.

Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester? I was there… last Saturday… and I am still charmed! I spent the most wonderful evening there. I liked it so much that once back home, I started surfing on the web wondering about other Londoner’s views and the upcoming success of this newly opened fine dining experience.
And guess what I found? The most outrageous review ever written! I am very cognisant of the belief that one shouldn’t argue about tastes and colours, yet… Reading the review by Jane Moir made me jump in shock, and the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that there are only two possible explanations for her hateful flow of critics:
1. We haven’t been to the same restaurant (but I cannot believe it. This Jane Moir seems to be literate enough to read the name of the restaurant she is eating in)
2. She has neither common sense nor any taste education and is displaying a total lack of journalistic objectivity (much more likely, isn’t it?) Anyhow! I do not really care about Mrs Moir’s underlying motivations, but I believe truth must be told.

The first criticism is not relevant and doesn’t deserve any attention. As far as I am concerned, the price for a bottle of water doesn’t matter when I am about to enjoy a three meal course at one of Alain Ducasse’s restaurants. Readers should simply remember that anecdotic introductions such as this are meant to catch their intentions but are only very rarely of relevance…

The second point is much more important and somewhat ironic. Apparently, the fact that the bread isn’t served hot disappointed Mrs Moir. Well, last time I had hot bread served in a restaurant, I was in a Pizza Express having one of the savoury breads! Not quite the same type of cuisine, isn’t it? Unless it is breakfast time and you have just walked out of your beloved bakery, you are never going to find homemade bread hot from the oven in the middle of the day… this would only happen with frozen bread!

I had a much different experience to "anonymous". To me the kitchen served up food at below one star Michelin level, yet at 3 star prices (with the honourable exception of desserts, which were top notch). The wine prices, in particular, are crushingly expensive, and at this level of cost I would have hoped for a level of cooking higher than I experienced.

This is the best restaurant around. The food was superb to eat and looked amazing. The service was excellent, discreet, lots of smiles from staff and helpful. Gordon Ramsey and Le Manoir take note; Alain Ducasse is going to be the most wanted table in London / UK. Having experienced some good restaurants, this is by far the best in many ways. We found no faults. The wine list is magnificent. The Venison was superb as was the seared fois gras. The interior is romantic, chic and neutral. The lights are fantastic and the music calming. Order an after dinner herbal tea and you get a selection of fresh herbs on a trolley to choose from before they make it for you at the table from a producer in France who has exclusivity to Alain Ducasse! The Rum Baba is fantastic as well! For those celeb hunters you can rub shoulders with Royalty, film and pop stars here!! We would recommend and return without a doubt. Price for two for dinner, wine and service £260, but well worth it for the experience. The best restaurant to date, fact.
Giles and Nancy.