Former head chef Marcus Wareing may have long since departed and it has left its original home at the Berkeley Hotel, but Petrus lives on under the guidance of Gordon Ramsay Holdings. Despite there being a huge weight expectation to live up to, one of the new breed of chefs working for the group, Shaun Burbidge, is cooking up a storm in the basement of this super-posh Knightsbridge restaurant.

The Venue
Three former Ramsay chefs - Wareing, Atherton and Sargeant - have all opened (or are about to open) their own ventures this year but there’s plenty of talent occupying the pass at the group’s flagship sites. Shaun Burbidge is definitely one to watch and, after paying his dues at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea and Gordon Ramsay au Trianon in Versailles, he’s been given the head honcho role at Petrus.

The dining room revolves around a temperature-controlled cylindrical glass wine vault. Naturally, there’s a Petrus section and the 1967 vintage, for example, will set you back a cool 12 grand. Before you start sweating, house wine starts from about the £20 a bottle mark. The rest of the room is made up of thick cream carpets, starchy white table cloths, back-lit pillars and a statement wall composed of a deep blood red colour. This is the closest thing to art in the room, a bit of a shame as some nice pieces of art would provide some extra character to the space.

The Atmosphere
There are generally two types of people at Petrus: those who can afford to eat here and do so without worrying about the bill, and those who are celebrating a special occasion. Most diners will fall into the latter bracket and you will be treated to exactingly high service and food in return for your hard earned. The other group, including the likes of Bill Gates when he’s in town apparently, sit and wine and dine until their heart’s content (or maybe until they’re expense account permits). One thing you can be sure of: you won’t ever feel neglected as staff are incredibly well-drilled and attend to every last whim.

The Food
There are two ways to go at Petrus: order the chef’s tasting menu at £70 for five courses or order three courses for £60. Given this is a restaurant committed to creating an unforgettable experience, you’ll get other plates in between whichever way you go. An amuse bouche of pureed watercress layered over a potato salad starts things off on a good track, before starters like the boneless chicken wing and roasted langoustine with buttery leeks takes things up a notch. Mains, including a 2-way beef dish comprising of braised shin and fillet, is groan-inducing and the sauce made from the king of wines, the Barolo from Piedmont, is the perfect foil.

In between desserts you may be treated to a mini-cone containing passion fruit ice cream and, for an extra bit of fun, popping candy at the end. This theatre continues with the space-ship-shaped chocolate dessert that dissolves in front of you once the hot chocolate sauce is drizzled on top, leaving a gloriously gooey mess of hot chocolate and chewy honeycomb. The cheese selection (an additional £12 per person) is also of the very best provenance should you be able to squeeze it in.

The Drink
With bottles dating back to the 19th century in Petrus’s glass wine temple, you are in the company of some of the world’s finest producers. Most people present seem happy to start with flutes of the house champagne, the Ayala Brut (£12.75), before ordering a bottle of wine recommended by the sommelier. For a really memorable way of navigating your way around the menu, you can allow the sommelier to match wines to each course. Highlights include: the minerally Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi from Italy; a juicy, ripe Warwick Estate Trilogy from South Africa; and a sticky and sweet Maury Mas Mudigliza dessert wine from France. Wine by the glass starts from £5.75.

The Last Word
Its prices may put it in the special occasion bracket for most people, but this still relatively new incarnation of Petrus, with talented head chef Sean Burbidge at the pass, is very much serving up food that does justice to the name.

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