Gordon Ramsay Restaurant No Longer among World’s best!

After recently reading an article I came across on yumsugar.com, I must admit wasn’t hugely surprised to see that Gordon Ramsey’s flagship restaurant is no longer in the “World’s Best restaurants” top 50 list. As it has a reputation built on someone who is frequently in the public eye and not so much on the quality of its gourmet. So that the average person can say “I’ve dined at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant”. A man who is, perhaps as famous for his swearing (one word in particular!), as he is for culinary expertise. Despite the skills and expertise of Ramsay and his team, the panel responsible for producing this list, made up of chefs, restaurateurs & food critics have obviously taken this into account when considering where on the list Restaurant Gordon Ramsey should be placed.
However for any restaurant to fall from 13^th to off the list altogether, says a lot about how competitive places on the list really are, and how high the standard/ quality of restaurant gourmet is throughout the world. While I recognize the fact that Gordon Ramsay is superb at what he does, and that his TV programmes are enjoyed by many, I feel that it is precisely this, which has inhibited his flagship restaurant making this year’s list.

Top 10 List 2009

A good meal: Battered Sea Bass with Chardonnay

I am a food & drink enthusiast, who enjoys nothing more than a good meal with a small drop of wine. There is nothing better than a Sunday Roast with a deep, juicy red or a Thai noodle salad with a dry white. As you are already aware, the wine accompanying a meal can make all the difference to the enjoyment of that meal. For example, you wouldn’t drink a Rosé with a Curry or a Riesling with a strong cheese. Hence, when enjoying a good meal with a drink it is all about the wine!!

One of my favorite meals is a battered Sea bass with salad and roast potatoes accompanied by a chilled glass of medium-dry Chardonnay. The recipe is listed below for anybody who would like to share the experience!

Ingredients

Sea Bass Fillet
300ml/½ pint vegetable oil, for deep-frying
3 tbsp self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
50ml/2fl oz cold sparkling water
3 ice cubes
250g/5½oz King Edward potatoes, halved
salt and freshly ground black pepper
lemon wedges, to serve with

A bag of premixed salad

3-4 Cherry tomatoes (optional)

Method
For the roast potatoes, you will firstly need to peel the potatoes, cut to a reasonable size. Then brush each one individually with oil before placing on a backing tray and cooking in the oven for around 40 mins (or longer if needed).

To cook the bass, you will firstly need to heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan. Secondly mix the flour with a teaspoon of baking soda before adding water to create the batter mix. Add the 2-3 cubes of ice and give the batter a stir. Dip the bass fillet into the batter mix ensuring that both sides of the fillet are dipped in batter.

If you are unsure how to batter a fish just watch this video (beer-battered method):

After ensuring that the oil is hot enough transfer the fillet into the saucepan and fry for 4 mins or so, then remove and place on kitchen towel to remove any excess vegetable oil. After a minute you can place on a plate together with the salad, cherry tomatoes and roast potatoes. Sprinkle with black pepper and serve with a slice of lemon on top of the fish.

Enjoy with a nice glass of Chardonnay!!

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