Maze

Maze

17 Apr 08, 17:29 As expected

In this restaurant I found exquisite food, quite and informal atmosphere and good tapas!! There's a wide set of food infact i didn't know what to choose at first, than I decided for salad with bacon (very good!). Staff is nice and freindly so I felt really comfortable. The restaurant has a minimal design while a bad thing is that the tables are too closed.

Great!

15 Apr 08, 17:11 As expected

Whilst not the easiest place to find, this sparklingly modernrestaurant is well worth the hunt. Having discovered the entrance, you walk into a very colourful, art deco style eatery with a street-side balcony, perfect for watching the world go by, one of the latest additions to Londons increasingly popular dining areas. The decor is anything but Indonesian, but the food is very traditional and truly memorable. Their main dishes Quick service, amazing food and plentyful portions. If I had to say anything less than flattering about this place it would have to be that it is quite noisey inside, but then again that all adds to the ambience!

Disappointing New Year Dinner

27 Feb 08, 14:59 Well below expectations

Gordon, I really like you, but sorry, Maze is just well below my expectations....

Did I have an extremely high expectation or am I just a cheap-date?? I didnt like any dishes on the tasting menu apart from the halibut, which was just ok....

To summarize: 1. The artichoke velouté - Not to my taste, but the brioche was very very nice 2. Marinated beetroot & Sairass cheese - Fowl 3. Honey and soy roasted quail with Landes foie gras - Quail was a bit hard and salty... why?!?! 4. Baked halibut with Serrano ham - not bad, not wow. 5. Braised pork belly and cheek - why couldnt I taste the pork?? 6/7. Dessert were average...

However the complementary turkish delight was the best edible thing served that night!

Maze has a Michelin Star and so dont blame me for expecting some exceptional food. (no doubt the service at maze was excellent, but I am more into the food afterall)

In a way I was quite glad that we went for the tasting menu as the portions were very small, it made me feel less bad... in terms of the amount of food that was wasted.

Dinner at Maze was an unusual and memorable experience and I will certainly go somewhere else next time.

I will still try the other Gordon Ramsay Restaurants tho, just not Maze.

Chef's Table is Incredible

27 Nov 07, 18:44 Above expectations

This was my first time at a Gordon Ramsay restaurant and my high expectations were more than met.

We were lucky enough to have the Chef's table which is separate from the main restaurant by sliding doors. It's an incredible experience as you look directly onto the kitchen which is great for watching the food preparation but scary when the Gordon Ramsay style shouting starts. We were fed a delicious 8 different courses with each one being introduced and explained by the chef behind it. I'm not sure all of them enjoyed this experience but they did great job all the same.

The food itself was incredible and the variety of dishes ranging from mouth watering escalopes to peanut butter flavoured deserts. As part of the Chef's Table experience we were able to go into the kitchen where we met the head Chef Jason Atherton. One of our group even had a go at cooking. They are very keen to get you involved despite the fact it must be excruciating to have a bunch of people getting in the way in such a busy environment.

I would definitely recommend the Chef's table if you want to impress work colleagues or for a special occasion. Apart from the delicious tapas it's a truly unique experience.

Superb "tapas" food

20 Oct 07, 17:03 Above expectations

Jason Atherton is perhaps the most gifted of Gordon Ramsay's proteges (along with Marcus Wareing) and here he is in his element, producing taster-sized portions so you can try a fair selection of his cooking.

Give it up to Gordon (well, Jason, really)

21 Jun 07, 20:13 Beyond expectations

Though I'm not generally a fan of "celebrity" chefs and "it" restaurants, I kept reading fabulous things about the food at maze. For my partner's birthday I reserved two seats at the bar (tables between 6 & 10:30 were booked) as a special treat. He arrived from the office in a foul mood and chucked the drinks menu on the bar with a huff: "too girly" was his pronouncement (I had a Reformed Negroni, made with Punt e Mes instead of Campari, and it *was* on the sweet side). He ordered a regular gin martini. His eyes also glazed over with annoyance at the food menu, which explains the concept on page one: it suggests one of "Jason's tasting menus" of 6, 8 or 11 individual dishes. But there aren't any tasting menus in the conventional sense. Rather, you've got to choose the things you want essentially a la carte (a heading on the menu's last page, presumably referring to larger "main" size portions). He wasn't having it. I was worried that our evening was doomed. Enter Dennis, our waiter (and saviour). We put our entire evening in his (and the barback's) hands. The experience that ensued, from the bread and butter to the lollipop of pineapple-anise sorbet and meringue, was flawless. The dishes came in pairs beginning with several lighter seafood dishes, moving on to fowl, beetroot with cheese, and ending with lamb and pork belly. We ordered wine flights: three glasses selected by the sommelier to match our food. Desserts were rice pudding, pineapple carpaccio, panna cotta, chocolate fondant, the above-mentioned lollipops, Turkish delight, and basil-infused chocolate truffles. Two desserts and one dessert wine were comped. After our meal we were offered a tour of the kitchen (which looks better than on any TV show). Definitely a case of DO believe the hype. Up there with the best meals I've ever had. Cost a small fortune, but worth it for a special occasion!