What: A huge, multi-faceted restaurant project that’s launched on level 60 of the 22 Bishopsgate building in the City of London. Behind it is Gordon Ramsay, who has billed the opening as his ‘largest investment yet’; no small feat given that the chef’s empire now encompasses more than 80 restaurants globally. 22 Bishopsgate features a total of five Ramsay projects under its roof including Lucky Cat restaurant and bar, Bread Street Kitchen, a Gordon Ramsay Academy, and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High – a 12-seat chef’s table experience of the flagship three Michelin-starred Chelsea restaurant. While Bread Street Kitchen is due to launch later in the year, all other venues are now open.
Who: Lucky Cat is being led by restaurant director and D&D alumnus Kyle Linderand and VIP guest relations manager Nathan Brown, whose CV includes a six-year stint as senior Maître D’ and assistant reception manager at Corbin & King. Overseeing the stoves at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High is executive head chef James Goodyear, who joined the group last year having previously worked as head chef at Evelyn’s Table.
The food: This is Ramsay’s third opening in the UK under his premium, Asian-inspired Lucky Cat brand – the other two sites being in Mayfair and Manchester – and much of the menu carries over from the brand’s sister restaurants and centres on sharing plates. Signature dishes include Ramsay’s fried chicken with hot Korean miso and black sesame (£17); baby chicken with teriyaki, Japanese aubergine and red onion (£31); and bonito fried duck leg with bao buns, Szechuan pepper, spicy hoisin and apple (£34). There are, however, more than 30 new dishes on the menu, including the softshell crab maki with chili and garlic mayonnaise (£18); a whole suckling pig to share between six, served with bao buns, pickled vegetables, kimchi and selection of sauces; and a special ‘world of wagyu’ section featuring prime cuts from around the globe. By contrast, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High is a tasting menu affair that features classic dishes from the original restaurant and incorporates both neo-Nordic and Japanese-inspired flavours and techniques. Costing £250 per person, the menu includes the famous pecan parfait, here reinterpreted with a fresh flavour profile; and the Parker House roll, which has been transformed into a sharing-style centrepiece.
To drink: The focus here is on the Lucky Cat bar, which is adjoined to the restaurant. Julian Cox, global VP of beverage for the Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, has overseen the drinks menu here, which includes the group’s largest selection of Japanese whiskey, and features an exclusive martini menu with citrus, floral, and umami options.
The vibe: There’s plenty of ying and yang between Lucky Cat and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High, with the latter by its nature being a smarter, focused experience. By contrast, Lucky Cat is a looser proposition with a trendy décor and a vibrant ambience that’s underscored by the nightly live DJ sets. Set on the 60th floor of 22 Bishopsgate, which makes them the highest restaurants in Europe, both venues offer panoramic views of the London skyline that takes in landmarks including Tower Bridge, The Shard, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and Battersea Power Station.
And another thing: Things have started well for Ramsay in Bishopsgate with Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High mostly booked out in the weeks to come and both Lucky Cat’s restaurant and bar packed to the rafters on the Thursday night that Restaurant dined there. But it’s not all been smooth sailing, with the chef revealing in an interview set to be broadcast on ITV’s The Jonathan Ross Show this weekend that Lucky Cat’s maneki-neko (meaning ‘beckoning cat’) statues, which appear on each table as a holder for the guest’s chopsticks, are being stolen in their hundreds. According to Ramsay, 477 cats were stolen in the past week alone, which is no small fry considering that each statue costs the restaurant £4.50 - meaning a total of £2,146.50 was lost as a result. That’s not the only example of questionable customer behaviour the restaurant has been facing. “We’ve got a problem with the toilets,” Ramsay added during the interview. “There are lots of couples going in there and treating it like the ‘mile high’ bathroom.” No wonder they’d sold out of oysters on our visit.
Level 60, 22 Bishopsgate London EC2N 4AJ