The top line: Gordon Ramsay has opened his 100th restaurant. Bread Street Kitchen Bishopsgate joins Gordon Ramsay Lucky Cat and the already Michelin-starred Gordon Ramsay High at 22 Bishopsgate, which both opened early last year within the tallest building in The City of London. Those who watched Ramsay’s Netflix series Being Gordon Ramsay, which chronicled the launch of the world famous chef’s most ambitious project to date, will know that Bread Street Kitchen Bishopsgate opened much later than planned due to the enormous complexity that comes with launching three restaurants (and a cookery school) over 250 metres above pavement level. The restaurant is the largest Bread Street Kitchen to date, with an impressive 250 covers. The brand was one of Ramsay’s earlier ventures into casual dining, with the first Bread Street Kitchen opening in 2011 on the other side of the Square Mile near St Paul’s Cathedral. Gordon Ramsay Group now operates nine Bread Street Kitchen restaurants in the UK, alongside four overseas sites.
On the menu: The menu remains true to the brand’s British-European identity, but executive head chef Kamarl Rees John has created a more elevated ‘2.0’ offering tailored to the location. For the first time in Bread Street Kitchen’s history, the restaurant features a tasting menu. Dishes on the five-course (plus snacks) offer include stone bass crudo, wagyu meatballs, chicken and caviar nuggets, and Duroc pork chop. There is also a breakfast menu served from 6.30am on weekdays, as well as a premium afternoon tea offering. While signature dishes such as Bread Street Kitchen’s Beef Wellington remain, the menu has a more global feel than the group’s normal menu. Highlights from the à la carte selection include lobster and prawn toast with tobiko mayonnaise and salted egg yolk; Gordon’s Fried Chicken for two with herb ranch and ssamjang; and a vitello tonnato-inspired beef tartare. Premium ingredients feature heavily throughout, with wagyu, caviar and Carabineros prawns all making appearances. Unsurprisingly, given the scale of the project and its unbeatable panoramic views of the capital, prices are more heady than at other Bread Street Kitchen locations.
The vibe: The first thing visitors will notice upon stepping out of the high-speed lifts is the sheer scale of the space. The ceilings are extremely high and dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows wrap around the restaurant, delivering spectacular, uninterrupted views across the London skyline. Designed by Gordon Ramsay Group’s long-term collaborator Russell Sage - who makes a cameo appearance in the Netflix series - Bread Street Kitchen Bishopsgate combines high-energy urbanism with high-rise luxury. It moves away from the gritty industrial aesthetic of the original St Paul’s site, instead embracing a more refined, polished sky-lounge feel. Bread Street Kitchen Bishopsgate is the second highest restaurant in the capital (the first being Gordon Ramsay Lucky Cat one floor above).
And another thing: While there is no doubt the 15-month delay cost Gordon Ramsay Group dearly, it injected some much needed jeopardy into Being Gordon Ramsay and made for a buzzy, fully-booked launch. Nearly a year and half of no cash coming in for such a large and prestigious site would probably have spelled disaster for a smaller group. But in the grand scheme of Ramsay’s gargantuan empire, it may have not been such a bad thing after all.
Floor 59, 22 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AJ
www.gordonramsayrestaurants.com/bread-street-kitchen/bishopsgate/