Harden's survey result
Summary
Über-chef Alain Ducasse’s deluxe Mayfair outpost (one of 34 he owns around the world) opened in London in 2007 to instant acclaim from the folks in Clermont Ferrand, who immediately awarded it three Michelin stars for its luxurious modern French cuisine. It’s an award that has always puzzled London’s fooderati, who have never really rated the place. An appropriately comfortable room, its centrepiece is the (slightly weird) ‘Table Lumière’ – a private-ish table surrounded by a floor-ceiling curtain of 4,500 fibre optic cables. Much nominated as a business favourite, it is a “great space for talks, with such well-spaced tables and there’s an excellent set lunch menu” too. If you don’t opt for the set lunch route, though, a visit is no bargain, and over one third of those who mention it in our annual diners’ poll do so as their most overpriced meal of the year. What’s also entirely absent are raves from more foodie reporters over the cooking, which is not terribly rated but can seem “expensive and average for all the hype”.
Summary
“A perfect menu that will forever stay in the mind” is how some reporters remember this luxurious Mayfair outpost of France’s most celebrated restaurateur, whose kitchen is run by chef-patron Jean-Philippe Blondet. Often indifferently rated in our survey over the years, it was more regularly acclaimed this year as offering “the very best of French cuisine” to match its Michelin three-star renown, although even those acknowledging the “impeccable food and service” sometimes note that “the room itself is a bit soulless and rather boring”. And there remains an undercurrent in sentiment of the view that the performance is “uninspiring and poor value”. Top Menu Tip – save yourself for the signature dish, which is rum baba, with Chantilly cream and rum.
Summary
“It was a lovely meal, no doubt… but it was nothing particularly memorable… far from mind-blowing… certainly not worth 3 Michelin stars… really quite overpriced”: this has too often been the story of this Mayfair dining room, fêted from its 2010 debut by Michelin on the strength of carrying the name of arguably France’s most famous chef. To be fair, this luxurious chamber does also have its fans, for whom executive chef Jean-Philippe Blondet’s menu is “simply the pinnacle of modern French cooking” (with a wine list to match); and “a real treat, from the moment you are greeted at the entrance to the last second as you leave”. But this year, as every year, it is concerning just how many reports say “it’s just not up there with the best…”; “…nice but very unremarkable”.
Summary
Alain Ducasse made headlines in May 2021 by parting company with Dorchester Collection’s Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris, but he maintains his relationship with this, his UK flagship. Despite holding three Michelin Stars, our mixed survey feedback has always questioned the Tyre Men’s assessment here. On the plus-side, there are advocates who say Jean-Philippe Blondet’s cuisine is “always fabulous”, and is supported by “glorious wine” and staff “who really know what they are doing”. On the minus side, though, it’s hard to ignore the very large number of reporters for whom the experience is wildly “overpriced”, and the almost complete absence of support for Michelin’s notion that this is really one of London’s top five dining rooms.
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester?
53 Park Lane, London, W1K 1QA
Restaurant details
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £54.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £0.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £0.00 |
| Service | 15.00% |
53 Park Lane, London, W1K 1QA
| Number of Diners: | |
| Required Time: | |
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Thursday | 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Friday | 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Saturday | 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
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