Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester

At the time of opening, Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester was one of over 25 restaurants around the world operated by Ducasse Paris. Alain Ducasse intended the restaurant to have "the modernity of Beige in Tokyo, the seriousness of Le Plaza Athénée in Paris and the flavours of Le Louis XV in Monaco meeting the energy of London."[2]

The Executive Chef was originally intended to be Nicola Canuti, but Canuti was replaced before opening by Jocelyn Herland, who moved from Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée in Paris.[2] Designed by Patrick Jouin and his partner Sanjit Manku, who have already worked with Alain Ducasse in Paris, New York and Las Vegas, the restaurant draws inspiration from British traditions, Hyde Park and even the cuisine of Alain Ducasse himself. Jouin Manku have succeeded in merging tradition with modernity. The tables feature ceramic vegetables as centrepieces,[3] handmade butter dishes in pink marble, and Porthault linen tablecloths.[4]

Dorset Crab, celeriac and caviar

Mark Palmer visited the restaurant shortly after opening for The Daily Telegraph. The food critic went into the restaurant with high expectations, describing Alain Ducasse opening a London-based restaurant as the moment when "God comes to town".[2] Particular stand out dishes included halibut with a lemon caper sauce which was described as "sensational", and a "masterpiece" of a chocolate praline and orange dessert. An overall rating of eight out of 10 was given.[2]

Terry Durack of The Independent wrote that some of the dishes on offer at opening were unbalanced but admired the craftsmanship of the dishes. He said that it wasn't the best Ducasse restaurant he had been to, but gave it 16 out of 20, indicating that it was "capable of greatness".[3] Food critic Jay Rayner reviewed Ducasse at the Dorchester for The Guardian, wrote that it was disappointing overall given Ducasse's history, having eaten at the Ducasse restaurant in Paris. He wrote that the ingredients were perfectly cooked, but they didn't make up for the combinations involved in the dishes. He described Ducasse as "capable of brilliance" but that the restaurant was currently a "grasping, mediocre experience".[6]

Matthew Norman reviewed the restaurant for The Guardian after it received its third Michelin star. While he praised the attentive staff, and the quality of the food, he directly compared it to several two-star restaurants he had previously reviewed and had trouble identifying the difference between the general quality of two star and three-star restaurants. He suggested that he may be due to the impact of Alain Ducasse himself.[7] Food critics from Time Out reviewed the restaurant's express lunch menu in 2011, giving it four out of five stars and describing one dish, a rhubarb, strawberry and vanilla millefeuille, as having "sang out [the] meal on a high note".[5]

In 2009, the restaurant appeared in the Michelin guide for the first time, appearing directly with two stars, and was named a Michelin rising star. The following year, this was increased to three Michelin stars; the restaurant becoming only the fourth UK-based three-Michelin star restaurant following The Waterside Inn, The Fat Duck and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay.[8] As of 2017 it is one of five UK-based three-Michelin starred restaurants with nine-seat Araki Sushi Restaurant joining in the 2018 Michelin Guide published in October 2017. [9]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester.

• Official website