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Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester
Restaurant information
Established	2007
Head chef	Jocelyn Herland
Chef	Alain Ducasse
Food type	Contemporary French
Dress code	Smart
Rating	(Michelin Guide 2010)
Street address	The Dorchester Park Lane
City	London
Country	United Kingdom
Seating capacity	82
Website	www.alainducasse-dorchester.com

Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester is a restaurant located in The Dorchester, a hotel in Park Lane, London http://restaau.co.uk. It is one of 27 restaurants operated by French chef Alain Ducasse: the head chef is Jocelyn Herland. Since 2010, it has been one of four UK-sited restaurants to hold three Michelin stars. It opened in 2007 to mixed opinions, but the reviews have since improved.

Description

At the time of opening, Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, was one of 27 restaurants around the world operated by Ducasse. He described the intention of the restaurant as "It will have the modernity of Beige in Tokyo, the seriousness of La Plaza Athénée in Paris and the flavours of Le Louis XV in Monaco meeting the energy of London."

The Head Chef was originally intended to be Nicola Canuti, but Canuti was replaced before opening by Jocelyn Herland, who moved from Ducasse's La Plaza Athénée in Paris. Patrick Jouin designed the interior of the restaurant, in light coffee and cream colours. The tables feature ceramic vegetables as centrepieces, handmade butter dishes in pink marble, and Porthault linen tablecloths.

The restaurant features a special table for up to six diners called the "Table Lumière", which is surrounded by a thin white curtain which allows diners at the table to view out into the restaurant but prevents other diners from viewing in and is lit by 4500 fibre optic lights. Diners who book this table are allowed to select from a choice of tableware and menus, described by the restaurant as being a bespoke dining experience.

Housekeeping classes have also been conducted at the restaurant, with restaurant director Nicolas Defremont conducting the two hour classes for the public. They cover the methods used to prepare the restaurant for diners, in order for students to learn how to apply them at home for dinner parties.

Menu

The restaurant serves contemporary French cuisine using seasonal French and British ingredients. Menu items include roast chicken served with lobster, sweetbreads and pasta, served in a truffle sauce. Fish dishes include sea bass baked with razor clams in a parsley and shellfish jus, decorated on the plate in a theme reminiscent of the wallpaper of the 1950s. Zambian Miombo honey is included on the dessert trolley. As of 2012, a seven course dinner costs around £180 per person, and the restaurant has also recently added a three course express lunch option which regularly changes the dishes on offer.

Reception

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". 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 ten was given.

Terry Durack of The Independent thought that some of the dishes on offer at opening were unbalanced but admired the craftmenship 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". Food critic Jay Rayner reviewed Ducasse at the Dorchester for The Guardian, thinking that it was disappointing overall given Ducasse's history, and having eaten at the Ducasse restaurant in Paris. He thought 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 thought that the restaurant was currently a "grasping, mediocre experience".

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. 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 meal on a high note".

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.

References

1. ^ Palmer, Mark (23 November 2007). "Restaurant review: Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, London". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
2. ^ Durack, Terry (2 December 2007). "Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester: Alain Ducasse has brought his Michelin-starred genius to town; if only he'd left his presumptuous menu behind". The Independent. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
3. "Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester". Tatler. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
4. "Table Lumière" (PDF). The Dorchester. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
5. ^ O' Ceallaigh, John (25 May 2012). "Entertaining at home: The Art of Fine Dining masterclass at Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
6. ^ "Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester". Time Out. 18 October 2011. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
7. ^ Norman, Matthew (6 February 2010). "Restaurant: Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
8. Rayner, Jay (30 December 2007). "Catch a falling star". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
9. Kuhn, Kerstin (18 January 2010). "New Michelin-starred restaurants praised by guide editor". Caterer and Hotelkeeper. Retrieved 27 May 2012.

External links

• Official website

v t e Michelin-starred restaurants in the United Kingdom
Current restaurants with three stars	Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester CORE by Clare Smyth The Fat Duck Restaurant Gordon Ramsay L'Enclume The Ledbury sketch The Waterside Inn Hélène Darroze at The Connaught
Former restaurants with three stars	Chez Nico La Tante Claire The Restaurant Marco Pierre White The Araki
Current restaurants with two stars	A. Wong Alex Dilling at Hotel Cafe Royal Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons Claude Bosi at Bibendum Da Terra Dinner by Heston Blumenthal The Glenturret Lalique Gymkhana The Hand & Flowers Ikoyi Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs La Dame de Pic Midsummer House Moor Hall Restaurant with Rooms Opheem Restaurant Andrew Fairlie Restaurant Sat Bains Story Ynyshir
Former restaurants with two stars	Aubergine The Capital Restaurant Le Gavroche Harveys Hibiscus L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon The Ledbury Lettonie Pétrus Pied à Terre The Square Tom Aikens restaurant Whatley Manor
Current restaurants with one star	Chez Bruce Club Gascon Elystan Street Gidleigh Park Gravetye Manor Hambleton Hall The Hind's Head Home The Kitchin La Trompette Le Champignon Sauvage Locanda Locatelli Lympstone Manor Morston Hall The Muddlers Club Murano Northcote Ox Pétrus Pied à Terre Restaurant Hywel Jones by Lucknam Park The River Café St. John The Walnut Tree The Whitebrook
Category:Restaurants in the United Kingdom Category:Michelin-starred restaurants

• Use dmy dates from August 2012
• Restaurants in London
• Restaurants established in 2007
• Michelin Guide starred restaurants in the United Kingdom