Gordon Ramsay has received a bad press of late, but my two experiences of dining at The London Restaurant in New York, cement my belief that he remains one of the best chefs in the world.

Having lived in New York for four years, I sampled a number of eateries during my stay, and this restaurant always left me wanting to go back for more.

The Restaurant
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Set in the London Hotel, the restaurant is accessed via the London bar, and is a small dining room at the back of the hotel. The restaurant itself is an intimate setting, with stunning mirrored walls and a low ceiling which creates a tranquil environment and a real sense of opulence.

The Menu
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The menu is divided into two, offering an a la carte selection or the prestige menu, which is a 7 course set menu, with an option for vegetarians if required.

On both of our visits we opted for the prestige menu, as we felt that we would maximise the combinations of flavours by doing this. We also opted for the wine pairing which was truly a wonderful experience, and the sommelier was always on hand to talk us through the choice of wine and how it complimented the food.

The cheese board, although pricey at $17.00 supplement is an experience all of its own, with something like 60 cheeses on offer, and an experienced waiter to tell you the history of the cheese, the various types and those that go well together. Even though I'm not a cheese lover, this was an amazing taste experience!

Service
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From the moment we arrived, each and every member of staff was attentive to our needs, polite and courteous, and happy to assist with any questions we had.

The Restaurant Director was on hand during our second visit, and happy to talk to us about the history of the hotel and the Gordon Ramsey franchise, and upon our request, he was happy to give us a tour of the wine cellar and kitchen - this was a wonderful end to the evening.

Price
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This is the painful bit! Such luxury and five star service doesn't come cheap, and for the two of us we didn't see much change from $500! However, it will always be money well spent in my book as the service was second to none.

Conclusion
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If you can afford it and you're having a romantic break in New York, this isn't to be missed.