Restaurant specialty review: Gordon Ramsay Au Trianon

Right across the side entrance Palace of Versailles stands a luxury hotel- the Waldorf Astoria Versailles. The uncontested highlight of this regal lodging is one of Gordon Ramsay’s famed restaurants, Gordon Ramsay Au Trianon. The setting alone is gorgeous, with black and white marble floors, crystal chandeliers, large windows facing out to the garden and a pleasant colour scheme of white and pale yellow. With whimsical plating and delicious dishes galore, Ramsay never fails to delight the senses- every dish a new magnum opus.

Dinner opens off with a truffled scrambled egg amuse-bouche*, served in a spiky metal plate reminiscent of a mace cut open. This delight is served with Champagne- a French classic. Following the amuse-bouche, all sorts of wondrous treats follow to delight the eyes and tongue: including butter carved into a variety of prisms, foie gras ballotine* wrapped in delicate beetroot lace, and lobster tail with mozzarella dressed beautifully in multicoloured leaves. Despite the visual poetry of these dishes, the most appealing foods to the tongue are certainly the most plain to the eye- such as wonderfully cooked veal and Comté cheese with toasted brioche.

Despite the magic of the main courses, the real wizardry lies in Ramsay's desserts. The meal concludes with a most beautifully designed sweet dish- a golden egg, drizzled with gold flakes, sitting in the centre of a beautiful swirl. This dessert is composed of candied pineapple, passion fruit, coconut and vanilla- a wonderfully extravagant medley of tropical flavours. It is regal in more than taste- the dessert is an abstract representation of King Louis XIV, who was known as The Sun King during his reign and resided within the Palace of Versailles. The tropical taste mixes the homnely taste of France with the exotic flavours which Royalty so deeply adored, an extravagant display of status and wealth sitting upon a plate. This specialty was so decadent that every reviewer who has ever tried it has snarfed it up before snapping a photograph- as beautiful it is to behold, the true beauty of it lies within the rich, gorgeous taste.

Gordon Ramsay Au Trianon truly offers an experience which captivates the senses. The specialty dessert truly captures the heart and is perhaps one of the best one may ever taste within their lifetimes. It is not an opportunity to be missed! Gordon Ramsay’s reputation as one of the best chefs in the world is most certainly uncontested, even in the very place where chefs once served monarchs.

Restaurant Rating: ★★★★★ 5 stars

Specialty Rating: ★★★★★ 5 stars

GLOSSARY

- An amuse-bouche refers to a bite-sized appetiser of the chef’s selection.

- A ballotine is a boneless poultry leg or thigh stuffed with forcemeat.