Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester

Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester is a restaurant located in The Dorchester, Park Lane, London. It is one of over 25 restaurants operated by French-born chef Alain Ducasse. The current Executive Chef is Jean-Philippe Blondet,[1] who succeeded Chef Jocelyn Herland.[2] Opened in November 2007, it was awarded three Michelin stars in 2010 and has retained them every year since.

Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester
The Table Lumière
The Table Lumière
Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester is located in Central London
Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester
Location of The Dorchester hotel
Restaurant information
Established2007 (2007)
Head chefJean-Philippe Blondet
ChefAlain Ducasse
Food typeContemporary French
Dress codeSmart-casual
Rating3 Michelin stars (Michelin Guide)
Street addressThe Dorchester
Park Lane
CityLondon, W1
CountryUnited Kingdom
Coordinates51°30′26″N 00°09′09″W
Seating capacity82
Other informationNearest stations:
London Underground Green Park; Hyde Park Corner
Websitewww.alainducasse-dorchester.com

Description

At the time of opening, Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester was intended 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."[3]

The Executive Chef was originally intended to be Nicola Canuti, but Canuti was replaced before opening by Jocelyn Herland.[3] Designed by Patrick Jouin and his partner Sanjit Manku, the restaurant is inspired by British traditions. The tables feature ceramic vegetables as centrepieces,[4] handmade butter dishes in pink marble, and Porthault linen tablecloths.[5]

The restaurant serves contemporary French cuisine using seasonal French and British ingredients.[6]

Reception
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. An overall rating of eight out of 10 was given.[3]


Terry Durack of The Independent wrote that some of the dishes on offer at the 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".[4] Food critic Jay Rayner reviewed Ducasse at the Dorchester for The Guardian, wrote that it was disappointing overall given Ducasse's history.

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.[6]

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 in the 2018 Michelin Guide published in October 2017.[9]

See also

References
  1. Forshaw, Irenie (29 July 2022). "Jean-Philippe Blondet on his Inventive Approach to Fine Dining". Elite Traveler. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  2. Partnership, The Kolberg. "The All in One Ultimate Restaurant List Interview: Jocelyn Herland". AllinLondon. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  3. Palmer, Mark (23 November 2007). "Restaurant review: Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, London". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  4. 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. Archived from the original on 7 March 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  5. "Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester". Tatler. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  6. "Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester". Time Out. 18 October 2011. Archived from the original on 22 April 2010. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  7. Norman, Matthew (6 February 2010). "Restaurant: Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  8. Kuhn, Kerstin (18 January 2010). "New Michelin-starred restaurants praised by guide editor". Caterer and Hotelkeeper. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  9. "Three Michelin Stars For The Araki As Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland 2018 Unveiled". Archived from the original on 2 October 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
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