When a chef has a restaurant named simply after himself, you know that a) he’s pretty famous b) you’ll have some rather exceptional food. This much I did expect. What I didn’t expect that walking through The Dorchester to the restaurant was walking through a cornucopia of lush greenery and rich tapestries, luxe carpets in a rose pink that make you feel like you’re on the set of a movie.

When we walk into the Dorchester, a stunning hotel by anyone’s definition, we are greeted by this lovely sight. My pulse quickens immediately and we are guided towards the Alain Ducasse restaurant, Gordon Ramsay’s idol and accomplished French restaurateur.

Inside it’s breaktaking, the work of French designer Patrick Jouin and partner Sanjit Manku, frequent collaborators with Ducasse on many restaurants. It feels so….lush and honeyed, as if the stars and the moon descended and bathed the room in the palest silvery light.

The view of Hyde park is echoed in the opposing wall with a palette of green and cream silk covered buttons all in different heights simulating a Seurat-like painting of a garden.

The private dining room is actually not in the kitchen but within the main restaurant curtained off by a shimmering silver fringed curtain that appears like falling rain and when the lights dim at 9pm the shimmering silver fringe curtain lights up. The tables are large and each features little touches, you know were expertly and explicitly picked.

Service is personal and inviting, we are shown the private room, the decorations and have a visit to the wine cellar, a imposing looking temperature controlled room-if only we were big wine drinkers!

Paprika and herb Gougeres

While we are looking at the menu, some paprika gougeres arrives, warmly golden and puffed, some with a mildish chili powder coating, some rolled in herbs. They’re deceptively moreish and before long the bowl is gone. The menu has a choice of either an entree + meat+fish+ dessert for £95 or an entree+meat or fish + dessert for £75. The specialties of the house are marked with a leaf symbol although these most often incur a supplement of £10.

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I have fond memories of the Inter Continental Hotel. However they’re now fuzzy and blurred given that they were so may years ago. During High School my friends and I hung out at the Inter Continental’s Top Floor bar where we would gather on Saturday nights, order mocktails and take advantage of the spectacular view of the Opera House. What was always important was that the nibbly bowl, filled with Japanese rice crackers or nuts would be replenished regularly, without us asking. Once it was a bowl of mixed nuts and after we picked out all the good ones and left the peanuts behind, they’d refill it again. That was great service to us High School kids.

It’s been a while since I’ve been to the hotel, certainly I’ve been since High School but tonight, we’re partaking of their Sugar Hit, part of the SMH’s Good Food Month. We always prefer the platters as that allows for maximum tasting pleasure so the Inter Continental’s was a no brainer. It is a tasting platter of Grand Marnier-Strawberry Infused Panna Cotta; Chestnut Timbale, V.S.O.P cognac cream & White Chocolate-Raspberry Torte with a glass of Brown Brothers Dessert Wine.

We’re seated at the Lobby’s Cortile Bar, a winding-round multi two leveled space. It’s early in the night for Teena, Gina and I at 8pm as we’d had an early dinner at Bodega. Still, the Cortile Bar is quite full. We place our orders and we are given a choice of either Cognac or Brown Brothers Dessert Wine. I adore the BB dessert wine so I order this. Our plates and glasses come out shortly.

Tasting platter of (left to right) V.S.O.P cognac cream & White Chocolate-Raspberry Torte; Grand Marnier-Strawberry Infused Panna Cotta; Chestnut Timbale, $20

V.S.O.P cognac cream & White Chocolate-Raspberry Torte

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I don’t know if sometimes I should be committed to an institution or not. I admit that there’s a part of me that looks at something difficult and rubs my hands with glee thinking “Hmm I’d like to try that”. And that’s the part of me that probably should be institutionalised. I’m studying for my Ps and my husband keeps telling me that it’s not that hard, that millions of people already have theirs and that that should prove that it is indeed something easily within reach to an able bodied person. However a perverse part of me knows that if only 5 people in the world had a Driver’s License, then I’d be more interested in joining that club than one where millions of people belong. It’s utter foolishness for the most part as if I try, I probably wouldn’t get in but it’s the want in me that desires it.

This item was the best looking of the very gorgeously photographed 3 Star Chef book by Gordon Ramsay in the section he calls “The Dark Arts” (so Harry Potter, love it). So naturally I wanted to try and make it. I knew that I would have to make some adjustments (I used strawberries rather than rapsberries, I made honey ice cream instead of milk and one mousse type was canceled based on the amount of time it took to do another part, but more on that later). So was I able to recreate a 3 Michelin star restaurant dessert? Not exactly really and not without some adjustments to his recipes. I have to say that there were some crucial details missing for those who have never made the tuiles before and some things were just so not possible that I abandoned the recipe and made my own version (the directions for Italian Meringue for the mousse).

I had some issues with parts of this recipe so I’ve included the easier version which I know worked. I wouldn’t want my readers to go through the trauma of a failed recipe. And this dessert was actually served at Royal Hospital Road as seen on the Stomach Expansion blog. So without further ado, please take my hand and I welcome you to the saga that was the Strawberry and Mint Mille Feuille with Honey Ice Cream!

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