text: The Ritz has long had an excellent reputation, but this grand old institution has entered an exciting new era. Still, don’t expect anything too off-piste - The Ritz is still all about classic French cooking, but few in the capital do it as well and none with quite the same panache and service.
  It’s impossible not to feel some awe at the grandeur of this beautiful dining room. High above you, the ceiling mirrors a cloudy sky, held aloft by towering marble columns. Dusty pinks and greens give life to a magnificent space that has housed many a celebrity and a royal over the years. In the day, natural light floods through soaring floor-to-ceiling windows, before a procession of chandeliers take over, casting moody shadows across the room for dinner service.
  Diners have a choice between a la carte and tasting menus, and we’d highly recommend the latter. There are lux ingredients galore - a perfect amuse bouche of beef tartare and caviar in delicate shortcrust tart, for example, as well as a Colchester oyster topped with Champagne. What follows is precise, faultless and spectacular. Anjou pigeon is roasted, pressed, and served with a sauce made tableside. Veal sweetbread is perfectly cooked, almost melting in the middle, and teamed with the hefty umami of Parmesan, truffle and a rich veal sauce. The best dish of an outstanding bunch is Williams’ famous langoustine a la nage, two pink langoustines served swimming in a bath of bisque, with gently blanched spring vegetables.
  Even before you get to the service, which is typically measured, attentive and friendly, The Ritz has solidified itself as the place for special occasion dining. Wines measure up to anywhere in London and are very well considered - a Premier Cru Chassagne-Montrachet picked to accompany the langoustine, for example, was truly special. Yes, the restaurant is eye-wateringly expensive, but in London’s restaurant landscape it remains top of the tree for occasion dining - there really is nowhere like The Ritz.