Heddon Street Kitchen — Restaurant in London

I'll premise this review by saying how much I admire Gordon Ramsay. I have watched his shows on repeat for years. So much so that my daughter, at a time where she could barely say anything, would excitedly say "yes, chep!" Anytime she heard the Hell's Kitchen theme song.

That said, I was left sourly disappointed by my experience at Heddon Street Kitchen yesterday evening. I was in the area and we wanted to find a child-friendly dinner option nearby. My sister found this place and I was immediately psyched because, despite being a big fan of Gordon, I still hadn't been to one of his restaurants.

We made our way over and we were immediately greeted by the sweetest, most accommodating host (Eddie?). He made us feel welcomed with our children (ages 2 and 7 months). However, the experience was downhill from there. We ordered an appetizer (tamarind-spiced chicken wings) and immediately after ordering, the waiter took away our small plates, so we didn't have any plates to eat the wings over. But this was easily overlooked. It was just kind of odd. When the wings arrived, they smelled amazing and they tasted great.

However the complete opposite was true for our entrees. My sister and I both ordered the Roasted Cod dish. When it arrived at the table, I was met with a strong fishy odor. Upon taking a bite or two, my sister and I both looked up at each other and wondered the same thing... did this taste right?

The cod wasn't moist, but rather dry, rubbery, and fishy. The sauce was a bit bitter as well. I thought maybe there was something in the sauce that was giving such an unpleasant taste. I was hesitant to say anything, but I couldn't justify paying £30 for something that was inedible to me just so that I could avoid confrontation. So we decided to tell a waiter that something tasted off with the cod.

A manager came over and asked what the problem was. I told him, for lack of a better description, the cod tasted too fishy. I was met with arrogance and a condescending reply. He told me cod is a fish. I asked if there was some type of mushroom or fish sauce added to the dish, which he scoffed at because obviously none of that was in the dish. I told him that I have never had baked cod, but I have had it fried. Could it be that when Cod is roasted, it has a strong fishy flavor and smell? He said it was possible. He told us that the dish is very popular and lots of people love it. It felt like he was trying to tell us we don't have a taste for good food.

I have eaten at a number of Michelin star and James Beard award-winning restaurants around the world. I also eat a lot of steamed, pan-fried, and raw fish. I have eaten at a Michelin-star omakase restaurant... so, I like fish. I may not be an expert on baked cod, specifically, but I have consumed enough fish to say that I know if a fish tastes bad. And this cod dish straight up tasted bad.

But regardless, I felt like we should've been met with more respect over the situation. Instead he talked down to us. After taking the fish back to the kitchen, he told us the chef said the fish tasted right and that the chef would not remake the dish for us. Then followed up with, "would you like to order something else?" I was in awe that the flavor of that cod (and the cook on it) was truly what any chef could've intended. I began to doubt my American palate. I wondered if maybe British people enjoy strong, somewhat foul, fishy-tasting flavors.

At that point, I felt too much tension from the manager and too much anxiety/self-doubt to feel comfortable ordering another entrée. Instead, we chose to skip to the dessert (the sticky toffee pudding that I have wanted to try forever).

That was really good. And so was my husband's Venison pinwheel sausage dish. They did right by us by removing the two cod dishes from our bill and, in the end, the manager apologized that we did not like their cod dish. But I would've much rather the chef owned up to overcooking the cod (causing it to have a terrible texture and flavor), as opposed to being gaslit. It was such a...

Having been a long time fan of Gordon Ramsay's I was quite excited to finally have a meal in his restaurant here at Heddon Street. But as the old adage goes: "Never meet your heroes".

Well, I didn't met Mr. Ramsay that night, but I did meet the depressing realization that franchises, regardless of who's name is attached to them, are all the same: Mediocre at the best of times.

The staff were truly the highlight of my evening and went along with the requests I had made in advance for my wife and my 5th wedding anniversary. Everything else was a letdown. The prices are the only astonishing thing about the venue. The noise was unbelievable, the lightning was poorer than a dodgy butcher trying to sell questionable meats, the service was haphazard, the tables were minute, the bathrooms had broken urinals flushing constantly, the seating was cramped and the food..... well the food frankly deserved it's own mention.

Having a variety of starters seemed great, but frankly the tastiest thing on the whole slate was the mustard. Everything else was honestly either "Meh" at best, or dissapointing at worst. Seriously, the Chicken wings that came with the starter selection tasted like someone ran out to KFC to buy Dunked wings, put some garnish on it, and then slapped a helluva markup on it for good measure. Having grown up with Jewish friends and having Jewish family I was so excited to have some Brisket.....only for it to be served cold and drenched in sauce for some reason....

Thereafter the Beef wellington experience arrived. While the beef was cooked to perfection, that mushroom layer was the most bitter experience imaginable and was something I was tasting a great many hours after we had left Heddon. Thank God for the smash adding some saltiness to cut through the near moldy bitterness of those Mushrooms. The red wine jus was appreciated, but was thinner than water and went everywhere....I was almost hoping for a gravy by the time I'd run out of Mash.

The deserts mercifully were much better, and I am extremely grateful to the staff for putting together the celebratory plate for my wife and I.

Staff were lovely, but frankly I think this restaurant is mainly for the touristy crowd who are more interested in Instagraming their meal...than enjoying it. For an eye watering £211 bill for two people you would have expected us to be able to more fondly remember something beyond their Mustard....but no. For a Man that has his name on the wall, Heddon really doesn't have a single grain of the flavors or passion I...

Revisit June 2023 After a long workshop with customers from Switzerland, colleagues from Amsterdam, Israel, the US, and our local Londoners, deciding on a dinner spot was always a challenge. With plenty of options available, we needed a safe choice that wouldn't venture too far into the unknown. That's why we settled on Heddon Street Kitchen.

This restaurant strikes the perfect balance—it's upscale enough to ensure good service without causing a panic for the CFO. The menu offers a range of high-end dishes that are still traditionally safe, making it ideal for satisfying everyone's cravings (unless you're a vegan).

The service was impeccable, with a polite and efficient staff. They provided all the necessary information and recommendations without being overly chatty. Every dish we ordered received a thumbs up from our group, but the real star was the signature beef wellington. At £110 for two, it may seem pricey, but it's a must-try at least once.

Unfortunately, the desserts didn't quite meet our expectations, so we decided to end the night elsewhere for something sweeter.

Overall, our experience at Heddon Street Kitchen provided us with a great taste of traditional British cuisine in a refined setting.

Previous Visit:

Booked lunch at the restaurant for 3 people on Monday. The restaurant was busy but not packed. many were seating outside as the weather was still kind for November. Welcoming service took us to our table inside. I was surprised no one offered to take coats.. could do better. Nice décor and comfy seating but smoke and fishy smell from the kitchen was on the strong side. You get used to it after a few minutes but again... Could do better. Cocktail offering and wine quicky pushed. We got our drinks quickly and large chicken wings and large duck salad for starter. Both were tasty but glad we got the large portions or the size would have been tiny. We ordered some burgers and the Wellington. The waiting time (45min) was worth it as the Wellington was a perfect dish and large for two people. Surprisingly even the humble burgers were fantastic and gave the Wellington a run for its (expensive) money. The chocolate fondant was also worth the wait time (25min) and is recommended. £230 for a good lunch for 3 is on the pricey side but you can skip the Wellington and have a very reasonable priced excellent food...